Brand new or second hand?

g_lawrence

Hi,

I am looking to buy my first bike and have no idea what to look out for?

Is it worth spending £300 on a brand new bike or spending that on a second hand bike that was sold at a higher price when was brand new?

I am currently bidding close to £300 on a Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc 2011 on eBay, as noticed this bike featured in the Best Mountain Bikes Under £1,000 feature but am wary of going over the £300 mark on a second hand bike when i can get a brand new Hardrock Sport Disc 2012 for £450.

Have just noticed that Halfords are selling the Carrera Vulcan for £359 but the review of this mentions that its a bit on the weighty side.

As i dont drive i will be using the bike to get from a to b locally on paths and for leisurely bike riding at the weekend on trails and through woods.

If there are any other bikes i should consider do please let me know.

Any help would be appreciated as its a minefield out there!

The Spiderman

Whether or not to buy secondhand would depend entirely on your mechanical knowledge.

You are right to be wary,as a load of new parts can soon eat into any savings.

However,if you do have some knowledge or have a biking friend that you can take with you you might be able to get a much better bike or net a huge saving.

For example my Giant Anthem X below cost me 770,the rrp of a similarly specced X2 was 2000.

The Carrera Vulcan is a good buy if you do decide to buy new,yes its heavy but no worse than a similarly priced Hardrock.

g_lawrence

Many thanks for the advice.

The Hardrock Pro Disc has now gone above the £300 mark on eBay so thats me out of that one and with me having no mechanical knowledge i think i will give the second hand bike market a miss now as i dont wanna be stitched up.

So that now leaves me with the vast array of brand new bikes to choose from. I ideally would like to spend around £300 but i am willing to go to the £500 mark if i am going to notice what i paid the extra money for.

Any suggestions guys?

supersonic

£500 opens up the king of the entry level bikes: the Decathlon Rockrider 8.1:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/81-2011-id_8168695.html

Great frame, very good fork, light weight, decent transmission - it is light years ahead of most bikes at this price.

g_lawrence

Ok great so if i end up spending the £500 then it will be on the Rockrider.

Just so i have a choice, what would you suggest for the £300 mark?

From what i have read on Bikeradar the suspension fork is what lets down the bikes under £500.

I like the idea of fork lock-out as i intend to use the bike on the road aswell as country tracks of a weekend.

supersonic

Lock out doesn't make or break a fork, but decent rebound damping does: and very few if any are to be found at £300 unless reduced.

For £350 another Rockrider:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-53 ... 68118.html

For £300 this has a fork that at least works ok, but the Rockrider is a better bike.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... PDPz1#tab2

g_lawrence

Many thanks for the help.

Now considering getting the cheap £100 Rockrider 5.0 from Decathlon for getting from A to B but too also spend between 300-500 on a bike for leisurely bike rides at the weekend off road.