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Buying bikes from ebay

siward78siward78 Posts: 1
in General Chat
Hmmm... its come to the point where my trust Giant SCR3 is getting alittle old (i earn alittle more) and im thinking its time for a new bike. But the velo side of my triathalon has been fairly weak and i know there are some terribly expensive mistakes to be made with out the right advice.



so here i am, asking for some help with a second bike- i have had a test ride on a brand new Specialized Tarmac Comp (which was lovely), but then thought id check out ebay and there is quite a selection, but is this good idea? Is buying a second hand bike a good idea or is it best to shell out for a new one (bearing in mind it would be £1600 by the time id finished with the extras.



i know that £1600 is within my budget, and thats the figure i need to spend to move it onto the next level but cant help but be tempted by the idea of a glittery bargain.



Any ideas?



To give you an idea of the kind of thing i mean check out this link.



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250222389242&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015



chaz mush. easy now

Comments

  • legalbeaglelegalbeagle Posts: 208
    I know loads of poeple buy second hand bikes, the only thing I would say, is be sure you know what you are getting. There is always the danger of a cracked or weakened frame, that looks fine on the surface but is a total waste of money.



    If you can buy one from someone you know/trust or from a dealer who will give you a warranty so much the better
  • KiwiPaulKiwiPaul Posts: 46
    I got my current bike from ebay and was happy to do so as a newbie on a tight budget - just make sure you do your research thoroughly beforehand as to the spec you want - but do be prepared for the inevitable "oh, if only that bit was a different size" etc.... Like you I'm just upgrading and was also tempted by the many many glittery options out there and the sniff of an internet bargain. However I decided to make sure I got the right bike that fitted me in all areas so have gone for a custom build with triandrun.com. Have ended up spending an extra £250/400 over buying the equivalent Specialized/Giant/Bianchi, but am happier with the whole custom fit thing and the benefit of dealing face to face with the guys in the bike shop. For £1,600 you could get a pretty good custon build over an off the peg. I was also looking at Kinetic-One but their store was too far away and triandrun are just down the road. Good luck and enjoy.



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