We get asked a lot about used bikes. Often people mistake the bikes we keep outside during the day as for-sale bikes, when they are really just already-owned bikes in the maintenance queue. Sometimes we get a bike from a customer or a friend or somewhere and we fix it up to be sold, but in general we do not have any second-hand bikes for sale. It has proved to be too much of a hassle for us, and people are usually not willing to pay the amount necessary for us to give them a complete service. Also, our shop is quite small so there is not much space to keep a good selection of used bikes.
But we do love second hand bikes! In fact, most of our personal bikes have been bought used. So here's some tips about where to buy one and what to keep in mind!
internet sites:
fillaritori.com
The best for the more serious cyclist, if you want a good bike where the seller also understands what they’re selling, this is the place! You don't find so many bargains here but usually a safe and good deal.
tori.fi
The general purpose Finnish internet marketplace. You can find a lot of bikes here but you will need to do your own research as the sellers might be quite clueless as to what they are selling! Sometimes that means a bargain and sometimes a heap of junk. The sellers usually don’t list the frame size so make sure to ask for it or if possible, test ride the bike. Search for a "maastopyörä" for mountain bikes or "kilpapyörä" for a racer. You can also try "retkipyörä" or "kaupunkipyörä" or then just browse the endless list of all the bikes available.
Buying from outside capital area (shipping bikes around Finland):
Atleast when buying even a little bit more expensive bike, say 300 euros, the sellers are often willing to send the bike to you via Matkahuolto. The price is circa 60 euros. Of course you won't be able to view and assess the bike, but if you know bikes and are ready to take a small risk it’s a convenient way to get a bike delivered to you.
physical shops:
Kierrätyskeskus (kierratyskeskus.fi)
The capital area’s recycling centers (there are multiple locations) have a selection of semi-repaired used bikes for sale for very decent prices. They usually release a new batch of bikes in spring but some are available year-round. We call them "semi-repaired" because they don't do a full service with swapping worn-out parts for new ones etc, as we would do in case of a well-used bike. They usually also have kids' bikes.
Greenbike (greenbike.fi)
They are a small bike shop in Kallio that also sells some used bikes. Prices are higher but probably they are more fully serviced.
Suomen polkupyöräkierrätys (polkupyorakierratys.fi)
This is a bigger location in Malmi specializing in refurbishing used bikes to be used again. Prices are low-ish but we don't have a first hand opinion on the quality of the bikes or service. They seem to also have a lot of kids bikes.