Buying second hand- prices, advice please

the_village_idiot

Hi Guys,

I have been researching online to decide what type of bike i want for commuting, gentle off road, maybe something a bit more heavy duty

due to the flexibility i have decided to get a hardtail with locking front suspension- i can easily put grippy road tyres on for commuting to make it a bit more efficient.

Due to my nature i want something pretty good- but dont want to blow £800 as my work dont approbve the C2W scheme :evil: and its not in my nature to just accept it and buy something for £400- i want something worth £800 for £400

I really like the following bikes and am search most forums, ebay and local papers for second hand examples

Trek 6000- TRIED
Spesh Rockhopper Disc (expert or pro) TRIED
Merlin Malt
Boardman Comp

However, as the overwhelming advice is to try before you buy i will only buy locally- which means i cant be too fussy!

How much cheaper should a second hand bike be? I realise it depends on many many factors, but there seem to be a fair few bikes listed as "barely used" etc etc- so, assuming its a 2 year old bike which has had low-moderate use, good condition etc- if it cost £800 how much should it be now? A ball park figure would be good- is £300 fair? Or for a classic like a rockhopper- is 600 acceptable?!

How important is servicing of a bike?

Do bike components run out of date quickly (like computers) or are many components from an 07 bike going to be similar to an 09 bike (in the eyes of an amateur like me?)

I have actually found a nice Trek 6700 which is 2 years old and in nearly unused condition. The frame is FAR too small for me (16")- im 6ft so guessing i will need about 18-20"- if i bought an appropriate 20" frame, how easy would it be for a bike shop to transfer all the Trek components onto another frame (something i bought of ebay)- or would this butcher the ability of the bike?

Many thanks- sorry for the waffle fellas

supersonic

"How important is servicing of a bike?"

Very.

It is hard to say with value, due to the variations you point out. 2nd hand bikes have no warranty remember.

Roughly though if a year old, half the list price, then 10% off that for every year older.

nicklouse

supersonic wrote:

"

Roughly though if a year old, half the list price

if in very good condition.

normally they are not.

it is only worth what you feel it is worth.

the_village_idiot

thanks for the prompt reply guys- 50% off sounds like a good ball park figure- now all i need is someone trying to sell their rockhopper pro

how about components- do they tend to go out of date quickly? or are forks used on say a rockhopper 08 likely to be similarly as good to those used on a 10 model?

so do bikes have a service history? old recepts etc? what work needs to be done?

vinnn

A cyclo-cross bike would be much better on the roads and will be lighter and faster on the trails. Mountain bikes are for mountain biking IMO.

the_village_idiot

pardon my ignorance, but whats a cyclo cross bike? a hybrid?

exactly how "off road" can they handle? gravel trails would be all it would be needed for TBH?

say i was zooming along a pavement and needed to go onto the road- with a 4" drop- could a cyclo cross bike handle that- or would it bend a wheel or something?!

cheers for the advice m8

supersonic

A cyclo cross bike is basically a road bike with knobbly tyres and maybe altered geometry.

In my opinion they are utter cack off road except for the light trails - which may suit you! The tyres simply do not work as well as wider MTB tyres, the riding position is compromised, the bars are too narrow to offer decent control, the brake levers are in a silly place and you have no front suspension.

Very skilled riders can get a lot out of them, but tend to walk sections - that aint MTBing to me.

the_village_idiot

hmmmm- tbh i dont think my skills would tell the difference- perhaps i will just fall off a bit if i take it off road

however- paths and gravel tracks are, tbh, about as off road as i intend to ride (if i suddenly fall in love with MTBing i would probably be able to justify buying another bike anyway)

After doing some research it certainly sounds like a cyclo cross bike would be appropriate for me- now i just need to find out which one.....

cheers guys this is a very friendly forum!

vinnn

Cross bikes are tough (and they are not just road bikes with knobbly tires), they can do moderately heavy off-road too.
I have a cyclo-cross bike... and a carbon road bike, a hybrid, a steel single speed commuter and a MTB. The MTB gets used for mountain biking.

I can't help but chuckle on my commute as I fly past folks riding to work on roads looking knackered on slow heavy mountain bikes, just doesn't make sense to me.

The Specialized Tri-Cross is a popular all rounder, my cx bike is a Kona Jake which I love, check out the Bikeradar reviews section for some comparisons.

rhann

and flying past roadies on a mtb with knobbly tyres

buduk

I bought a Scott Sportster P4 2009 Hybrid on the C2W scheme to bike with the kids etc ,instead of the pub did okay for the first month till i decieded to take the kids to whinlatter i heard they had a green route ! anyways they dont and the youngest kid couldnt manage it ,now i have a rockhopper expert 09 and loving it ,found trails both kids can go on ,and even do some with a m8 once you get the bug ,and you will ,even been over the handle bars nice and slow mind but at 40 gotta be a good thing ? get a mtb

supersonic

vinnn wrote:

Cross bikes are tough (and they are not just road bikes with knobbly tires), they can do moderately heavy off-road too.
I have a cyclo-cross bike... and a carbon road bike, a hybrid, a steel single speed commuter and a MTB. The MTB gets used for mountain biking.

I can't help but chuckle on my commute as I fly past folks riding to work on roads looking knackered on slow heavy mountain bikes, just doesn't make sense to me.

The Specialized Tri-Cross is a popular all rounder, my cx bike is a Kona Jake which I love, check out the Bikeradar reviews section for some comparisons.

I cant help but chuckle on my 20lbs Zaskar LE as I keep up with roadies, then go off road and pass the CXers as I have a much more suited bike.

Horses for courses.

CycloRos

vinnn wrote:

I can't help but chuckle on my commute as I fly past folks riding to work on roads looking knackered on slow heavy mountain bikes, just doesn't make sense to me.

or maybe they are like me and don't give two sh*ts about road riding or how quickly they get to work and actually ride a mountain bike for some off-road action on the way

SPIRO

CycloRos wrote:

vinnn wrote:

I can't help but chuckle on my commute as I fly past folks riding to work on roads looking knackered on slow heavy mountain bikes, just doesn't make sense to me.

or maybe they are like me and don't give two sh*ts about road riding or how quickly they get to work and actually ride a mountain bike for some off-road action on the way

+1 - remember chatting to a commuter recently who remarked that he thought my bike was a bit overkill for the work commute. The idea that i was riding trails to work instead of commuting was completely lost on him :roll:

bluechair84

Shops that rent out bikes always end up selling them and replacing them with a new crop of 'next years models'. They are serviced by the shop mechanic after each rental and are always excellent value for money. Call around some stores near trail centres and ask what they have.

nomadicbry

Glentress have Kona Calderas for £399 dwn from the list price of £800 -£850
Apparently they get 30 hires and then are replaced. they have rolling stock so always some available. Best thing is you can go up hire one do a loop of Spooky and then buy it if you like it

They are well maintained apparently. i'm considering buying one for my son
Anyone bought one from the Hub at GT?

Any thoughts on the Caldera 09? I've only hired the 07 before I got my current steed
It does seem like a great bargain and better than buying a new £400 bike

ride_whenever

My fixed gear cx bike is a lot faster across some of my local routes than my geared mtb. They're very smooth and pretty greasy.

stevekosky

As a complete novice, I have been looking at reasonably proced bikes and the info from nomadicbry on the Kona Calera at £399 from Glentress looks very interesting.

Trouble is I don't know enough about this sort of deal to judhge if they are value for money or old heaps (which is not intended to be in any way derogitory to Glentress Cycles, as I said I am a complete novice!)

Is this a good way to go, the idea of a high spec bike at this proce does look tempting even if postage is added, which would be about 3200 I gues, noting that they come fitted with clipless?

Advice appreciated

Yukon Lad

find someome that bought the bike, either because they thought they would be good at it without realising what mtb really was, the bike has therefore been used about twice on a towpath before being put in the garage, it will therefore have had very little use and because they know very little about bikes or just want rid of it they will most likely be selling it at a very cheap price for what it is

Yukon Lad