Purchasing a secondhand ebike can be smart and spare you quite a lot of money, provided that you take some precautions.
The two foremost conditions to advantageously buy a used ebike
- You should have the patience of carefully choosing, for instance waiting until you stumble upon guys that change ebike every year, selling almost new e-bikes.
- Moreover, if you’ve got some mechanical skills, you could buy ebikes that are low priced because of defects that do affect their performance, like a worn off chain, or a twisted chainring, but can easily be repaired with a few fairly priced spare parts.
Cleverly choosing your seller, private or professional
Folding ebike
Buying a used eBike by a professional vendor
If you’re not a connoisseur, or you don’t trust your ability to detect ebike defects and weaknesses, you’d better rely on specialized used e-bikes vendors like Rebike, Bike Exchange, Upway or Cowboy Circular. You will then deservedly pay their services, purchasing e-bikes that on average cost more than those sold privately. On the other hand, you will benefit from a quality, safe and guaranteed product. Enquire on the web about the vendor’s reputation, reviews, and so on. Beware of stolen e-bikes, not all vendors are honest, buying a stolen ebike can make you liable for concealment. You’d better ask for an invoice, and avoid some doubtful markets, as well as prices that seem too cheap, since the ebike could be stolen.
Buying by a private individual
An advantage of buying from a private seller, is that you can learn much more about the desired used eBike. To start with, analyzing the personality of the seller can help. Is he or she tidy, precise, punctual? A messy person is less likely to take good care of his e-bike. Has he got a place to shelter his ebike, at home or at his working place? Is he likely to having overcharged his ebike? Does he know how to take good care of lithium ion batteries? Is he likely to have frequently ridden in extremely cold or hot weather? Did he expose his ebike to corrosion, for instance at the seaside, where the air is salty ? Is he likely to having carried a child on his luggage rack? Is he really heavy, what could have prematurely worn his ebike mechanics? Was he likely to ride on climbs, what wears motor and brakes (check brake disks and pistons) or on bumpy roads and paths (check suspensions)?
Checking the rims
Checking out the electric bike
Lay down a blanket, a rug or a carpet on the floor to position the electric bike upside down on it, standing on the saddle and handlebar (be careful not to damage control units, levers and displays). Now rotate the wheels and check if rims are straight, for instance using a pencil firmly held onto the frame (see picture above). Turn the pedals to check also chainring, sprockets, derailleur and chain. Do they turn smoothly, straight, silently ? Are they rusty, dirty, corroded ? Look for scratches and irregularities on brake discs, which should rotate straight. Pedals should not present scratches, which indicate that they have hit the road in a curve, what may have damaged cranks and crank axle.
Ebike in the snow
Taking it for a sufficiently long ride
You should ride it for at least half an hour. Is the motor noisy, does it become too warm, does the battery discharge too fast, or become really warm? Test shock absorbers on bumps, try to challenge at least a couple of climbs, and disk brakes, that shouldn’t heat up too quickly. Check if the battery charges as quick as supposed, at least 35-40 % in an hour, regardless of the power of the charger, for a 500 Wh battery.
Renting your would-be ebike
In some cases, you may ask the private seller to rent you the electric bike for a couple of days, offering him a convenient remuneration that would be deducted from the sale price. Not every seller would accept, but it sure would be a safe way to purchase.
Choosing in advance how to complete the e-bike equipment
You may like a secondhand ebike which could lack some components or accessories that are essential for you. Before buying, enquire what accessories, components and spare parts at what price you could buy to fit the ebike to your needs. We guess you would be favorably surprised by the variety and convenience of ebike accessories that you can find online.