🚴 Used bike for commuting: how to choose and check before buying

🔍 Where to look for a used bike: online and offline (overview)

• Marketplaces and neighbourhood groups. Classified ads + quick inspection near your home.
• Bike shops with trade-in. More expensive, but often include pre-sale maintenance and a frame warranty.
• Campus/corporate boards. Real mileage, clear ownership history.
• Bike repair shops/cooperatives. Refurbished bikes with a checklist of work done.
• Document: ask for a receipt with the date, price, seller's name/contact details and frame serial number. Check that the number has not been erased/altered.

🚲 What type of bike is right for your route

🏙 City/hybrid

• Routes up to 10–15 km, asphalt. Straight handlebars, mounts for mudguards/rack, 32–40 mm tyres.
• Pros: easy maintenance, comfortable ride. Cons: shaky on dirt roads.

🌳 Trekking/gravel

• Mixed terrain, park paths. 38–45 mm tyres, space for full-size mudguards.
• Pros: versatility. Cons: heavier than a ‘pure’ road bike.

⚡ E-bike vs regular

• E-bike: faster on climbs/in wind, but check the battery range, charge, motor play, and battery replacement cost.
• Regular: lighter/cheaper, fewer service risks, teaches you to ‘feel’ the route.
• Size: stand with your feet apart over the frame — clearance 2–5 cm (road/hybrid), 5–10 cm (MTB). Sit down: knee above the pedal axle at ‘3 o'clock’, elbows slightly bent — do not stretch.

✅ Inspection checklist: 10 minutes on site

🔩 Frame and number

• Cracks in the carriage/feathers/rod, signs of impact/corrosion.
• Serial number is legible and matches the receipt.

🔍 Wheels and tyres

• Eights: lift the wheel — it should not wobble sideways.
• Tyres: no cuts/bulges, tread remaining; for city use — puncture-proof.

🛑 Brakes

• Disc brakes: no squeaking/vibration, pads with > 1 mm remaining, disc not warped.
• Rims: pads without ‘glass’, cables not rusty, lever does not ‘fall through’.

⚙️ Transmission

• Chain: no ‘accordion’, stretch gauge < 0.75 (or ruler 12 links = 30.48 cm without extra mm).
• Cassette/sprockets: sharp ‘shark’ profiles are a sign of wear.
• Shifting: all gears click without skipping or cracking.

🔧 Assemblies and play

• Fork/steering: no ‘nibbling’ felt when holding the brake.
• Headset: turns smoothly, without play or grinding.
• Pedals/cranks/bushings: free rotation, no sand audible.

🎒 Set

• Seat without cracks, pin not ‘baked’ (adjustable).
• Holders under the wings, luggage rack, light mounts.
• E-bike bonus: battery holds charge, no errors on the display, charger included, contacts clean.

🛡 Lights, mudguards, lock, tyres — essential for commuting

• Lights: white front, red rear + reflectors. For twilight — constant/low mode (less glare).
• Fenders: full-size — the number one investment on the ‘west coast’, saves clothes and nerves.
• Lock: medium/high security U-lock + thin cable for wheels/saddle. Mark on the frame/QR sticker — as a psychological barrier.
• Tyres: 32–40 mm — city comfort; winter → studded; off-season → puncture-proof + slightly lower pressure for traction.

🛠 First week after purchase: minimum maintenance

• Complete wash and chain lubrication (wet lubricant for wet weather, dry for dry weather).
• Brake adjustment and gear indexing.
• Tyre pressure: keep the pressure within the range indicated on the sidewall; check every 3–5 days.
• Torque bolts: stem/horns/seat (refer to the Nm markings).
• Accessories: bell, front/rear light, mudguards, rack/stand, pump/spray can, patch kit, multi-tool.
• Marking/registration: enter the serial number in your tracker, take a photo of the entire bike and the frame number.