To hire or to buy? MTB beginner

Kate_Guyana

Hi all.

I have been mountain biking a couple of times now and have really enjoyed it. I still spend the majority of time with my fingers on the brakes though, so am looking to try and go quite a lot during the summer and then take a women specific beginners course.

At the moment I will be hiring a bike from a trail centre each time which costs anywhere from £15 upwards. I was wonder whether to perhaps buy a second-hand bike for the summer before I make a decision to buy a decent new one (on the cycle2work scheme). I have seen second-hand bikes which are a few years old for around £200 on ebay. I figure if I get some use out of it and then resell it, it may actually be cheaper than hiring. I would also be using the same bike each time which may help learning (?).

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

cooldad

I would buy one, but £200 isn't going to get you much.

pesky_jones

As above, i'd buy one. But also as above there won't be a great deal for that price. If you do settle on something I would just post a thread in 'Buying Advice' with the bike you're looking at, to gain a range of opinions.

Kate_Guyana

Thanks for both your replies. I figure the bikes I would be hiring would probably be only worth about £200/300 anyway as they seem to be ones that are around £400/500 new. In which case it would be like having a bike the same quality as a hire bike for the summer, just whilst I try MTBing out. I would be looking to spend about £600/700 if I decide to buy one to last me beyond the summer.

How much do you think I should be looking to pay for an entry level second-hand bike?

thanks again for your responses. very valuable to newbie like me!

pesky_jones

Kate_Guyana wrote:

Thanks for both your replies. I figure the bikes I would be hiring would probably be only worth about £200/300 anyway as they seem to be ones that are around £400/500 new. In which case it would be like having a bike the same quality as a hire bike for the summer, just whilst I try MTBing out. I would be looking to spend about £600/700 if I decide to buy one to last me beyond the summer.

How much do you think I should be looking to pay for an entry level second-hand bike?

thanks again for your responses. very valuable to newbie like me!

Around the £200-£300 mark would be my answer, possibly less, but different people have different views. It's about spotting the deals. Keep an eye on the classifieds on this site, and also on Pinkbike.com there are loads of bikes on there.

What type of riding are you looking in to getting into, just your average cross country stuff?

cooldad

You can get a seriously good second hand bike for £3-£400, but you could also buy a shagged POS.
So unless you know what you're doing, I would look at the sticky in the Buying Advice forum - you can get a really good new bike for £400.
A nasty bike will just put you off and crumble away in the shed.

Kate_Guyana

Thanks guys.

I'm totally at the beginning stages of all this so just looking for something I can do some blues and the odd red on. Would also be good to have my own as then I could just cycle to Swinley forest straight from Martin's Heron station!

I'm going again on Saturday, so if it's looking promising I'll start looking around and definitely use the Buying Advice forum before I commit to anything!

Thanks again

Kate_Guyana

In fact, this was a bike I was watching and was thinking of looking out for something similar. Any thoughts?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Corratec-Hardtail-mountain-bike-not-specialised-giant-orange-/190819676214?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=NFWdy2BYNS27n9muruNzlBfEwHY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

gt-arrowhead

That bike on eBay had some high spec parts on it. Was well worth the money it went for if you ask me.

Im not too sure about the frame. Never heard of that make.

pesky_jones

I cant acess ebay right now, but you've got the right idea in checking in here with the bike youre looking at. I agree with cooldad however you could be looking at a £3-£400 new bike. Look at the rockriders from decathlon

gt-arrowhead

Ill copy and paste the specs for you:


Specs are:

Mavic DH21 Downhill 6005 alloy rims with Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres
New Slime inner tubes in Sept '12
Shimano Deore LX /XT shifters and mechs
Maguire Louise Hyrdraulic disc brakes front and rear (new pads sept '12, only one 15 mile ride since)
Sherm1n Bomber front forks (think they are 120 mm travel)
Race Face cranks
DMR flat pedals

Kate_Guyana

Also looking at this one:

CARRERA VULCAN MOUNTAIN BIKE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Carrera Vulcan Ladies 16" Hard-Tail Mountain Bike with female specific geometry features a Suntour XCM-V3 hydraulic fork with 120mm travel suitable for challenging and rough terrain. The fork features damping and lockout ready for when you switch it to flat terrain and continue your ride with ease. A fantastic specification also includes 24-speed gears and Clarks hydraulic disc brakes to ensure powerful and controllable stopping power in all weather and conditions.

For 2011 Carrera offer lightweight hard-tails and rugged full suspension mountain bikes for taking on the most challenging terrain. High specifications combined with strength, control and durability provide riders with bikes suited for performance off-road riding.

FEATURES & BENEFITS OF THE CARRERA VULCAN MTB

Lightweight 7005 T6 alloy frame
Suntour XCM-V3 hydraulic fork with damping, lockout and 120mm of travel
SRAM 24-speed gearing with SRAM X4 rear mech
Clarks SX hydraulic disc brakes
Alloy double wall rims with 26" x 2.10" tyres
SRAM chainset
SRAM trigger shifters

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 1211656256

ga-rat

For around £200 you could find a good GT, Aggressor or Avalanche. My mate of mine did get a little lucky and got his immaculate Aggressor 1 for £150.

Juicy 3 brakes
SLX rear mech
Deore Front mech

Amazing for he money.

The Rookie

Takes a bit of luck, my son bought a very nice spesh off ebay for £120

Not sure of the year of that Vulcan, it's the older frame design (so pre 2012) and I don't recognise that colour scheme.

bartimaeus

Also lookout for Specialized Rockhoppers and Specialized Mykas - these do come up on eBay fairly regularly. I got a GT Avalanche for myself for £235 and a Rockhopper for my lad for £220.

Be aware that bikes size up very differently - so a 16" in one make may be very different from a 16" in another, and having the right size is pretty key... though changing things like stems, bars and saddles can be relatively inexpensive and make a bike a much better fit.

The biggest issue with a second hand bike is getting decent forks... some will be fantastic while others will be poor, and it will not be easy to tell which is which. Both the bikes I got off eBay have needed work doing to make the most of the forks. Definitely ask for advice on any possible bargains you see.

bearman3784

The Beginner wrote:

Takes a bit of luck, my son bought a very nice spesh off ebay for £120

Not sure of the year of that Vulcan, it's the older frame design (so pre 2012) and I don't recognise that colour scheme.

The vulcan is a 2011/12 model, my gf has one. Nice bike, if a bit on the heavy side for it's size

Macdory

What about Decathlon bikes - 5.2 is £200?

The Rookie

bearman3784 wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

Takes a bit of luck, my son bought a very nice spesh off ebay for £120

Not sure of the year of that Vulcan, it's the older frame design (so pre 2012) and I don't recognise that colour scheme.

The vulcan is a 2011/12 model, my gf has one. Nice bike, if a bit on the heavy side for it's size

Not sure what you mean by 'the Vulcan' as the name has been used for years, however the 2011 - 2012 has the top tube to seat tube brace and a dark frame
http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/carrera/vulcan-2011
before that it was red, before that blue, 2006 was Grey and Silver.

djamiej

Hi, are you bothered whether it's a ladies or gents bike? If not, and just in case you haven't stumbled across it yet... viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12875967

Also,I know it's obvious but if you are going to spend a shed load on a second-hand bike and if you're not bike-savvy, it might be worth getting someone knowledgeable to check it over first to see that there's still loads of life left in it. I only say this because I've just had mine serviced and the chap picked out potential issues - wobbly mechs and worn chainrings - I wouldn't have known to look for. But then I'm not technical. If you aren't bike-savvy and you don't know anyone handy, someone from a local MTB club might help you for super-cheap cost (it's where I found this chap to service mine).

I'd also try it for size too. My first bike bought 'blind' from ebay was my size but didn't fit right. My current bike should be too small but actually fits me like a glove.

Not sure how tall you are but if you're feeling a bit flush (and I am biased - I love mine) at £500 these are great all rounders: http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/b ... -bike.html

Anyway, hope not too condescending/patronising/time wasting. Enjoy!

Tom Barton

Just a finance type post. If you are already spending 15 pound plus a ride to hire a bike say once or twice a month - consider finding a 0% finance option from one of the big bike stores, so long as you dont over stretch yourself its a good way to get a bike you normally wouldnt be able to afford without saving for ages. £30 a month over a couple of years would get you a pretty nice (and new) bike (leisure lakes bikes and tredz do finance) - depends what your overall finances are like i guess.

bearman3784

The Beginner wrote:

bearman3784 wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

Takes a bit of luck, my son bought a very nice spesh off ebay for £120

Not sure of the year of that Vulcan, it's the older frame design (so pre 2012) and I don't recognise that colour scheme.

The vulcan is a 2011/12 model, my gf has one. Nice bike, if a bit on the heavy side for it's size

Not sure what you mean by 'the Vulcan' as the name has been used for years, however the 2011 - 2012 has the top tube to seat tube brace and a dark frame
http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/carrera/vulcan-2011
before that it was red, before that blue, 2006 was Grey and Silver.

You're thinking of the men's Vulcan colour scheme/frame design. This is a women's model we're talking about and definately a 2011/12 in the ebay ad http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

Kate_Guyana

thanks for all your responses. I am now looking into finance options! I'm definitely hooked on biking, so it's time to invest! Unfortunately the finance options do limit my options a little, but I think it will be worth it. Hopefully will head to Evans/Cycle Surgery this weekend!

Macdory

Paulscycles.com are doing some good deals on last years models and offering 6 months interest free credit