Bought Used Bike

Bought a used 2011 Trek Madone 5.2 on CL. The original owner said he hadn't ridden it much prior to having health concerns and can't ride now. To my untrained eye the bike looks to be very low mileage/use. I am quite anxious to ride it but am wondering what maintenance/inspection things should I do before taking it out. Can I ride it without damaging anything prior to taking it to my LBS? Should I tell them the "story" so they can look for specific things?

 

Since it is a little used 2011, it is probably fine.

First, I'd grab a hold of the crankarms flex then to make sure the crankarms/bottom bracket are not loose. Have someone hold the rear wheel off the ground and then turn the crank and shift through the gears to make sure it is indexing properly also to make sure the chain doesn't fly off because the stops are not set right. Spin the wheel and make sure the brakes work. Then handlebars tight and pick the front wheel off the ground and bounce it to make sure nothing rattles. Lube the chain and brake pivots. Take a test ride in the neighborhood to make sure everything works, especially the brakes. Make your first ride fairly short.

Eventually you will ned to learn how to do maintenance or take it to a LBS and have them check it out.

 

Its most likely ready to ride. things to look for. do gears change smoothly? do tires hold air? is chain loose? are handlbars straight? is the bartape good to go? if so then ride.

 

you are not likely to damage anything by taking it for a test ride...but if you can not do your basic maintenance yourself at this point (you will learn in time), then it would not hurt to take it to your Trek dealer and have him give it a once over and a tune up. You can watch some utube videos on bike service and see how most anything you need to do is done.

 

Didn't you test ride it before buying it? I say take it to a shop for a full tuneup when you get a chance and ride it around the neighborhood in the meantime. As long as you don't go on crazy 100 mile trips or something you should be fine.

 

Have the shop check over the usual wear items- chain, cables, bar tape, brake pads, etc. make sure it is not damaged. ask the owner where he bought the bike. you may or may not want to know if it was stolen.

more importantly, does it fit you? it might be worthwhile to have a trained eye look over the fit with you.

 

I know there are some app for mobile phones. I have one that tells you what to look for and how to maintain every part on the bike. In the apps you can target specific parts you want to know how to inspect, or choose between options like: monthly check, daily check, winter storage prep, and more. The app I use was free on the amazon appstore, but I bet you can find one on what ever appstore it is that you like to use!

 

You first check and test the brakes whether they are in good condition, but you can still adjust them. Are you comfortable with the saddle? Check the handles and make sure that you are comfortable with them.

 

I think of course you should check the braking system and tires. These are things you would check out when you purchased a used automobile and are equally important when you purchase a used racing bike.