AFTER a long summer of hibernation Oxford is awake again, term has begun and there are students and academics everywhere.

Without doubt every bike shop in town realises this, with every other customer in search of not a new bike but a secondhand one.

I myself remember preparing for Oxford; I remember how the conversation with my father went when I told him I was off to Oxford for a postgraduate degree.

“I got into Oxford dad!”

“Well that’s nice; you better get on eBay and find a secondhand bike then!”

“Well I thought you could buy me a new one?”

“Don’t be silly, nobody in Oxford rides a new one”.

He himself was born and bred in Oxford and knew all about Oxford’s obsession with secondhand bikes.

Just like our furniture, clothes, books and all manner of worldly possessions, Oxonians certainly have a passion for secondhand.

Oxford should receive an award for recycling bikes because you can’t even call them secondhand – in reality they are third, fourth or even fifth hand bikes. They are bought and sold at such a rate in Oxford it makes you wonder whoever buys new anymore.

Although many of my own bikes are shiny and new, I also own secondhand or vintage as I like to call them.

I have a lovely old Triumph that really was advertised with “one careful lady owner”.

Near enough immaculate, the only thing I did was upgrade the saddle to a Brooks leather one. I thought of it like a little retirement present.

However, I know what I’m looking at when presented with a secondhand bike. For non bike techies buying secondhand, it can be a minefield of disappointment and endless trips to your local workshop. It’s on a par with the difficulties of buying a secondhand car. If you’re not mechanically minded you could easily end up with an old banger that tries its best to bankrupt you.

So what should you do if you want a decent secondhand bicycle?

The best idea is to buy from a reputable bike shop; they fully recondition bikes, sometimes making them better than new. If that’s not possible there are few things to look out for, things that would make your bike a write-off unless you want to start haemorrhaging your student loan.

Firstly check the frame. Small amounts of rust are not too much of a problem but if there is more rust than paint, leave it be.

If there are dents or large cracks around the welds, it’s been in a crash and its strength has been compromised, making it unsafe to ride.

Next check the wheels, these can be costly to replace. Are all the spokes intact and is it true? Spin each wheel and check it’s straight – if it’s wobbly, again walk away.

Finally, if it’s passed these checks, give it a test ride. Brakes and gears are normally easy to fix but if the handlebars and stem or bottom bracket feel stiff or are making a noise, these require specialist bike tools and are best left to a bike mechanic.