Noob looking for a good entry level bike to get out into nearby forest trails.

npbradleyBfUtGMyR

Hey there, I've been riding a single speed road bike for years now but I'm now looking to get off-road into Epping Forest. I'm about 30 minutes road riding away from the forest so I'm ideally looking for a bike that is good to ride on the road as well.

I've got a budget of about £500 (maybe stretch a bit more if it was really worth it).

So far I've been looking at picking something up second hand but would consider something new if it was worth it. I guess a good entry level / mid range hardtail seems to make sense?

I've just come across a bike with seized forks which seems like a bargain but don't know how costly the forks would be to fix?

Thanks in advance for any advice and pointers.

steve_sordy

You are going to be struggling to find anything new that is any good. The pandemic led to the bike shops being pretty much cleaned out. However, the current bad weather has led to many bikes bought this year being put up for sale, that and the fact that many poor sods have been made redundant and are selling to get some cash. So the used market may be your best bet.

Any bike that has seized forks has been neglected, so what else is wrong with it that isn't so obvious? Unless you are a bike DIY expert I would not touch a bike that has obvious major things wrong with it. You may believe that you can swap a fork out, but even the supply of spares like forks, even stuff like shifters and mechs, are becoming scarce. So you can't rely on that.

If you find a bike and are unsure about it, post a link on here and ask.

JBA

What Steve says ^^^.
For new the usual choices would be one of the Voodoo bikes from Halfords (Hoodoo, Braag or Aizen) but stock holding in your area could be an issue.

Second hand is your best bet but COVID-19 travel restrictions limit that as well.

Don't even consider a bike with seized forks. They are the most expensive component on a bike and not cheap to replace.

npbradleyBfUtGMyR

Ah, thanks for tips, guys. Looks like secondhand is the probably the way forward them. Will keep on hunting.

mrfpb

Are you looking at really bumpy trails (rocky or gnarly tree roots) or more "made" tracks.

If it's the latter, then a decent hybrid without suspension may be ok and you could get something decentc) for £500

npbradleyBfUtGMyR

Thanks mfrp. I would say the majority of the trails are where people have walked and created a path. There's not really any rocks but there are sections with tree routes, lots of mud, steep banks and humps... so a mix of terrain, but nothing too crazy.

npbradleyBfUtGMyR

Thanks for the tip oxoman. I'm heading up to my local halfords today to pick up my other bike so I'll chat with them about stock - ideally be able to take one for a spin.