Originally Posted by
alceryes
Thanks for your replies everyone! My main issue with buying used is that I only know some very basics about bicycles. I'm concerned that I may buy into a bike that's got an issue and I won't know it until it's too late. Some deals on ebay/craigs/offerup look tempting but I hate buying other peoples problems, if you know what I mean. If I had the knowledge some of you have I'd feel more confident navigating the Specializeds, Treks, and Cannondales on auction.
I ended up pulling the trigger on the one I posted. Several unboxing reviews I've seen show the bike almost completely assembled out of the box. I'm pretty good with putting things together (yes, I DO read instructions
) and I'm getting it shipped in box directly to my place.
I'm looking forward to putting it together and adjusting things like the brake, shifter, etc. The biggest draw to picking this one up compared to hunting on auctions is the no-hassle return. As long as I don't mess it up, I've got 90 days to test and decide if it's right for me.
Qualifications: Assembled bikes from boxes for three years at two different shops in high school and college, and built one of my bikes frame-up last year.
So a few pointers on getting your bike assembled from a box:
- Get grease. Don't try to assemble most of the pieces without it - even high end parts aren't perfectly clean and chased, and you'll get snagged. Even if you don't have those issues, you don't want your bolts seizing a few years down the line when you want to adjust or replace something
- Use decent wrenches. A Park Wrench Y tool will cover the vast majority of what you need on a bike. It has 4, 5, and 6mm wrenches with ball ends. With the exception of brakes, crank, and pedals, pretty much every installation can be done with this tool and two screwdrivers
- Get a pedal wrench. Standard wrenches are too wide to get onto the flats of most pedals, and a loose pedal will strip the threads out of your crank.
- Pay special attention to brake pads. The brakes will come pre-attached, but make sure they're tight on the frame/fork anyway. Make sure your pads either strike the rim square, or slightly toed in. A slight toe-in is preferred (it'll squeeze water off the rim), but if you can't get that perfect, square and flat will work as well. Make sure the brake cable is cinched down tight. Literally, the last thing you want to feel on your test ride/shakedown cruise is your brake cable slipping on a hard stop.
- Set up your barrel adjusters so that they're mostly screwed in. Cables will stretch from initial setup, so better to be able to unscrew a turn (or two) is better than having to get out your wrenches and pliers again.