Opinion on buying an old bike

[polymacin29]

I recently purchased a nice road bike to commute on. My wife wanted to pick up a bike to use mostly for pulling kids in a trailer or some leisure rides. She had never really used a road bike and I'm not sure how much she will like it. I hopped on to the local classifieds and found an old bike (like 20-30 years at least) for $25. The frame looks to be in OK shape, but most everything else will probably need a tune up. I figured it was worth the gamble to see if she likes using it and can upgrade components as needed if she does. If not, then just take the hit and buy a different one. My question is, am I overlooking something when purchasing an older bike? Will I regret something later if I'm buying something that's pretty aged?VidMate Mobdro

 

[Stressed]

If it's been fairly well looked after it should be ok. Check for any major dents which might compromise the strength. Look at any rust and make sure it doesn't seem to run too deep. You'll find most of us here regularly buy bikes or frames of a similar age- and for £25 you can't go wrong really. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[HPL]

I recently purchased a nice road bike to commute on. My wife wanted to pick up a bike to use mostly for pulling kids in a trailer or some leisure rides. She had never really used a road bike and I'm not sure how much she will like it. I hopped on to the local classifieds and found an old bike (like 20-30 years at least) for $25. The frame looks to be in OK shape, but most everything else will probably need a tune up. I figured it was worth the gamble to see if she likes using it and can upgrade components as needed if she does. If not, then just take the hit and buy a different one. My question is, am I overlooking something when purchasing an older bike? Will I regret something later if I'm buying something that's pretty aged?

Although condition is quite important, it does not matter whether you get a new, used, cheap, or expensive bike if it is not a proper fitting frame. Ensure if possible that the bike is safe enough to test ride by the intended rider to determine if it will be a viable fit for their use before purchase. Also, consider trying different style bikes (road, roadster, etc.) which provide different riding postures. Another consideration is the saddle. You may find a perfect size bike in great condition, but with a saddle that is not comfortable. Thus, even though I may find a great bike to buy, I always have a saddle I feel comfortable on when testing any bike, new or used. Many ways to adapt a bike to a specific rider's size, posture, and use if already the correct frame size. Saddle adjustment (height, angle, front to back), crankarm length, stem length, handlebar size/style.
As the previous post mentioned, perform a thorough inspection of the frame and fork. I have bikes from the '30s to modern, and most issues I have seen on apparently good frames are cracks at conjunctions on aluminum frames; I do not carbon fiber, but I hear they are readily damaged if abused, or even in a minor scrape. Caveat Emptor! Good luck!

 

[JudyStevens]

Hello Everyone!