Any bike people on here?

[davidmiller]

I just picked up a cheap eBay mountain bike for my little boy. Seller didn't give a very fair deception if the condition bit I'm

just trying to see if the repair is doable before attempting to take it back.
I'll attach a picture but basically the right gear shifter was very stiff at the top (123), did move around when trying to change the gears at the bottom (567) But it didn't make the gears actually change and when I put a little pressure on it opened up and a bit of plastic fell out. As shown in the pictures. It now won't push back in.
Is it worth me buying a replacement or getting Halfords to do it or should I try and return to customer. I'm ok at most DIY but never touched this sort of think before. Thanks

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If you buy a secondhand bike you have to expect some DIY repairs/maintenance. My experience of secondhand bikes (unless they're genuinely unused or 1 year old etc) is that they always need some maintenance/new parts to get them in good working order, despite what the sellers might say. Ebay is not your friend for SH bikes in my opinion. What make is the bike? You'll probably find the cables all need changing, the derailleur/chain need cleaning at least, as well as the new shifter.

 

[Wayners]

Buy a new or used shifter. one with a cable fitted as they aren't always easy to fit.
Needs to be the same one or one which is compatible with derailleur

 

[foxhole]

Cable may have stretched/seized requiring adjustment . But easy to get wrong . You should be able to find video to help on YouTube.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Check this for size and fitting:

SRAM MRX Comp 7 Speed Rear Gear Shifter | Halfords UK

www.halfords.com

Andy

 

[ericmark]

The first second hand bike I bought for my daughter, it was claimed to be a good quality, and I stripped it, bead blasted the frame and rebuilt is, and was proud of the work I had done. Then totalled up the cost, and could have bought a new one for the same money.

We have gone through many bikes in our time, and the cost of new seems to be in general cheaper to refurbishing old, but have had problems with new as well, with front crank sprocket in one case warping and wearing out well before time.

But the main problem is weight, my cheap bike is very heavy compared with a good quality second hand. A bike can weigh between 9 kg and 18 kg, OK my e-bike is 26 kg, but you're not looking at that.

So if it weighs 9 kg, and you don't intend to put luggage racks etc on it, then worth spending money to repair it. This bike lock looks good,

but at 1.4 kg not something one would want to use on a super light bike. As soon as you start to add saddlebags, bike pump etc. It is not worth spending a fortune on a super light bike.

My bike has a push button up, and lever down, it is rather cheap, wife's bike is push button up and down, that old bike I did up, gear change on the crossbar. The twist grip change was in the 80s and 90s a massive move forward, but today it's a bit old hat.

With my e-bike it does not really matter, as I ride most places in top gear, but with a real push-bike, you want gears easy to use.

So look at a new bike and ask your self is it worth messing around with a second hand one? Well would not go that cheap but this one

is 6 speed,

This one suspension 21 speed and folding, I would guess rather heavy, it does not say how heavy, but you need to look at new, to work out if worth playing around with second hand.

 

[davidmiller]

Thanks people. To give a little update I actually spoke to the seller because they pushed their luck a little bit with the description. We agreed a partial refund so we both did ok considering. It'll give me a few pounds to fix it if there's no other problems. Thanks

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Just make absolutely sure you buy a compatible shifter as if its not the shifter won't sync with the derailleur.

 

[HayMaker]

As above, if it's a 7 speed at the back, you need a 7 speed shifter (obviously). The cables aren't that hard to fit, you can youtube it for an explanation. Also check the cable outers, as they are prone to split.

I can't see what make the bike is, but it looks like a supermarket or Halfords budget item (no offense). I hope you didn't pay too much over 30 quid for it. Yes you can get new bikes for £100 but they will only last if kept in a dry garage, used in the dry and maintained frequently. Just like anything, they are that price for a reason. It's often better to buy a named brand used for £150 than a new one.

And don't take anything to Hafrauds, they have a terrible reputation across all stores for bikes. Use a local independant bike shop, or just google your questions. Most things aren't that hard to do