Advice on buying a used full sus please.

sparky543

Having returned last year to mountain biking on a Spesh Rockhopper, I now feel it’s time to dip my toe into the glorious waters of full sus. So, I’ve decided to look for a used one to start with and have set myself a budget of about £1000.

I’ll mainly be riding trails in the centres around the Midlands and Wales with no current desire to do any extreme DH and would like some advice from you good people as to what is good value at this kind of budget. Bikes raising my interest are Trek EX, Giant Anthem/Trance, Spesh Camber/Stumpjumper and of course, Canyon.

Any advice/experience you could impart would be greatly received.

Thanks.

1mancity2

Giant Trance

rockmonkeysc

^^What he said^^

Awesome bikes & bombproof but light.

streetvw

Canyon Nerve XC

bamba

what the other 2 said

tarbot18

You ll get a nice new one for a grand you can update as you go on i wouldnt get 2nd hand you dont know how its been used . As above really possibly a giant or canyon do some cracking bargains if you dont mind mail order.

I got a grand worth of gt sensor full sus in the sales for £750 so check out your local bike shops and see if they have any 2011 stock they are still trying to shift.

sparky543

Thanks for the advice so far chaps. Trance wise, I can see an X4 for around £1200 new, but there are very few used on ebay. There is an X4 on there at the moment, but I suspect it will fetch silly money.

I have an opportunity to buy a 2009 EX8, does anyone here have experience with fitting the new DRCV rear shock to one of these? Is it an easy job?

1mancity2

sparky543 wrote:

Thanks for the advice so far chaps. Trance wise, I can see an X4 for around £1200 new, but there are very few used on ebay. There is an X4 on there at the moment, but I suspect it will fetch silly money.

I have an opportunity to buy a 2009 EX8, does anyone here have experience with fitting the new DRCV rear shock to one of these? Is it an easy job?

Why would you?

sparky543

I’m making some assumptions:

1. Most of the parts on a used bike will need to be replaced eventually (including the rear shock)
2. The Fox DRCV is a better shock than the stock one fitted on the 2009 model.

I’m no expert here, in fact far from it, but if my second assumption is incorrect, that means I’ll save myself some money if I ever need to replace it which is great. However, if my second assumption is correct, when faced with an option to replace it, why wouldn't I?

I really have no reference point to compare the two shocks other than the info I glean from articles and reviews. Perhaps my focus should be centred somewhere other than how good the rear shock is when looking for a used FS, but from my limited knowledge it seems to be the only component other than the frame and fork that will contrast against the ride from a good hardtail.

1mancity2

The RP2 that is stock on the EX8 is a very good shock, has the owner had it serviced? they last years with normal trail riding, I have a RP3 on my Reign and I batter it, still running smooth.

A simple seal service is usually all they need to keep them running smoothly.

sparky543

Thanks, it's good to know they are not too difficult to service if they need it. I'm not sure if the owner has had the shock serviced, but the bike has been well looked after and serviced regularly. I'll be sure to ask the question though.

dusk

I bought an 08 EX8 last year after riding a Rockhopper for years, I don't regret switching one little bit as the EX8 is awesome

sparky543

Thanks Dusk, good to know.