🚴 Where to buy an inexpensive bike: Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim

🏙 Oslo: main locations and areas (overview)

🛒 Where to look

• Marketplaces/classifieds. Private ads with filters by area; many city and hybrid bikes.
• Buy and sell groups by area. Convenient for quick pick-ups (Grunerløkka, Majorstua, St. Hanshaugen, etc.).
• Campus boards (UiO/OsloMet). Often → honest ownership history, lower prices.
• Workshops/cooperatives. Sometimes they sell refurbished bikes with basic maintenance.

🚇 How to pick up without a car

• Arrange to meet at a metro/tram station: Majorstuen, Nationaltheatret, Tøyen, Jernbanetorget — convenient for testing around the parks.
• Bring a 5/6 mm hex key: adjust the seat to your height before the test ride.

🌧 Bergen: where to look and how to pick up without a car

🛒 Where to look

• Marketplaces with a ‘within city limits’ filter: lots of hybrids/trekking bikes.
• UiB/BI student communities and neighbourhood groups (Møhlenpris, Nygaard) — well-maintained city bikes.
• Bike repair shops — refurbished ‘commuters’ with mudguards/luggage racks.

🚈 Life hacks without a car

• Ask to meet at Bybanen stops (Møhlenpris, Nygård, Florida, Kronstad) — flat areas for test rides.
• After rain, bring napkins/gloves: check the brake pads/discs and cables — rust is immediately visible.

🎓 Trondheim: student groups and workshops

📢 Where to look

• NTNU groups (Gløshaugen/Dragvoll): lots of ads in spring and late summer.
• Co-op workshops/bike centres: sometimes sell trade-ins with checked parts.
• City boards in the centre/Sloppen — hybrids and gravel bikes near Nidelv and Bymark.

🚍 How to pick up

• Meet at AtB nodes (Prinsen Kinosenter, Lerkendal, Strindheim). Ride around the waterfront — you can hear any play or grinding if there is any.

📅 When is the best time to buy: seasonality and ‘windows’

• Late autumn → early winter. After the first snowfall, demand drops — more bargaining.
• June–July. Before holidays/moves, some owners ‘clear out.’
• Late August/September. Many offers from students leaving/moving in — monitor daily.
• The first warm window in spring — NOT the best time for prices (high demand).

Tip: set keyword alerts (hybrid, city/commute, skjermer/fenders, medium/large) and filter by radius.

🔎 How to check ads and arrange a meeting

📝 Check before contacting

• Large photo: cassettes/chains/brakes, frame serial number.
• Text: year/height (size), recent maintenance, what squeaks/what has been replaced.
• Equipment: lights, mudguards, lock, charger (for e-bikes).

📍 Meeting

• Location: a crowded place, during the day, near public transport.
• Test ride 5–10 minutes: shifting under load, emergency braking, does the wheel wobble.
• Document: simple receipt + serial number.