Stop! Don’t buy that department store bike! Read this first, and save yourself hours of pain.
Second-hand Bikes
A lot of people have been asking where to buy a cheap or used bicycle in Sydney. The truth is that is quite difficult to buy a second hand bicycle in Sydney. There are several reasons for this. One is that people tend to throw things onto the street when they don’t need them, instead of keeping them to sell at garage sales, markets, second hand papers etc.
A bigger factor is that the trend has been to buy cheap bicycles from department stores. These bicycles do not usually enter the second hand market because they are so poorly made that they reach the end of their useful life with the first owner. So before you go and buy one of these terrible bikes, try to find a second hand one first. Even if you spend more on the second hand bike than the new department store bike, it will give you less trouble and repairs costs and you will be able to sell it when you don’t need it anymore. Common department store brands (bikes to avoid), are: Cyclops, Huffy, Royce Union, Triax.
Here are some tips for buying bikes, in order of price range:
There are many free bicycles to be had in Sydney, as people throw things onto the street for fun. Check council websites or call them to find out when the ‘council clean ups’ are on. Then you can find them on the street. Otherwise, keep your eyes out for bikes thrown away, even on campus.
The Nunnery Bike Workshop, located in Waterloo, runs every Monday from 5pm til late. You can go and get a used bike for free. You’ll need to spend some time fixing it up, but there are experienced people there who can show you what to do.
The Bower reuse centre has bikes for under $20. These bikes usually need quite a bit of repair. They also sometimes sell fixed-up bikes (as of November 2008, they had three 21-speed bikes in good condition for $135 each). You can use the UNSW bike club’s tools for this or take the bike along to the Nunnery Bike Workshop where there are more tools and spare parts.
The Mitchell Road Auctions sell many bicycles every Monday around 11am. You can view the bicycles over the weekend, 9-4pm and even make absentee bids so that you don’t have to go on Monday. Bikes start at $10 but you generally need closer to $50 to win a fully working bike. There is a range of bikes there which should allow you to get a bike for your price range. Some bikes that have been put around campus for sale this week were won from the Mitchell Road Auctions (I was there and I saw him win them). They were won for around $60 and sold on campus for $150. Beat him to the auction next time.
PC Auctioneers is another auction house in Alexandria, which mostly does bikes. I think they’re planning on running auctions every fortnight.
These bikes from the Bower were $135 each
If you are near Hurstville, you can contact Mark, who will sell you a used bike: 9585 1152
Stew also sells used bikes: 0409 747 063
The Trading Post is a second hand paper. Ebay is worth a try but not very good.
Gumtree is also worth a look.
sellyourbike.com.au is a new website for selling bikes; I’m not sure what it’s like, so if you use it, post a comment about your experience.
New Bikes
Europa Cycles is our local bike shop to campus, on the corner of Anzac Parade and Doncaster Avenue. The cheapest bike is $200 but comes in a box that you have to assemble. You can use the bike club’s tools to do this. If you get the guy there to assemble, it is $250 with a 6 month warranty. However, the best value option is his $300 bike. It is made with better parts and comes assembled and with a 12 month warranty, covering everything except punctures. So that means you won’t have to pay anything for a full year. (The department store bikes usually break within a year, requiring repairs for $50-100). With good quality bikes, you can sell the bike when you are done with it because it will still be working! For short term students, Europa Cycles has another option. You can buy the $300 bike and return it in 6 months to get $150 cash back (as long as it’s not completely trashed). If you return it within 12 months, you get $100 back.
For the higher price range, bike stores are a good option.
To help others find a bike, please post on the forum with what kind of bike you have, where you bought it, how much it cost and whether or not you are happy with it. There is also a Classifieds section of the forum, so post if you are looking for a bike, your price range and your phone number. I’m happy for people to advertise their bikes for sale on the forum, but not on a commercial scale (you know who you are. If you’re not sure, email me).
