Buying a new bike: what to check before you pay

A new bike is not automatically a good bike for this city. Showroom light hides a light fork, a lock that only catches the rear wheel, and a size that looks right in the photo and wrong on a canal bridge.

Sit on it. Do not stand beside it. Your leg should be nearly straight at the bottom of the stroke, and you should reach the ground without sliding off the seat post. A bike that is too small lasts one winter, then you sell it annoyed.

City bike: hub gears, a closed chain case, mudguards, proper lights, a solid rack. Race parts on a city frame are a hobby, not a commute. Which type fits is split out on buy a bike.

The lock is part of the purchase, not a freebie at the till. Ring lock in the frame and a chain or U-lock through frame and post. E-bike: the battery lock too. An ART sticker only counts if the fitting is right. We fit locks when a shop has done it halfway.

Write down the frame number the same day. Photo of the stamping, receipt in your name, not ‘we will email the invoice’ with no date. Theft later becomes an argument otherwise.

E-bike and cargo: ask about the battery. Capacity, whether it locks into the frame, whether the charger is included, how old the cells are if ‘new’ means a demo bike. A pretty photo says nothing about a battery that dies after twenty kilometres.

Brands we see a lot in Amsterdam are on bike brands. Not a ranking. Where you recognise them, and where the lock usually sits.

We do not run a showroom of promises. If something is for sale, it is via WhatsApp: size, budget, city bike or e-bike. If it does not fit, we say so. Express and the price if you do not know the type yet.

Second-hand is a different purchase, with a theft risk. That does not belong hidden on this page. Read buying a used bike.