oldish rider 2nd hand bike

daveh65

hi, i'm after a mountain bike and after trawling through eBay and the likes have got a headache, i haven't ridden since early 20's and now 47! still very fit and active, i am on a ltd budget so would love some sound advice on what sort /make etc i should look for, i am 6.4" and about 250lbs, don't want to do any extreme riding, just a bit of weekend stuff and some light trails, don't mind an old bike if its still up to the mark, just good advice please, regards Dave

cooldad

Limited budget being?

Some people on here would take that as sub £5000

G-S

Don't know what your budget is, but in the past I've had bargains 2nd hand from Gumtree. Picked up a Spesh Hard Tail last year for £80, was 2 years old, and it needed new chain rings, chain and cassette. I did the work, tuned up the gearing nicely, put a new saddle on it and some new break pads and made a nice little profit of a shade under £200. Point is, usually if somebody is selling cheap, then there is usually some mechanical flaw. If you have the know how, you can pick up an absolute steal if you are willing to put some elbow grease into it. If you have been away from bikes for a while, try picking the brains of regular recent cyclists for a bit of know how on how to identify a rough gem from a complete dog.

slickmouse

yes it would help to know what your thinking of spending ?

look for the big names, trek, spec, cube etal if you come across a name you've not heard of, Google it, but you should be looking for the quality of the kit rather than the maker

you can have more or less any think you want for 2- 300 quid or so, if your a bit patient, 1- 200 will get you something a bit older or needing a bit of work, and as above, gumtree has the occasional gem for 60/80 quid, with flat tyres and non working gears/brakes if you want to fettle it up

daveh65

thanks for the info, i was hoping to get away with spending £100, tight i know but dont mind an old bike or one that needs a bit of time put in , found out i have a very knowledgeable friend whos into bikes and hes given the same advice on makes etc, hes also said his friend has a specialized hardrock 2010 model but only a 19 inch frame which he thinks he might sell me for £80-100 ! which i think would be a bargain, but will it be too small for me?? didnt realise how big and varied the market was .

slickmouse

daveh65 wrote:

thanks for the info, i was hoping to get away with spending £100, tight i know but dont mind an old bike or one that needs a bit of time put in , found out i have a very knowledgeable friend whos into bikes and hes given the same advice on makes etc, hes also said his friend has a specialized hardrock 2010 model but only a 19 inch frame which he thinks he might sell me for £80-100 ! which i think would be a bargain, but will it be too small for me?? didnt realise how big and varied the market was .

that sounds quite good, but it depends on what model it is, if its a good buy or an absolute bargain, ask what forks are on it, that gives a good clue as to what your getting kit wise, also consider rockrider, gumtree seems full of people trying to sell them for about a 100 quid, they sell for about 350 new and seem comparable with 4 to 5 hundred quid bikes kit wise

fit is far more complicated than you might imagine, its easy to throw the seat up to the right height, its the stretch to the bars that makes the difference, to short and your sat up in the breeze with no knee room, to long and your taking the weight on your wrists. Im 6.1 with a 18in frame that does me just fine, and there is scope for adjusting it a bit, so i wouldn't rule it out with out going and having a ride round the block on it

anj132

G-S wrote:

Don't know what your budget is, but in the past I've had bargains 2nd hand from Gumtree. Point is, usually if somebody is selling cheap, then it's usually stolen. If you have the know how, you can pick up an absolute steal.

FTFY

rockmonkeysc

Thats not bad. My old 2010 Hardrock frame sold for £70 on ebay as just a bare frame earlier this year.
At £100 as long as its in reasonable condition I don't think you can be fussy about component spec.

slickmouse

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Thats not bad. My old 2010 Hardrock frame sold for £70 on ebay as just a bare frame earlier this year.
At £100 as long as its in reasonable condition I don't think you can be fussy about component spec.

thats not really the issue, he could most likely buy it for a 100 quid and more than double his money selling it of as parts if he could be bothered ?

3/4 year old low spec rockhopper in( allegedly) good condition show up all the time on gumtree for 150 quid or so, So getting one for 100 is a good buy but its not bargain of the year, particularly if its a bit small for him and it has XCM forks so the value of the spec frame is somewhat negated.

If however it turns out to be a higher spec RH, then bargain of the year it may be, even to the point of reframing it if it is a bit small

kajjal

I am just over 6ft6 and at a push can fit on a 21" Mountain Bike. Give the bike a test ride but you may struggle on a 19" bike with the handle bars being too low and also being a bit cramped.

fredblob

jus go to the local bike shop and ask if they do finance that way you can have what ever bike you like. and worry about the cost later

Kowalski675

fredblob wrote:

jus go to the local bike shop and ask if they do finance that way you can have what ever bike you like. and worry about the cost later

And that's why the economy's f****d and the country's bankrupt, lol...

fredblob

Kowalski675 wrote:

fredblob wrote:

jus go to the local bike shop and ask if they do finance that way you can have what ever bike you like. and worry about the cost later

And that's why the economy's f****d and the country's bankrupt, lol...

lol hardly......

daveh65

thanks for all the input, think im gonna bite the bullet and buy new! so im looking for a 22 0r 22.5" frame bike in the £5-600 price range, looking at voodoo and maybe cube would love some good recomendations please

croptonboy

How about the old favourite, the RR 8.1?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-81 ... 68918.html

chrisw333

daveh65 wrote:

thanks for all the input, think im gonna bite the bullet and buy new! so im looking for a 22 0r 22.5" frame bike in the £5-600 price range, looking at voodoo and maybe cube would love some good recomendations please

22" can be big, I know your a tall lad, but try to sit on one. You may find 21" is fine.

at that price range, really you're looking at Boardman Comp (if you use British Cycling or other discount), Rockrider 8.1, or a Voodoo or Carrera as best bang for you buck. Maybe Cube too if you find a decent offer.

sgtpepper1969

I got a brand new in the box voodoo bokor for £375 of eBay so there are bargains out there if you keep looking

daveh65

i am at a loss, trying to find a bike suitable for my weight etc, found a couple of kona hoss bikes but had been sold, is there any bikes out there of similar build and strength???? i want something i can ride the shit out of, ive got very strong legs and can really pedal! so worried about something going "CRACK" REALLY NEED SOME HELP IN CHOOSING ??? got pals saying i need full sus bikes, some saying rigid, but i like a hardtail bike, one that i can use on the road a bit and ride straight off on to a trail, got some good woodland and hills near me, so please give me some help on choosing a big for a heavy rider @250lbs and 6'4"

kajjal

To give you an idea of the weight limits on bikes :-

http://www.trekbikes.com/faq/questions. ... tionid=104

I weight just under 220lbs and my hardtail bike is fine. I have no issues with any components e.g. Wheels , forks, brakes etc. It is true a heavier rider will wear components out faster and has to check their bike over more often but you can see by the link you are not beyond the max weight on. Bikes at all.

At your price range a hardtail is better value for money.