Whether you’re aiming to charge up into the Buda Hills atop a veteran heavy-duty mountain bike or are simply looking to coast along Pest’s flat thoroughfares aboard a slightly scuffed single-gear cruiser, anyone seeking a “new” secondhand cycle in the Magyar metropolis will find plenty of good options at these places, all offered at fair prices. Ride on!
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Bestbike
Across the road from City Park, this bike-rental company maintains an impressive fleet of touring bicycles, cruisers, mountain bikes and more, and since the management continually replaces their cycles long before they start wearing out, anyone can buy one of the “old” bikes (usually aged less than two years) at low prices. Along with decommissioned rental bikes, the shop also carries some cool vintage vehicles – such as a customized lowrider with a banana seat – and a full-time service staff ensures that every ride is in great working order.
Where: Budapest 1071, Dózsa György út 80
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Bikebase
By renting out fully equipped long-distance touring bikes for days or even weeks, this unique business provides international visitors with an especially athletic way to check out the countryside of Hungary and beyond – and every year they purchase a new collection of high-end cycles, selling the previous year’s assortment for extremely reasonable rates; here we find a 21-gear Kross Trans Siberian for only 79,000 forints. Along with these cross-country-capable bicycles, there are also many simpler secondhand cycles available for adults and kids.
Where: Budapest 1065, Podmaniczky u. 19
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Cortina
In addition to proffering a superb selection of fully refurbished pre-owned bicycles available in various styles, this unpretentiously professional company is one of the city’s best manufacturers of “frankenbikes” – individually crafted rides constructed from different parts of different bikes, either using a combination of old and new components or completely assembled from secondhand segments – so if you don’t see any two-wheelers in stock that suit your fancy, just ask one of the employees to help you piece together a customized conveyance.
Where: Budapest 1071, Damjanich u. 17
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Fogas-kerékpár
Operated by independent gearheads, this store by Klauzál Square is one of Budapest’s very best places for top-quality used mountain bikes offered at prices that are a fraction of what these rides cost when they’re new – for example, a 2010 carbon-frame Specialized Stumpjumper is now available for 390,000 forints; at another store, a 2015 model will set you back about 850,000. On the other end of the cost spectrum, a Csepel Apollo ten-speed is on sale for only 15,000 forints, but no matter how much it costs, every bike is professionally restored.
Where: Budapest 1072, Klauzál utca 32
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Magnetron
Located in a small cellar in District VIII a block away from Astoria, this humble shop is anything but flashy, with hardly any signage outside and no web site – however, those who can find it will discover a hidden treasure of Budapest’s two-wheeling community. Magnetron’s black-fingered manager assures us that his main occupation is bike repair, but he diligently utilizes his expertise to continually provide a considerable stock of secondhand name-brand bicycles (such as Puch and Schwinn) available for between about 20,000 and 60,000 forints.
Where: Budapest 1088, Puskin u. 14-16
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Pajtás
The primary purpose of this human-powered business is operating a busy citywide network of bike couriers, so naturally their downtown headquarters maintains a dedicated cycle-service team; on rare occasions when the mechanics have some spare time, they restore high-caliber old bikes to excellent condition. These are offered to the public for fair prices – ranging from a Merida Matts mountain bike for 91,000 forints to a Puch road bicycle for less than 23,000 forints – alongside some new bikes and basic gear in the establishment’s small shop area.
Where: Budapest 1074, Király u. 83
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“Used bikes for sale in Budapest” Facebook group
Cut out the middleman when purchasing a two-wheeler in the Magyar metropolis by joining this popular Facebook group welcoming members to proffer their old rides directly to buyers. Unlike at the used-bike shops listed above, there is no guarantee that the bikes have been properly maintained, but instead prospective purchasers meet the cycles’ former owners directly, so in every transaction the buyer can beware with some background. Postings to this English-language page also include biking equipment for sale and general advice for cycling here.
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