Used bike advice

B

Black47

Member
I'm on a limited budget and found a used 2015 Specialized Turbo S for sale in my area with 4100 miles on it. Any advice on what to check for, or things to avoid? What would be a fair price for such a bike that originally went for about $6000?
 
No specific knowledge here, but just a few thoughts ...

I'd recommend before buying any used bike to make sure that replacement batteries are available for purchase to non-original owners and in non-warranty situations, for that particular bike. Battery life and availability makes pricing used ebikes quite difficult. I'm assuming that this is a bike that you can see and have a thorough (20+miles on variable terrain?) test-ride? That the seller would be willing to take it to a bike shop to be looked over by a mechanic before purchase?

Batteries can be re-made/re-packed, but personally I wouldn't want to buy a bike that needed that done, as I don't know how long it would take, or how much it would cost. I just don't have this knowledge, which would make me uncomfortable.

Is there a Specialized dealer that can take a look at the bike before you buy? Dealer involvement would be super helpful, I think!

Also, I found this thread, which might interest you: https://electricbikereview.com/foru...ries-for-2013-2016-turbo-non-levo-vado.13361/

Good luck! Let us know what you decide. :)
 
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I bought a similar used Specialized Turbo over the summer and it turned out great, due to support from a local Specialized dealer. One thing you should check is to have the seller connect the Specialized app ('Mission Control') to the bike and give you screenshots of the reports on the battery and motor health. The batteries on these bikes are warranteed for 600 'charge cycles' and the app output can tell you how many cycles (and miles) the bike has seen.

I think David Berry is pretty realistic with his pricing post.

I'm very happy with my Turbo; the torque sensor gives a much more natural-feeling ride than my previous BBS02 conversion setup. I will say I definitely put more work into pedaling this bike than most other ebikes I've tried, hopefully that's what you are looking for. It's an ebike with the emphasis on the 'bike' part rather than the 'e'.
 
pocomo said:
The batteries on these bikes are warranteed for 600 'charge cycles' and the app output can tell you how many cycles (and miles) the bike has seen.
Click to expand...

I thought the specialized warranty was not transferable beyond the original owner?
 
A lot of good advise given to you so far. ebikemom's suggestion to do a long and thorough demo ride is very good one. Providing the seller will allow, I would take it to a LBS that is familiar with ebikes (Specialized if possible) to look it over. The small service fee will be well worth it.

As you will continue to hear, battery condition is a key factor when buying a used ebike. I would take some time to read up on ebike batteries if you hadn't already. You might want to check on the cost of a replacement battery for that year Turbo S. There is a possibility you may be replacing it in the future. Most likely the 2015 model had a lower output ( 468 Wh capacity) than the 2018 model (691Wh capacity). Battery technology continues to change frequently.

If it has low miles and the battery has a lot of life on it then it could be a good candidate for a used ebike. Personally, I would not favor buying used in most cases. Technology in the ebike industry has changed quite a bit since 2015. Buyer beware.
 
Thank you all, I do have a Specialized dealer in town, and the asking price is below what David Berry suggested to produce a smile on the buyers part and has been on Craigslist for over a week. This might mean that the battery is near that 600 mark, but here is Oregon batteries last longer, well at least car batteries. I had to replace my wife's van 13 year old battery recently, the dealer mentioned that a similar battery in Arizona would last 2-3 years.
 
David Berry said:
My suggestion: less than one-third of the original price.
  • 25% : $1500 : Buyer :) Seller :confused:
  • 30% : $1800 : Buyer :) Seller :)
  • 33% : $2000 : Buyer :confused: Seller :)
Click to expand...
Only 33% discount on a 3-4 year old bike? I wouldn't touch it at that price considering how much has changed in the bike space (bigger batteries, better motors, more integrated designs). At least 50% discount is needed and probably more.
 
Battery and motor aside, carefully check the frame for cracks. Aluminum frames are tough, but they do fail occassionally. Pay special attention to the head tube and around the dropouts. Look to see if any spokes have been replaced, especially the rear wheel; often new spokes will be different in finish compared to the OEM spokes. All the spokes should be evenly tensioned, and there should be no acute bends in the rims, both radially and laterally. Check the tires for wear and/or defects; are they original or have both or either been replaced? Look at the chain, cassette, and chainring; are they clean, have any been replaced? Is the derailleur hanger straight? How thick are the brake pads; are the rotors straight? Are the brake and gear cables free of kinks, breaks, and corrosion? Check the bearings in the wheels, headset, bottom bracket, and pedals; do they spin freely, do they have resistance, do they feel brinelled, do they have play?
 
MisterM said:
Only 33% discount on a 3-4 year old bike? I wouldn't touch it at that price considering how much has changed in the bike space (bigger batteries, better motors, more integrated designs). At least 50% discount is needed and probably more.
Click to expand...
You are misreading @David Berry's suggestions. The OP said the original price of the bike was $6,000. Therefore, the $2,000 used price represents a 67% discount or 33% of the original price.
 
PDoz said:
I thought the specialized warranty was not transferable beyond the original owner?
Click to expand...

Hi @PDoz. That is what I thought too but my dealer spoke to their local rep and was able to get a promise of coverage. In the end we didn't need it as they recovered what had initially appeared to be a bricked battery after a firmware upgrade. Seems like corporate has some flexibility to help out their network.
 
I'd like to suggest that you could get a good new bike in the $2000 range and skip all the concerns over buying used. If there's a local bike shop that carries ebikes, drop in and take a test ride on whatever they have in stock. A lot of LBS's are carrying them now, more all the time. My local LBS started carrying them in January and are enthusiastic about being in the ebike market. Even though I didn't buy my bike from them, they've been great about doing maintenance work for me. They just repaired a flat on my wife's Pedego last week. Great guys.

If there isn't anyone local, then you can do what I and a lot of others have done: buy online. It's a little riskier. Things can get damaged in transit, for one thing. Some companies have better after-sale support than others; Rad Power Bikes is always mentioned as one of the better ones.

Good luck and have a great time with whatever you buy!
 
I've seen many ads for used ebikes where the MSRP is always compared to the selling price. There is a Haibike selling near Indianapolis right now that was sold at huge discounts and the asking price is well above that discounted price. It's nice to have some price comparison, but if purchased off season, it's not a fair comparison to use full MSRP. Nova Haibike has some great advice. Frame, motor, battery are the big hits, all the rest is peanuts in comparison.
 
Bruce Arnold said:
I'd like to suggest that you could get a good new bike in the $2000 range and skip all the concerns over buying used. If there's a local bike shop that carries ebikes, drop in and take a test ride on whatever they have in stock. A lot of LBS's are carrying them now, more all the time. My local LBS started carrying them in January and are enthusiastic about being in the ebike market. Even though I didn't buy my bike from them, they've been great about doing maintenance work for me. They just repaired a flat on my wife's Pedego last week. Great guys.

If there isn't anyone local, then you can do what I and a lot of others have done: buy online. It's a little riskier. Things can get damaged in transit, for one thing. Some companies have better after-sale support than others; Rad Power Bikes is always mentioned as one of the better ones.

Good luck and have a great time with whatever you buy!
Click to expand...
The LBS only have ebikes that start at $3100, nothing lower, except for one that added a conversion kit to a $300 bike and sells it for $1000 and you have to hold a button on the left side to keep it going which I had trouble doing for any length of time and around corners.
 
MarkF said:
Here's one for sale with 250 miles. $1850.
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
Click to expand...

I don't like the 'look' of the eBay auction for the Specialized. Only one photo and one stock photo. The auction copy is
nearly non existent and appears to be written by a 'school kid.' If I were considering this bike the seller would have
to go out of his/her way to convince me the bike was not stolen.
 
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