“As we speak, there are 100,000 bike ads on leboncoin!
»Enthuses Léry Jicquel, specialist in second-hand bikes and creator of the velook.fr site.
The figure makes you dizzy.
How to find, among these thousands of advertisements, the rare pearl?
The bike that runs smoothly, at the right price and whose lock has not just been cut with a grinder… There are many pitfalls for those who want to acquire a second-hand two-wheeler.
To buy a second-hand cycle, the French mainly turn to individuals.
In 2019, 60% of customers used classified ads to buy a used bike.
Many Internet platforms such as leboncoin, Troc Vélo or Facebook Marketplace allow sellers and buyers to be put in touch.
Sites where good deals are possible but where dishonest sellers defraud the less vigilant by giving up ill-gotten goods.
Vigilance is essential
“You have to ask the seller the right questions to ensure the consistency of the sale,” explains Léry Jicquel.
Why are you selling the bike?
Did it belong to you?
".
Mandatory since this year, the marking of the bicycle is also a guarantee of security during a transaction.
Concerning electric bicycles, certain advertisements must "be considered as suspicious and dangerous as an indication of a sale without a battery or a very low price" adds Léry.
Read alsoHow we found our stolen bike
In addition to being a fine sleuth to sniff out concealment, you also have to be a handyman to assess the condition of the machine. In front of the seller, testing the bike is compulsory. Wheels, gears and brakes, everything needs to be scrutinized. Also note the damage that makes the bike almost unusable or dangerous: severe impacts on the frame, seat post welded to the frame, or deformed fork. A tip to find out if it is damaged: you have to manage to keep your balance on the bike while letting your hands off the handlebars for a few meters. If this is not possible and the bike does not keep its course, there is a problem with the fork.
When certain consumables are at the end of their life, do not hesitate to negotiate the selling price by subtracting the cost of raw materials and repair.
In general, excluding vintage items, the price of a second-hand bike, according to Léry Jicquel, should be in a range between 50% and 80% of the price of a new bike.
“Below 50%, there are doubts about the bike and above 80%, it is not very interesting”, summarizes our interlocutor.
Go through a pro?
The second solution in choosing the occasion is to buy from a professional.
Right next to you or on the Internet.
The neighborhood specialist store often offers second-hand, controlled, guaranteed bicycles that it can maintain over time.
Bicloune, the Parisian bicycle store founded in 1982 sold more than 300 second-hand bikes in 2021, almost one in two sales according to manager Marie Sandrine Sgherri. “Bicloune has been doing this for 40 years, it's a job that requires know-how. We provide after-sales service no matter what, ”she explains. Second-hand bikes are also attracting brands that were not previously present in this market. Decathlon and Monoprix have launched and now offer cycles for prices ranging from 200 to 450 euros.
If you opt for an online purchase from a professional instead, many sites now offer reconditioned bikes.
The Tuvalum company, created in 2015, was a pioneer and acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers by checking the condition of the bikes in the workshop.
Former Uber and Uber Eats alumni Stéphane Ficaja and Toussain Wattinne have just created Upway.
The niche of this newcomer to the second-hand bike: the electric one, with the promise of a "20 bike check-point inspection" and a "one-year warranty".
