Im new to purchasing used bikes and ive heard that when you purchase a used bike you should have someone very knowledgeable of bikes along with you to look things over, so i was wondering if anyone from MN (MPLS/St Paul metro area) could help me out possibly? i have a few bikes that ive looked at that were for sale but i have no idea if they are good buys or not


Thanks again

well, you're basically looking for overall appearance. If the bike looks dirty or beat up, that means that the owner idn't even care enough to clean the bike in order to sell it. How do you think he took care of it when it didn't have to be rpesentable. Look for oil on the fork tubes, scratches on the end of the clip-ons and clutch/brake levers. Just try to get a feel for the owner too. does he seem knowledgable about bikes or does he just want to look cool?

where have you been looking?

Luttersj said:

well, you're basically looking for overall appearance. If the bike looks dirty or beat up, that means that the owner idn't even care enough to clean the bike in order to sell it. How do you think he took care of it when it didn't have to be rpesentable. Look for oil on the fork tubes, scratches on the end of the clip-ons and clutch/brake levers. Just try to get a feel for the owner too. does he seem knowledgable about bikes or does he just want to look cool?

where have you been looking?




yeah thats what i was looking for, noticable things, but i was told sometiems there are things you cant tell by just looking at it, like wear on engine parts and brakes. I was looking through cycletrader.com searching for bikes within MN

If you're anywhere near Burnsville. There's a mechanic (Shaun) at Ride Sports (hwy 13)that will look/inspect your prospective bike purchase for free, but i would give him a tip http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

And....this should help ya also http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

If you need any other help let me know....good luck http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

wow, thanks! yeah i live in lakeville, ill definantly check that out