Replace a 20+ year old Marin MTB

majorstare_E9V2WOV · February 2021

Last month I had my 20+ year old Marin Eldridge Grade serviced after not being used for 18yrs. It really is in fantastic condition and I have been using it at the weekends to get fit again. Usually involves a 40min ride with my 13yr old son, then when back home I go for another ride. Really enjoying it and plan to go out in the evenings when I get some lights.

New clothing purchased, water bottle etc, so have all the gear apart from lights.

Terrain is woodland paths, dirt tracks, some steep climbs & descents and a couple of designated MTB tracks/routes.

I would like to sell the Marin (unsure on value) and get a newer bike. My budget is £1000 and I would like full suspension. I have pinned it down to Bossnut (can't get hold of) or a Vitus Mytheque (can't get hold of)
So I have been trawling eBay but current lock down limits travelling to get a bike if i see one.

There is a Carrera Titan X not far from me, well in budget and gives me a few £ for some lights. It's a Halfords own brand.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203247054903

Another option (I would have to pay courier) is this one.......
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133657114732

Finally, this is just 15min from me........
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174591089738

Interested to hear your thoughts on these or any other recommendations.
Many thanks.

daniel_b · February 2021

Any pics of the Marin, and what size is it please?

steve_sordy · February 2021

Unless your Marin is a collector's item, at 20 year old it is unlikely to have much value. It is worth a lot to you however. It may have sentimental value, but much more importantly, it is worth to you what it would cost to replace it with a bike of equal provenance and condition.

Therefore if it was my bike I would keep it. At the very least it will be a spare bike for when your main bike is out of order or awaiting parts etc. It will also come in handy when your lad gets bigger.

However, the used bike market has gone mad in the last year. New bikes are in short supply or on long delivery times. This has forced people to turn to the used market and prices have gone up. So now is a good time to get the best price for your Marin. Even though it won't be much, it will be more than it would have been a year ago.

majorstare_E9V2WOV · February 2021

Cheers guys.
I definitely want to get a new/nearly new bike, rather than modify the Marin (which also won't accept disk brakes).
The reason for my post, was for opinions on the bikes I listed and any other advise.

Here's the Marin....

mully79 · February 2021

Its a terrible time to buy a bike. The titan x linked is £750 secondhand on ebay or £850 brand new from Halfords.
The others are similar. Probably people selling off ride to work purchases.
Sit it out and enjoy the Marin !

steve_sordy · February 2021

Try Pauls Cycles for brand new bikes from previous years.

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/

They have all sorts of brand new bikes from last year and the year before and the year before..... All at great, great prices

I just checked and they still seem to have quite a few bikes.

I can't talk about current times, but they always used to have great bargains. Now it seems that the big thing going for them is that they have stock!

Once you have found the mountain bikes page you can use a range of filters to narrow down your choice. So you can select a price range and wheel size for example, hardtail only and then see what comes up, then go from there.

The big negative is that you can't look at the bike and you can't test ride or even throw a leg over it. So you have to do your homework.

majorstare_E9V2WOV · February 2021

Cheers, will have a look.
Nearly pressed the button on a brand new Marin Rift Zone 1 in green today

Replace a 20+ year old Marin MTB

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