Bike Swap is a free board where private owners list used Rodeo bikes and framesets and deal with each other directly. Rodeo is the venue, not a party to any sale. These are general tips, not a guarantee of any bike or any person.

Before you buy

• Have it inspected. A qualified bike shop or technician can see damage that photos and a seller's description can't, including cracks and wear inside the frame, fork and parts. Arrange and pay for the inspection yourself. Do this before you ride it. Consider that a bike shop may charge up to a few hours of labor to inspect your bike.
• Read the answers as the seller's. The condition rating and the answers to questions about crashes, repairs, repainting and modifications are given by the seller, to the best of their knowledge. Rodeo doesn't check them.
• Look at the bike's history. If a bike has been listed before, "Previous listings of this bike" shows what earlier sellers said. Rodeo adds no commentary.
• Ask questions. Use the public questions section or a private message. Ask anything the listing doesn't cover.
• Don't ride a bike you're unsure about. If anything feels wrong, stop and have a shop look at it.

Across the border

Buying across the border? A purchase that crosses the US-Canada border can be subject to tariffs, duties, taxes and customs fees, which can be significant. Rodeo Adventure Labs cannot advise on tariffs, duties or customs, and is not responsible for them. Before you buy or ship across the border, find out what applies and who pays.

Paying

• Never pay a deposit to hold a bike. For a local sale, pay when you collect it. For a shipped bike, use a payment method that protects buyers.
• Money never goes through Rodeo. Rodeo takes no fee and no commission, and can't recover a payment or settle a dispute.
• Be wary of anyone who rushes you, asks you to move the conversation off Bike Swap, or offers a price that seems too good.

Meeting in person

• Meet in a public place in daylight, or at a bike shop. Tell someone where you're going.
• Your street address is never asked for or shown on Bike Swap. Share it only when you decide to.
• Check that the frame serial on the bike matches the one the seller sent you.

Shipping

• Suggested shipping is $150 for a frameset and $300 for a complete bike. The seller sets their own price and actual pricing may vary.
• Bikeflights.com is our preferred shipper.
• Shipping insurance is very strongly encouraged.
• Safe packaging and shipping damage are the responsibility of the seller, not the buyer.

Serial numbers

Every listing has the bike's frame serial number and a photo of it on file, but they are never shown on Bike Swap, because serial numbers can be copied onto other bikes. A buyer in a conversation can ask the seller to use "Send serial number and photo". We then email them to that one buyer. Please don't type or post a serial number in a message, a comment or a listing photo.

Once you have the serial, you can look it up yourself in a public stolen-bike registry such as Bike Index (bikeindex.org). Rodeo doesn't vouch for the result either way.

When the sale is done

The sale is complete on Bike Swap when the buyer registers as the bike's new owner. Registering means Rodeo can send safety notices about the bike to its current owner. It doesn't change any rights between buyer and seller.

Trade-up coupon: 5% off one whole order of anything Rodeo sells, in a single purchase transaction. Issued when an ownership transfer is registered and released by Rodeo, and only when the bike was sold through a Bike Swap listing and both the seller and the buyer confirmed the sale there. Works once, on your account only, and expires 3 months after issue. Not combinable with any other promotion, discount, sale price or wholesale pricing. No cash value.

Welcome coupon: 5% off one whole order of anything Rodeo sells except complete bikes and framesets, in a single purchase transaction. Issued when an ownership transfer is registered and released by Rodeo, and only when the bike was sold through a Bike Swap listing and both the seller and the buyer confirmed the sale there. Works once, on your account only, and expires 3 months after issue. Not combinable with any other promotion, discount, sale price or wholesale pricing. No cash value.

Warranty

Rodeo's warranty covers the original owner only. A used bike bought through Bike Swap carries no Rodeo warranty.

Reporting a problem

• Use "Report" on any listing, want ad, comment or message. Choose a reason and add a short note.
• You can "Block" a member so they can't message you again.
• Rodeo staff read a conversation only if someone in it reports it. Every time, it is logged.
• Rodeo staff review listings and reports Monday to Friday.
• Messages are deleted 24 months after the listing closes.
• If you think a crime has been committed, contact your local police. Rodeo can't act as one party's agent against the other.

Rodeo can't mediate disputes between buyers and sellers. Rodeo reserves the right to approve and reject all listings.