Checklist for buying a second-hand road bike

The time has come: you’ve decided to buy your first (or second) road bike. After spending hours browsing Marktplaats or looking around on Veloscout, you’ve finally found your dream bike. And of course, we fully support that! But there are naturally a few things to keep in mind. To help you check whether the bike is in top condition from front to back, we’ve put together a checklist for you. It can be used for both aluminium and carbon road bikes.

You can treat this checklist as a practical guide to calmly go through the bike’s most important parts.

Before we begin, we’d like to highlight one important point. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Look at the bike in the full setting. A messy shed, a nervous seller, and a vague story, yet a beautiful bike? Then it’s worth seriously questioning whether everything adds up. One important tip beyond the checklist: if your gut tells you something isn’t right, listen to it. Even if it’s frustrating that you travelled somewhere for nothing, and even if it can be difficult to turn down the deal in front of someone. Always remember that one extra viewing costs far less time and money than repairs and all the hassle that comes with them.

In this checklist for your second-hand road bike, you may occasionally come across unfamiliar terms. As everyone knows, Google has the answer to all your questions, so feel free to look them up!

Check 1 – Headset and fork play

Check whether there is any play in the headset. Do this by firmly squeezing the front brake and placing one hand on the fork. Now rock the bike back and forth. If you feel movement between the frame and the headset or fork, this may be a sign that it is worn.

Check 2 – Wheel play

Check whether the wheel can move from side to side. Front wheel: hold the fork and the rim. Now push the wheel away from you and pull the fork towards you. Rear wheel: same procedure. If you feel play, that is not a good sign. It causes the hubs to wear out faster, and they are expensive to replace.

Check 3 – Bottom bracket/crankset play

This check is very important because damage caused by a crankset with play is almost impossible to repair. The bottom bracket or crankset (we’re keeping it simple here) is the part connected to your pedals and the large chainrings. This part runs through your frame (experts will point out that we’re really talking about the bottom bracket, but we’re trying to keep things simple). It’s important to check carefully that there is no play in it. If a bottom bracket can move, it wears away the inside of the frame. And that is almost impossible to replace, or only at high cost. How do you check whether there is play in the bottom bracket? Hold the frame firmly and grab one crank arm, then push the bike away from you and pull the arm towards you. Repeat this a few times so you’re sure there is no play. Is there play after all? Then unfortunately, it’s best to keep looking.

Check 4 – Inspect the brakes

Fairly self-explanatory, but definitely important. Check whether the bike brakes well and smoothly. With rim brakes, you can see the black brake pads. Check if they still have enough ‘tread’ left. If you can no longer see grooves in the pads, they need replacing. With disc brakes, it works a little differently: check whether there is at least 2 mm of brake material left on the pads and whether they have worn down evenly. If not, one of the pistons isn’t working properly (the part that pushes the brake pad). Also, after releasing the brake, you shouldn’t hear any noise after 1 second, otherwise the pistons are not working properly.

Check 5 – Inspect inner and outer cables

Take a quick look at the ends of the cables. If they are rusty or frayed, that’s not a good sign. The cables need to be in good condition because rusty and worn cables make shifting more difficult. That said, cables are not a dealbreaker, as they are inexpensive to replace.

Check 6 – Check chain and cogs

There is a special tool to check chain wear, but most people don’t have that at home. So take a close look at the chain: is it clean (silver-coloured) or very dirty (black), is there any rust on it? A dirty chain is likely older and more worn. Also pay close attention to the cogs. Check for burrs and whether the cogs are not too badly worn.

Worn cogs

Not worn ​​ cogs

Check 7 – Inspect rims and hubs

Are there dents or cracks in the rim? How does the rim look overall? Are all the spokes still in place, and does the wheel run true? These are all things you should check.

Check 8 – Tyres

Check whether there is still enough tread left on the tyres. Also check whether the tyres have dried out. You can recognise this by cracks in the rubber. Dried-out tyres can tear while riding, which is of course something you want to avoid.

Check 9 – Theft check

The police have developed an app that lets you check stolen frame numbers. This app is called: fietsdiefstal. Check the bike so you don’t run into any unpleasant surprises later.

Summary checklist for a second-hand road bike

These were the key points to check when buying your second-hand road bike. Go through this list carefully before visiting a bike so you can inspect it properly and with focus. Not every bike will pass this checklist, and that’s perfectly fine. Tires and cables, for example, are easy to replace, but they do cost money. You can use that during negotiations. Issues with a crankset or rims, however, are signs that an expensive repair may be coming. In those cases, it may be better to keep looking. We wish you the best of luck in choosing your dream bike! Is something missing from this list, or do you have a question after reading this article? Feel free to contact us.

Bonus tip – Good cycling clothing

A great bike naturally deserves a stylish and high-quality road cycling outfit too. So take a look at our blog where we explain what good cycling clothing should meet. Or head straight to our webshop so you can get on the road right away with confidence!