When buying a used bicycle, it is worth knowing that in order to repair a very old bicycle so it is a suitable condition for riding, you will have to make a great deal of effort to find the necessary parts for the bicycle you have purchased, or the necessary parts simply may not be available anymore. It often happens that “resurrecting” such a used and only visually renovated bicycle will cost more than buying a new, high-quality bicycle, which will also come with guarantees. Of course, while a person can be tempted by that instant effect of a lower initial price, it can be said unequivocally that these will be purchases of different values.
Another important and often underestimated factor is the buyer’s knowledge of the bicycle’s components, their level, not to mention their wear and tear rating. Before buying a used bicycle, you need to think carefully about whether you can actually obtain the necessary parts for it, whether there will be people willing to repair the used bicycle you have purchased, because it usually takes more time to fix a fairly old used bicycle than to fix a new or not-so-old bicycle, and you won’t be inclined to pay nearly as much for the repair as for the used bike itself. Before buying a used bicycle, you should test it – the bicycle should not squeak or emit other extraneous sounds, but this may not be enough information for a full assessment. As we have already mentioned, in most cases, the buyer is not a bicycle specialist, so it is not possible for him to determine the level of wear and tear of the parts, the components used in the bicycle assembly (especially if they are very old). Here is a great example: we all know the intricacies of selling used cars, and a bicycle is the same vehicle, only simpler. There are quite a few known cases of “temporary fix” repair and, unfortunately, it is widely used. It could be recommended that before buying a used bicycle, you should call someone who knows about bicycles and their technical condition for help, but it should not be someone who has been using the bicycle for a little longer than you. Otherwise, you may have to pay more for the repair of the bicycle than the bicycle itself cost. Indicative prices of new spare parts and details can be found HERE.
Used bicycles are usually sold in markets and advertisements of online portals. High-end, mostly sports models, which are offered at significantly lower prices (2-3 times cheaper than the same bicycle in the store), are very often stolen and imported from Germany, Denmark, Holland and other Western European or Scandinavian countries. And that fact is indisputable, because a new or almost new bicycle cannot cost significantly cheaper than it is bought directly from the manufacturer, and there are simply no ways for it to become cheaper than the model sold by the manufacturer. Buying a barely used bike from its owner who didn't like it right away and is trying to “get rid” of it for at least half the price... sometimes it happens, but it’s very rare indeed. Buying bikes from the market or advertisements that fall into that segment of very good bicycles with an “unrealistic” price puts you at risk of buying a stolen bicycle. One way or another, every time you buy a lightly used or even a new bicycle, ask for proof of purchase to avoid future problems or misunderstandings and so you do not contribute to the process yourself. To reduce the possibility of buying a stolen bicycle, you should also at least check that it is not registered as a stolen bicycle in the bicycle registers.
So far, there is no single common database of stolen bicycles, so it is possible to use several of them. Here are some registry centers in Lithuania and other European countries, where you can check whether the bicycle was registered as stolen:
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http://www.dviraciuregistras.lt/ – Lithuanian Bicycle Register
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http://www.fahrrad-gestohlen.de/index.php?lang=eng – German Bicycle Register
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https://www.bikeregister.com/ – Great Britain’s Bicycle Register
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http://webshop.falck.no/sykkelregister/sykkelsok – Norwegian Bicycle Register
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http://www.bikeregistry.com/index.php – International Bicycle Register
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http://www.hviscykel.dk/ – Danish Bicycle Register
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http://www.velosretrouves.be/brussel/v%C3%A9los-retrouv%C3%A9s – Belgian Bicycle Register
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http://www.cykelregister.se/sok_cykel.php – Swedish Bicycle Register