Buying a second hand bike in Madrid: a checklist for newcomers

A good second hand bike is the best purchase you can make in Madrid. A bad one is an expense that never ends. The difference is the ten minutes you spend checking it before you pay.

Where people find used bikes in Madrid

• Wallapop: the biggest second hand app in Spain. Most private sellers are here. Filter by Madrid and expect to negotiate.
• Facebook Marketplace and Erasmus groups: students leaving at the end of a semester sell bikes fast and cheap, often to whoever answers first.
• Second hand bike shops: more expensive, but the bike has usually been checked and you have somewhere to go back to.
• Us: tell us your budget, what you need the bike for and your height, and we propose new or second hand options that fit. No haggling in a language you are still learning.

Before you meet the seller

• Ask for close up photos of the drivetrain, the brake pads and the joints of the frame.
• Ask for the frame size and compare it with your height. A cheap bike in the wrong size is not cheap.
• Ask whether they have the receipt or know where the bike came from. More on that below.
• Meet in daylight somewhere you can ride a loop, not in a doorway.

1. The frame: the one thing not worth fixing

Everything else can be replaced. The frame cannot.

• Look at the tube joints, the area around the pedals and the rear dropouts in good light. You are looking for hairline cracks, paint cracked in a line, or dents.
• On aluminium and carbon, a crack means walk away. On old steel it may be repairable, but that is not what you want for a first bike.
• Surface rust on steel is cosmetic. Rust lifting the paint in bubbles is not.

2. Wheels

• Lift each wheel and spin it: it should not wobble side to side or rub on the brakes.
• Squeeze pairs of spokes. A loose one means the wheel needs truing.
• Cracked tyre sidewalls or a squared off tread mean new tyres soon.
• Hold the wheel at the top and push sideways. Play means the hub needs adjusting.

3. Gears

• Ride it and shift through every gear. No skipping, no grinding.
• Teeth that look like shark fins mean the drivetrain is worn out.
• Wiggle the cranks sideways. Play means the bottom bracket is tired.

4. Brakes

• Pull the levers: the bike must stop before the lever touches the handlebar.
• On rim brakes, check the pads touch the rim and not the tyre.
• On disc brakes, listen for rubbing and ask when the pads were last changed.

5. Headset

Hold the front brake and rock the bike back and forth. A clunk from the front means play in the headset. Fixable, but add it to the price.

What is cheap to fix, and what is not

Usually fine: chain, cables, brake pads, tyres and tubes, adjusting gears and brakes, truing wheels.

Makes the deal not worth it: a cracked frame, a bent fork, dented or bent rims, a whole worn drivetrain (chain, cassette and chainrings together).

If you are not sure, send us the photos on WhatsApp before you buy and we will tell you what repairs you should expect. For an exact quote the workshop has to see the bike.

Stolen bikes

Madrid has a lot of bike theft, and many stolen bikes end up on second hand apps. Warning signs:

• A price far below what the brand and condition suggest.
• The seller does not know the size, the model or what has been done to the bike.
• No receipt and no clear story about where it came from.
• Pressure to close fast, odd meeting places, cash only.
• The serial number under the bottom bracket is filed off or covered.

Buying a stolen bike is a legal problem as well as an ethical one. If something feels off, do not buy.

After you buy

Even if the bike seems fine, a tune up at the start saves trouble: brakes, gears, tyre pressure and a check that everything is tight. We assign you the nearest workshop and you get the quote before any work starts.

Not sure buying is right for the time you are here? Renting for a few months is the other option, and we can help with that too.