Buying used . . .
 

As my kids were growing up, it was easy to buy used bikes. I'd go to Craigslist, find a bike, and buy it. Was just as easy to sell their old bikes that way. Now there's offerup, letgo, facebook, etc . . .

The last time I bought used, my son was small (just over 5') and a used 46cm Surly CC basically fell out of the sky on Craigslist for $200. Screamer of a deal. Well . . . that kid went and grew into a firmly medium-size person (about 5'8"). He needs a bike for a medium-size person, and I don't think we'll get so lucky as to have this happen again. He LOVES his Crosscheck . . . rides around town, rides to school, rides 30-40 miles with us most weekends, does 50-60 milers when charity events present. New CC is out of his price range, so a good quality used road/gravel bike is in order. He shows no interest in the 80s vintage touring bikes that are so plentiful . . .

Where else to look? offerup hasn't been effective -- lots of bum leads and several bikes that I'm firmly convinced are stolen. Facebook classifieds has some decent bikes. Prices are a little higher there, but that's okay because they're reliable. Just curious where else people look for good used bikes. As I've told him, just watch and wait . . . and be ready to jump at the one you want.


He doesn't want a BD bike . . . mostly because he finds their website beyond awful.

I wish I had some good advice. But, buying used scares me. Unless it's from a friend I trust. I just worry about not being astute enough to pick up on things that could be important and expensive to fix.

Unfortunate that vintage touring bikes arent an option- since the Surly CC in his correct size is going to mirror many of the features and geometry measurements of vintage touring bikes.
The CC will have the same/similar head tube and seat tube angles. The dropouts will be horizontal, the brakes will be canti/linear, and fork rake will be similar to many vintage touring bikes.
The biggest differences are the CC has less bottom bracket drop(by 5mm or so) and the CC has a shorter chainstay length(by 2 - 2.5cm). Those are pretty minor differences that someone who is doing commuting will perhaps appreciate, and someone doing relatively relaxed weekend rides wont be affected by.


I would look at craigslist, facebook, and local bike shops that sell used. If there is nothing in your area- expand your area. Take a day and drive a few hours if there is a good option in a neighboring city. Unless you are in BFE Wyoming, there are sure to be options for a 5'8 cyclist within a few hours of you.

Ebay, Offerup, and Craigslist are my go to. Last bike I bought used off of ebay and got a killer deal. Just needed to replace rear derailleur and tires.

Buying used does not scare me in the least. There are few things that I cannot find at the time that I inspect the bike. My offer price will be fair for the condition and potential of the bike in question. And price takes into account whether or not I intend to sell the bike soon or sell it after a few years of riding it.

As to where to look, well...that's a trade secret.

A bicycle is a pretty simple machine. I wouldn't worry excessively about it. To me the biggest problem about buying used is having the discipline to avoid buying the wrong size just because it's available and cheap.

Craigslist has declined in recent years but it's also very location-dependent.

Facebook Marketplace or local buy/sell groups seem to have good options right now.

There's a Salsa and Surly Trader facebook group that has some good options. Crosschecks seem to go pretty quickly there but sometimes people put up a ISO post and get some good responses.

I worry about things like a hairline crack in the frame. I don't trust myself.

I'm going to keep showing him a few. He gets to decide what he wants of course. There are several Bianchi bikes out there from late 90s even early 00s. A Bianchi axis (that looked positively untouched) just got away for only $200 . . . I think it just needed a tune-up. And there are several vintage Motobecanes available too.

It's dawning on him that 52 and 54cm Crosschecks sell fast and are expensive.

It's wonderful that you're doing this for your son, however...

Maybe he should shop by himself? My experience with my wife, daughters, etc. has taught me that making a choice on someone's behalf and then having to sell that choice is twice as difficult as a decision needs to be no matter how right or perfect I think it is:notamused:. If he has a firm grasp on his budget, an idea about what he could trade or sell is current CC for, and an idea of what he's looking for, he'll pick the perfect available bike when it shows up. It pays to be patient when looking at used bikes for obvious reasons. If he makes a mistake, it's his and he'll learn from it. If he scores the perfect new-to-him bike, then it's his win!

OTOH, there are bike shops and stores near me that will take a used bike and offer a discount on a new one, helping you make the budget for a new bike that might otherwise be over budget. I'm fairly sure Trek accepts their old bikes back for trade only, but I could be wrong.

Sound advice. This is completely his choice . . . I'm trying to help him find some sources and, when needed, drive him out for test rides. When I said I'm "showing him a few", I meant a few of the used listings . . .

Just surprised at the lack of good used stuff on CL. But it's the Boston area, so maybe the good stuff just doesn't stay for sale for long.

You have my condolences for living in a major bicycle market.

If they're the funding source that's fine, but if I am, not their option

Are there any bike clubs in your area? If yes, maybe check to see if someone is upgrading and looking to sell one of their bikes, or maybe have one gathering dust that they've just never gotten around to trying to sell.

Good suggestion . . . I don't personally ride with clubs, but I can check with some friends who do. I know the bikes are out there!


Actually a couple of excellent deals on good bikes hit the classifieds in the last 2 days. My son checked them out on his own. He doesn't want them, but it encouraged him that with some patience, good bikes will come available . . .

I vote for Craigslist. If you are not in a big rush. You have to browse it regularly for a few weeks to detect a bike fitting what you are looking for, from a legit, reasonable seller. I prefer steel. I believe it is a pretty big challenge to look over a carbon bike, and a bit challenging to look at aluminum. I once looked at a carbon bike, and the carbon fork had layers obviously separating. The guy said it was just fine. What??? So, yes, you have to have some ability to judge condition, but keep in mind that the bike shop can deal with a whole range of problems. Craigslist has the best chance for someone posting some bike far below its going rate. You have to browse steadily, like daily, because if a great bike at good or super price gets posted, it wont be there long.

Second is to get on the facebook of a local biking group. Lots less stuff may be posted, but it is generally populated by knowledgeable, decent people.

Ebay, limited to within 50 miles or whatever, is lousy. If I were really getting specific, the selection on Ebay would make the shipping fee worthwhile.

OfferUp is a big mess. I think there are MANY on there who post stuff for sale that have just gotten excited about selling stuff online, and post to any and all of those offerup type sites. The 2 times I have inquired about something, the situation has been lousy. Lots of stuff there is over-priced for used.

Finally: we are on "nextdoor." It covers your neighborhood and surrounding areas, only. You have to enter your address to join, so it truly is just genuine local people. People post all kinda stuff - lost dogs, is this snake poisonous, etc., and also stuff for sale. Bikes you might want will not show up that often, but can. The good thing is you know they are not far away. Also, since they are likely getting ad in front of very few interested people, the price may be lower than Craigslist. Or, make a low offer since they probably will not be hearing many inquiries.

Overall, my thing is that you just have to get used to the positives and negatives of Craigslist. Recently, I asked about a bike - including what was the "size" they noted. If the "size" they noted were true, the bike was for someone 7 foot tall. Another guy wanted about twice as much for a 30 year old bike as what it should sell for. I drive out and looked at it (plus did a couple other errands in the area so not total waste of time), and gave him a decent offer. He got insulted. This was 4 months ago - it is still listed - I search for it just out of curiosity and to laugh at the guy. After that waste of time, I figured out he has several listed at any one time - he is just catching the less savvy buyers bike by bike. More power to him, but I blocked his number after telling him the bike would only sell for about half of what he was asking, and his return texts expressing how insulting and ignorant I am. Well, the bike ain't sold yet, is it? --If you can tolerate weeding through stuff like that, Craigslist is best.

That was for a very small road bike for my young son - I was blessed to see, a week later, a very nice bike - old steel, Campy, well-maintained - at a great price. The guy was thrilled to sell it to a kid who obviously was enamored with it at first site, and would be appreciating it.

So mostly I have been surprised at how few good bikes are for sale on CL at any price . . . let alone reasonable or even good prices! I think the difference though is more that I've moved to Boston where the last time I shopped for used was in Cleveland. So I'm thinking craigslist is still the best option for us, but there are just so many more bikes to sift through.

My son is doing most of this on his own, and he checks Craigslist each morning. He's figured out that offerup is a mess. He doesn't do facebook so I watch the FB classifieds. And he knows (or claims to know!) that patience is the virtue. It's coming on fall clearance season which might open up some options for a new bike or might put a few extra bikes on the used scene. We'll give it a few weeks to see.

Appreciate the responses here!

Seems reasonable to me!

CL filters are your friend!
 

Once you have your keywords down, you can narrow or expand your searches as needed. I prefer to search by listed size (e.g. "54", "21", "55", etc.). Metric sizing is your friend because it tells you that the bike's owner knows their bike, and is unlikely to return a number of 'speeds', like 21 does. The art of it comes into play when you have an ignorant seller that doesn't list or describe their bike accurately. You can take advantage of that ignorance if you can find them. They'll list their bikes as "large" or "medium", and all bikes that aren't carbon are "alloy" (technically true, though I prefer to designate steel as "steel"). Wheels are always 26", which is occasionally used as the bike's size.:notamused: Real deals can be found that way!

Final tip: If you can cruise yard/garage/storage sales in the ritzier parts of town, better equipment can be bought for less. The owners are usually just interested in getting rid of it, not trying to make a buck.

I have had good luck with Craigslist and Offerup. Have not bought whole bicycles off of Ebay, yet.

I would suggest meeting in public place if possible, and bring someone with you.

Good luck in your search!

SPinay70