Preloved Bikes become Reloved Bikes

We’ve been selling secondhand bikes for many years, in fact it is why we opened the Neepsend shop, a dedicated space to refurbishing bikes and selling them. It’s a logical thing to do there are many bikes left unloved and unridden in sheds across the country and there are many people who want to benefit from a bike that is working but not costing too much.

Our dedicated Preloved Bike Centre in Neepsend

So we looked at the market place and we wanted to offer customers something different, something special and a service that they could trust.

So with a collection of bikes we set off repairing and refurbishing, using experienced mechanics to help train new mechanics, learning skills to create bikes ready to sell all while earning a wage. But at the same time offering a service to you, the customer, which isn’t very common in the secondhand bike market. Yes you can buy a bike off Facebook or Gumtree or Ebay but is that bike safe to ride? Does it come with a 3 Month warranty? Does it come with Guaranteed Buy Back?

Even buying from another shop do you get this level of service and confidence in the product?

We’ve been doing this since 2016 and we’ve sold hundreds of bikes of every kind to many different people, some bikes we've even sold more than once, we’ve sold bikes to commuters looking for the cheaper bike to leave on the street while they work, we’ve sold bikes to students visiting for a few months and then bought it back, we’ve sold bikes to roadies looking for a winter steed that is cheap to maintain. Many of our customers are new to cycling and come to us because they trust us, they get advice beyond what they expect and they definitely don’t get the hard sell, if we don’t think a bike will do what you want it to, or it doesn’t fit you we will tell you and explain why. We aren’t doing this just to sell a bike.

It’s important that we explain this because to many people a secondhand bike is just something you buy from your mate for £50 or pick up at a car boot sale, but we think its much more than that; it’s low cost transport, it’s freedom and it is precious and we want people to be able to trust the person they are buying from and to know that they are getting the best service.

If you are looking to buy your first bike, or looking for a replacement then take a look at our online shop and see if anything takes your fancy. Test rides are available for all our bikes so there isn’t really much excuse.

Felt Z-Series 95 (Size- Medium, 56cm)

£390.00

What's happening in Sheffield

You may have seen our recent post about all the exciting things that are happening in Sheffield City Centre recently, if not you can find it here.

We know there is lots of stuff to bring you into the City, so many great events and activities and we intend to use our hub as a way of advertising such things.

We’ve started with the most obvious entertainment venues such as the City Hall, The Crucible and The Lyceum but we know there are many more locations in the city putting on events and if you are involved in one why not drop in a poster advertising your events, we can’t guarantee a massive crowd will turn up but in this world of blink and you miss it social media, advertising an event has never been harder but we want to help to make Sheffield a place to be.

We have lots of blank wall space that is just itching to be filled.

Bring in two posters and we will put them up at our Meadowhall Hub too.

Angle Grinder Defence

We see a lot of talk online and quite a few bikes out there locked up with modern ‘Angle Grinder Proof’ locks. They are designed to take so long to cut with an angle grinder that it makes your bike secure but….

There is another side to this and we think it’s important that you understand before splashing out £250+ on a bicycle lock.

Image credit Hiplok
Angle Grinder Proof DX1000 locked to an angle grinder friendly galvanised steel tube.

First thing we would ask is do you know if the object you are locking your bike to is angle grinder proof?

Most Sheffield Stands are just steel tubes easily cut by an angle grinder.

Secondly what part of the bike are you locking up?

Many ‘Angle Grinder Proof’ locks are designed for locking the frame, we’ve seen many bikes stripped of many if not all of their parts because the lock was too hefty, it has even happened to our hire bikes in the past.

If the thief is bright and determined does the position of your lock make it hard for them to ride off if they cut the bike stand instead of the lock?

Trying to defend your bike against thieves can be virtually impossible in every situation but we have a few answers that will make your bike a lot less ‘nickable’.

First and most obvious. Use our high security facilities when you visit the City Centre or Meadowhall. At only £5 per month your angle grinder proof lock price would give you near enough 5 years of membership!

Second get removable pedals fitted - we have a selection at our shops, yes they are pricey but removing them when you leave your bike for longer periods means that anyone cutting the lock or the stand can’t do much but push the bike away.

MKS Promenade Ezy

£64.99

So before you commit to spending all that money on and ‘Angle Grinder Proof’ bicycle lock there may be cheaper and ultimately better ways to keep your bicycle secure.

Fancy Doing an Audax

What’s an Audax?

It’s basically a long bike ride usually through some lovely countryside and organised by cycle clubs. They are still very popular and great fun you are up for the challenge as they can be very long rides some times

Sheffield CTC popped into our shops and gave a poster which is now on the notice boards and in the windows of our shops but can also be found here. Why not have a go and discover parts of Britain you may not have known existed.

Let me tell you a dirty story

Bicycle maintenance can be a very dirty business. Not only do bikes come into our shop caked in mud and covered in oil but even the cleanest looking bike can be hiding filth.

Mucky headset bearings

One place we see lots of muck deposited is your bicycles headset, it’s an area that can sometimes be left for years before someone opens it up only to find a decade of mud and silt left lubricating your bearings. Even when your headset is caked in mud it doesn’t always feel like it needs a service, but we know that if overlooked for too long it can become a big problem. Stiff steering, loose forks can all be dangerous.

But we are here to help, our 12 Month Service (included in Russell’s Bicycle Club) includes disassembly, clean and grease of the headset or replacing the bearings entirely if needed, but regularly cleaning and greasing should extend the life of the headset, although at some point it’ll need replacing.

Find out more about Russell’s Bicycle Club by clicking the banner below.