help please. What 'used' bike for a beginner

phil_motocross

hello,

looking into purchasing a bike. like everyone i want something that is right for me and the best value for my money. i have £1k to spend on a full sus i have been looking at used but there is that much out there i dont really know what i am looking at!

i am based in the midlands so predominantly ride around there such as cannock and sherwood (bit flat at sherwood i know) but want something that is robust enough to take to bike park wales eventually etc. wont be anything to long distance.

i have been told i will want a large frame and really 27.5 wheels. i am 5ft10.

Basically i want some advice on what sort of used bikes to look at/what to avoid? what groupset is good (granted can be upgraded in future) also what shocks and forks to look at and what to avoid. i have been looking at bieks such as the nukeproof mega, commencal meta etc. dont want anything that is to old but i obvisouly understand i wont be able to get a 5-6K bike that is a year old for 1K.

apologise if some of the comments seem a bit silly but as mentioned im pretty clueless at the moment. been spending a while reading various reviews of bikes etc over the last few days.

thank you in advance.

reaperactual

Would consider a hardtail for a much better overall component spec. For that you would get a good mid to high level solid frame, good forks
Rockshox, Fox, Marzocchi.

Drivetrain wise a Sram/Shimano 1x10/11 or maybe 1x12 should come as a standard fitted groupset which would be good.

If you've got your heart set on a full sus then you may find a good deal on an entry to mid level second hand bike but might need to compromise on some of the spec and upgrade in future if you need to.

Generally speaking for hardtails or full sus big brand bike retailers own bikes offer the best value for money so Nukeproof, Vitus, Calibre or perhaps a good Boardman are a few of the brands worth looking into along with the usual big names such as Giant, Trek, GT, and so on will give you good bang for your buck.

phil_motocross

ok brilliant thank you. i would prefer a full sus to be honest. i have my eye on a Lapierre zesty AM 327 2015 with fox 32 float forks and fox float shock or a 2016 commencal meta AM standard. any tips?

reaperactual

I went down the hardtail route so no first a hand experience on full sus or either of those two bikes. A quick look over the spec the Commencal outdoes the LaPierre in every way on paper.

Can only give my personal opinion, that Commencal Meta stands out and looks like a better buy, great reputation and a very good looking bike too. The Commencal gets my vote without a doubt.

Sorry Pal, full sus not my thing but I'm sure someone else will post and give a much better viewpoint and knowledge on those bikes.

phil_motocross

no problem mate thanks for your input

reaperactual

😎👍

steve_sordy

Make sure that you can see receipts for fork and shock servicing. They can be expensive to fix if they go wrong. A basic full service from a reputable place is approx. £100 per end (plus any parts that may be needed other than the usual seals and lubes that come with the service).

A four-year old bike should have been serviced several times, unless it is really low mileage. Even so, I'd budget for a proper service of each end.

loltoride

I would agree you may be able to find something not too old and around your budget from these manufacturers Nukeproof, Vitus, Calibre & Boardman the Bossnut you can get new at £1200 from go outdoors.