Getting back on board

Berkshire Lewis

Looking at getting back on a mtb after nearly ten years when I owned a krona nunu.

I am really confusing my self on types of bike for what I need I will mainly up in the woods(swinley forest) and mainly be riding in autum winter and spring due to work. so think I would need some decent traction

All help would be very much welcome

Lewis

supersonic

A Cross Country hardtail will be ideal. What is your budget?

benpinnick

Swinley is easy going on bikes, so you can get away with almost anything. My advice would be to go to Cyclezone and check out the cubes & giants, and then over to Mountain Trax to check out the scotts and Whytes. That should give you a good view of what type of bikes are available.

Berkshire Lewis

Looking at spending between 600 - 800 second hand

supersonic

I'd consider new though, if not up to speed on bikes. You can try some out, get the right size, servicing, a warranty and so on.

This is excellent for the cash:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... e=shopping

And will leave some for accessories.

Berkshire Lewis

Would rather but second hand currently on a roady so can get more bike for my money and ideas in my price range

supersonic

it's hard to recommend second hand as the market varies so much, and is probably local to you.

Berkshire Lewis

Fair enough Been looking at the cube ltd any thing better for the money looks good to me

supersonic

They are good bikes, but can be had new for 800 quid. Depends on the condition and age of it.

I'd try and find 3 or 4 options local that you can see, then maybe mention them here.

benpinnick

For 800 you could pick up a decent full suss, so its hard to judge without examples as SS says.

felix.london

As above - it's pretty hard to recommend one particular brand/model when you're talking used bikes. You just gotta keep looking and try and get yourself something decent at a good price.

Be careful of eBay listings like this one;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Customised-Specialized-Stumpjumper-Comp-M4-Hardtail-Mountain-Bike-/300785587967?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item460837d6ff#ht_622wt_1186

...where the seller seems to think by listing the retail price of all the components when new makes the bike an amazing deal. If this were the case my '06 Rockhopper would be worth more than £1,300 :shock:

Berkshire Lewis

Been looking at the cube ams like the fact of looking both front and rear sus

paul.skibum

To be honest you are asking a how long is a piece of strong question as suggested by others - Cube AMS is a decent bike but a second hand one could well be a dog. Full suspension = more things to go wrong = more potential for buying a lemon.

Second hand you are going to want to check that the wheels are straight and round - if you know how to do that great. You are going to want to examine both suspension units carefully for damage to the sliders, cycle the suspension a couple of times to check for oil leaks and decent seals, listen for odd squelching noises etc. If its an air rear shock probably worth putting a pump on it to check current pressure - if its reasonably high then at least the shock is holding air. You are going to want to check the gears work, nothings too worn or in need of urgent replacement, check the frame over thoroughly for cracks and dents paying attention to the welds, check action of the headset, then just check saddle, tyres and grips for wear, then try it out for fit/sizing.

If its all good giver but personally if I didnt know a lot about bike maintenance I'd be errign toward a new hardtail rather than a cheap full susser.

shigllgetcha

best bet is find a few second hand bikes you are interested in and the guys here will check them over and tell you if its a good deal, depending on the parts being in good condition

paul.skibum

Only risk is if they are a really good deal you might get gazumped!

JayKay3000

If you're not planning on doing anything major then a hard tail (front suspension only) is a great way to go.

Then u'll want to decide whether to buy something with 26 inch wheels or 29inch wheels and that you can only decide by riding something.

Berkshire Lewis

Thinking ok going down the new route maybe budget would be a grand on a hardtail for trail riding and a little bit of down hill

cat_with_no_tail

felix.london wrote:

...where the seller seems to think by listing the retail price of all the components when new makes the bike an amazing deal. If this were the case my '06 Rockhopper would be worth more than £1,300 :shock:

AAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Man I absolutely HATE it when people do this!

As for bikes, I agree that it is POSSIBLE to get a good deal on a 2nd hand bike. You have to know what you're looking for though. You need a good idea of what else is out there for the same money brand new, and you also need an idea of what the individual "upgrades" really sell for, rather than the RRP the seller lists them at. Remember, it's not at all difficult to pick up most bits at 30-40% off RRP all year round, and they'll have made money back from selling the bits they "upgraded".

Finally, you have to be confident enough that all the bits are in good condition. So you'll want to see it before you buy and be checking things like bearings in hubs and headset, chain wear, cassette and chainring wear, condition of forks and service intervals etc.

For £800, you can pick up something from Boardman, or one of the German manufacturers that will rival anything you can get 2nd hand.

Case in point - Now you try and find something that has an equal spec to that for the same money on somewhere like ebay. I'll bet you a bag of haribo you can't! and with this one you have a warranty, and a guarantee that all the parts are 100% new and in working order.