Can't decide on a bike!

gingerrob25

Have been doing more serious mountain biking recently and feel I need to upgrade from my 2007/08 specialized hardrock, but can't decide on what to get.

Don't have a massive budget (around £800-£850 max) so have been looking at second hand bikes.
I do mostly trail and xc riding at the moment but need a bike that will hold up on downhill runs, so I am guessing a full suspension bike but would be open to a ht.

So far have been looking at specialized stumpjumper fsr (second hand prices vary depending on age of bike), specialized camber (higher end variations), trek fuel ex or trek remedy

Does anyone have any views on any of these bikes for what I need or can suggest another alternative?

Any help appreciated.

chez_m356

an alternative here, slightly over budget, but got to be worth a look http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s1p3618

calsh

i wouldnt think it's neccessary to buy a second hand bike. General rule is to go for a hardtail if your spending <1000
you stated you'd spend 850 max so i've found some bikes under that;
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/why ... e#features
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/produc ... ?&id=18012
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/produc ... ?&id=17366

paulscycles have some good discounts on 2009/10/11 models: http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p0

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p3696

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s1p2482

chez_m356

calsh wrote:

i wouldnt think it's neccessary to buy a second hand bike. General rule is to go for a hardtail if your spending <1000
you stated you'd spend 850 max so i've found some bikes under that;
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/why ... e#features
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/produc ... ?&id=18012
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/produc ... ?&id=17366

paulscycles have some good discounts on 2009/10/11 models: http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p0

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p3696

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s1p2482

he could get a Rockrider 8.1 for £500 thats better than most of those

gingerrob25

some great suggestions, thanks

So do people generally think it would be better to buy a new bike even though I could a better spec bike if I bought second hand?

benpinnick

I think a S/H bike would be your best bet personally. You lose alot of cash just walking out the shop with a bike. For your budget you should be able to get something two years old that retailed towards £2000. Just make sure that you check it over properly! Also ex demo might be worth a shout. This is slightly out of your range but a good example of what you could get for that type of cash:

http://online.atb-sales.co.uk/p-923-bra ... edium.aspx

Thats a full X9 / Fox 120 forked Whyte for just over a grand. You can find deals like that in your price range I am sure.

calsh

with second hand, you dont have a clue where the bike has been, nevermind what the seller tells you.

gingerrob25

calsh wrote:

with second hand, you dont have a clue where the bike has been, nevermind what the seller tells you.

Fair point calsh, although some sellers are open to you going to look at the bike before you buy and check it over, which is a bit better.

miss notax

calsh wrote:

with second hand, you dont have a clue where the bike has been, nevermind what the seller tells you.

True, but if you buy second hand at a good price for the frame and accept that you might have to replace the drivetrain / service forks etc then it can work out very well indeed (especially if it all actually turns out to be ok!)

That's what I do anyway.....

supersonic

And have no warranty or back up... can be a fine line.

miss notax

I'm not saying it's foolproof or without risk - just that it's how I choose to do things

supersonic

Oh, I do it myself a lot! But only on really good bargains, some of the bikes you can get from Paul's Cycles are so cheap they are often better prices than them second hand!

miss notax

Very true!! I had to ban myself from looking at the Pauls Cycles website as it was all just a little bit too tempting :oops:

supersonic

Stuff like this, can't believe how cheap!

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b2s1p2162

Is a quality frame too.

Dan-Coll

It depends how you know about bikes, when buying second hand you will need to check it over properly or you might find yourself buying a lot of new parts in a few rides time.

However if you can find a second hand Specilized Pitch you wont regret it, perfect for trail centres and can throw it down a few downhill runs and takes it in its stride.