Second Hand Hardtails

LaurenceHenry

Hi there.

I'm looking to get a decent second-hand hardtail for no more than £400.

I've found a couple on ebay but im after assurances/advice as to their quality/value-for-money.

The main one i could do with advice on is this specialized rockhopper pro (09 model i think).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-M ... 43ab9f61a4

I've spotted the slick tyres but im wondering about the rest of the spec? i know the frames are supposed to be good.

Thanks, and go easy. (i'm new!)

cooldad

You will accept assurances from random unknown people on an internet forum? Good luck.
Decent bike.
What's it worth? Against the rules to ask.

waby1234

It's hard to tell from photos etc, but one comment I would have is that the seller describes the bike as 'ready for the trails' but it's got semi slicks on so it's probably not! They also have no seller feedback on eBay which I'd say is a negative.

If you can get along to see the bike then that would be helpful but as it's an auction who knows what it may finally go for

MudPig

cooldad wrote:

What's it worth? Against the rules to ask.

Never understood that. Why?

LaurenceHenry

cooldad wrote:

You will accept assurances from random unknown people on an internet forum? Good luck.
Decent bike.
What's it worth? Against the rules to ask.

It's not like i'm just on a random forum though is it? This is the 'MTB buying advice' section of a well known bike review website's forum.

I'm after people's opinions on the spec, really. And realistic costs for replacement tyres. It's cash on collection so obviously if there are any faults (and therefore not as described) i'm not obliged to pay for it when i go to do so.

Thanks for the feedback.

davewalsh

It looks ok, decent frame with a pretty good spec. The only descrepancy between the pics and the description is that the chainset and BB have been replaced / upgraded with a Deore HT11 chainset with external BB.

For a reasonable pair of tyres you're looking at £40 to £65 depending on the type of riding you want them for.

LaurenceHenry

I'm looking at doing xc and trails, but i'd rather sacrifice weight for a tyre that can handle winter conditions. This would be my first mountain bike as i've been riding a friend's cove for the few months i've been doing it so i'm not really after super high spec, but a good frame would be nice to build around.

divingmoose

What size bike are you looking for as a friend is selling a boardman hardtail in excellent condition for £500. He is moving to Aus so wants rid. Its a large though.

davewalsh

LaurenceHenry wrote:

I'm looking at doing xc and trails, but i'd rather sacrifice weight for a tyre that can handle winter conditions.

Panaracer Fire XC Pro are a decent all round tyre, rolls pretty well, hooks up well in mud and handles ok on rocks & roots. Can be bought for £40 with tubes from Merlin at the moment with the VIP discount. If you want a bit more volume or are interested in going tubeless at some point, Maxxis Advantages are also worth a look.

LaurenceHenry

I ended up not bidding. It went for £380 and for such a price i think that, with a little bit of patience, i could get a better deal. I also had some good news today and my budget has gone up by about £150!

Those Panaracer tyres look the good, though. Thanks for the advice, no doubt it will come in usefull.

The Rookie

The lad has a Spesh P1 AM 2008, advertised badly and in need of gears sorting, paid £120, replaced the XCM's with some 120mm Manitou, sorted the gears (and went to 9speed as well) and put some decent tyres on it, and for £200 in total he's got a decent bike, nearly all sourced from ebay or the classifieds on here, patience is the keywordwhen it comes to finding bargains on ebay!

Simon