Tips For Buying a Second Hand Bike
Walking into a bike shop and finally pulling the trigger on a long-awaited dream bike is one of life’s genuinely memorable moments.
I can recall plenty of my own purchases in vivid detail — the chats with the staff, adjusting the saddle height to get that first proper feel of the bike, then raise or lower the bars and seatpost. If all goes well you progress to the final tweaks to ensure a proper fit, and then it’s those first few pedal strokes on official ‘New Bike Day’.
Supporting your local bike shop is always the right instinct, but for various reasons, including finances, availability, finding exactly the bike you want, or preferring to go down the second-hand path, there are plenty of other options.
While a brand-new bike can range anywhere from a grand right through to twenty or more thousand dollars these days, with the same budget, the second-hand space typically delivers higher-spec’d and sometimes barely ridden bikes, all for a fraction of the price. Depreciation works in your favour, as long as you do your homework and buy smart.
For most people, the search starts on Facebook Marketplace. It’s fast, local and loaded with options — commuter hybrids, high-end road bikes, gravel rigs, legal e-bikes, all manner of MTBs, vintage race bikes … the lot. The economics can be compelling, and the options seemingly endless. But Marketplace is unfiltered, meaning you, the buyer, take on the risk. It’s critical to ask the right questions and scrutinise every listing.
Request detailed photos, ask about drivetrain wear, brake surfaces, frame condition, whether it has had repairs and how often it’s been serviced. Ask about the bike’s history: how often it’s been ridden, where it’s been stored, and why it’s being sold.
Getting vague or evasive answers or the old “I’m selling for a friend who’s not on Facebook”? … be extra wary. Bike theft is a real and persistent problem, and the second-hand market is one of its primary outlets. It’s wise to ask for the serial number, to see original receipts, or details of where it was purchased.
If private sales aren’t your thing, there’s a growing network of specialist second-hand bike dealers who buy and sell quality used bikes. Reputable businesses like Melbourne’s Alchemy Cycle Trader, Brisbane’s Weise Bike Co, Adelaide’s ReCycle Bicycle Sales and Sydney’s Play Bikes operate very differently from peer-to-peer platforms. They sit somewhere between a private seller and a traditional bike shop — assessing, servicing, and preparing bikes for resale, often taking trade-ins, providing some form of warranty, and offering post-sale support. Most conduct police checks before listing, which dramatically reduces the ever-present risk of stolen goods.
More established used bike dealers such as the aforementioned Alchemy offer more than just pre-loved bikes with extra services such as expert bike fits, e-bike hire, carbon fibre testing and full workshop servicing.
Specialist dealers mitigate risk – the last thing they want is a complaint or bad review from an unhappy customer. And some include a post-purchase service check, something you’ll never get from a stranger on Facebook.
Wherever you decide to buy that second-hand steed, a few things are non-negotiable.
Scrutinise the seller. If buying on Marketplace, look at their profile history, checking for previous bike or cycling accessory sales, read their ratings and reviews, see how long the account has been active and even check for mutual friends. In a shop, ask staff directly how the bike was sourced and what recent work has been done.
Understand the condition. Focus on consumables such as the chain, cassette, tyres, brake pads and moving parts like bearings and headsets. If the answer is vague, budget for a professional service.
Sort out fit before you commit – a well-priced bike that doesn’t suit your body or your commute might look great and get the heart pumping, but will never be quite right for you. Always ask for a test ride.
The logic to buy a second-hand bike is more compelling by the day. As fuel, finance and living costs keep climbing, cutting car dependency saves money, makes you fitter, healthier and happier. That and the fact that there are some fantastic deals out there, it’s a wonderful time to be in the market.
Standout Bikes
Having ridden and written about hundreds of different bikes in a decade of cycling media, a handful of the review models have left indelible memories. A few that spring to mind include an Eddy Merckx EM 525, a ridiculously fast, top-level race bike that handled like it was on rails. There was a shiraz red Specialized Aethos equipped with a sweet suite of Campagnolo’s best – their latest Super Record groupset and lightest carbon wheels.
Another was a race-spec Trek Madone in WorldTour team colours. One bike that really stood out had a little less glitz and glamour than the dream machines above, but what it lacked in bling, it certainly made up for in versatility, comfort and everyday rideability. The bike is the 2020 Specialized Roubaix, a fascinating release that I was fortunate enough to test on the cobbles, bergs and muurs of Flanders. The Roubaix really stood out. It felt like a race bike that also happened to be incredibly comfortable thanks to 20mm of suspension in the steerer, a ‘Pave’ seatpost (an enhanced version of the company’s earlier ‘Cobble Gobbler’) space for 33mm tyres and fat riser handlebars. Add sensational looks, a low overall weight, and race-level aerodynamics to the equation and the 2020 (and subsequent years) Roubaix is a standout steed.
Since that trip, I’d always wanted one and often found myself searching the usual channels – Gumtree, Bicycle Market, Alchemy and the like – for the right bike. Recently visiting Brisbane, a cursory check of Marketplace one morning delivered a surprising result – a 2020 Roubaix, located a handful of suburbs away, at the right price. I messaged the owner a few times, arranged to meet that afternoon, looked over the near new bike, and took it for a short ride up and down his street.
“I bought it new,” said the quietly spoken Canadian who seemed to be in his mid 60s. “I’ve ridden a few events on it, Noosa, Brissie to the Bay, and locally a few times, but I prefer being off the roads these days.”
With the bike in about the same condition as the $9,000 review bike I begrudgingly handed back to Specialized 6-years ago, I offered my new Canadian mate $100 less than the modest $2400 he was asking.
“Sure,” he said, “You’ll love the bike, and no doubt give it a lot more use than I have. Plus, I’m over the tyre kickers, lowballs and endless messages,” he added.
Original tyres, a virtually unmarked naked carbon frame, LOOK pedals, charged front and rear lights, a Quadlock mount, saddle bag, spare tube, recently serviced, garaged all its life – a near-new bike for less than a third of the 2020 price.
Yes, there are some fantastic second-hand buys out there – it pays to do your research, set up alerts, ask the right questions, look further afield, and your dream ride will eventually come up.
