# New to mtb



## nickg (19 Jan 2020)

I'm after some advice and I know its personal preference. But just a rough Idea would help me.

Been offered a Giant Talon 2 for £250. Now this is 18mnths old

I can get the 2020 model for £600. So is the 2nd hand a good price or not? Also is that bike any good for a newcomer to mtb?

I done a bit of mtbing about 25yrs ago.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated


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## iluvmybike (19 Jan 2020)

Its a perfectly good standard bike for anyone newcomer or otherwise. The fork isn't fantastic but serviceable. On the 2nd hand price - who can say? It depends on the state of it. If looked after and well-maintained then it may be a good price if not then it isn't. Best to take along a pal who knows a bit about bikes/bike maintenance. If buying 2nd hand then you need to ride the bike & check it changing gears, brakes work, seatpost can be adjusted, forks bounce, nothing loose on it etc.


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## nickg (19 Jan 2020)

Guy seems very keen to sell, so I think there maybe something not quite right with it. So think I will give it a miss.


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## OldShep (19 Jan 2020)

My methods of valuing a bike... look at sold prices on EBay
How I calculate value of s/h
If new price was £600 then £120 of that was tax
the price of the new bike was £480
its now an old bike and any guarantees are now lost because you aren’t the original owner. if it’s immaculate and I mean immaculate I could go upto 60% of new bike price If I really wanted it. If it’s used then start at 50% and work down by age and by taking off the cost of everything you’re likely to have to buy for it in the next year. ( fork servicing, tyres, chain etc) YHMV. 
Of the last two bikes I’ve bought the last was a few weeks old and I got it for 50%
Before that it was 5 yo bike with around 100 mls on the clock and I paid 20%


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## nickg (20 Jan 2020)

What brand of mtb should I be looking at as a good starter bike? Maybe a good frame but slightly poor components that can be upgrade.


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## fossyant (20 Jan 2020)

Most are fine. TBH I can't fault my Boardman FS Pro, but there are a few hard tails around second hand that are good value. You need to give them a good going over as knackered brakes or drive chain can be expensive, and of course check bearings are smooth, as the thing can be a money pit. If it's not been used 'properly' then is could be a bargain.

PS Hard tails are cheaper - less suspension to go wrong. Forks - ideally Rockshox or Fox, but these will push the price up, and if they haven't been looked after then they could be expensive to repair, so check they work.

My wife's MTB was second hand, but I bought it off someone on here, and I knew it had been looked after, and not ridden that much. All it needed was a good clean and the brakes bleeding.


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## nickg (20 Jan 2020)

I'm not worried about it needing a bit of work and can happily carry it out myself. So I may go second hand and can get probably a better bike for the money albeit a bit older.


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## fossyant (20 Jan 2020)

nickg said:


> I'm not worried about it needing a bit of work and can happily carry it out myself. So I may go second hand and can get probably a better bike for the money albeit a bit older.



All good then. Just look out for rocks, trees and roots, they all jump out at you.


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## figbat (20 Jan 2020)

I wouldn’t focus on a brand, just have a budget in mind and see what turns up. I got my hardtail used on Facebook Marketplace for a song, getting a barely-ridden carbon-fibre bike with reasonable components for half its new price. It is a Cube if it matters.


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## nickg (23 Jan 2020)

Well Ive just picked this up today. Few Mark's on it but overall very happy with it.


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## Zipp2001 (24 Jan 2020)

nickg said:


> Well Ive just picked this up today. Few Mark's on it but overall very happy with it.



Looking good now get out there and ride, ride, and ride some more.


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## nickg (25 Jan 2020)

Zipp2001 said:


> Looking good now get out there and ride, ride, and ride some more.




I certainly will once I get off these long night shifts at weekends. 

Just need to find some nice tracks near me. Anyway of finding this out?


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## fossyant (25 Jan 2020)

OS Maps and google maps


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## nickg (26 Jan 2020)

fossyant said:


> OS Maps and google maps


 
I've got the Garmin 1000 cycle computer so might load up some rides. 

Cheers for everybody's help. Much appreciated


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## fossyant (26 Jan 2020)

nickg said:


> I've got the Garmin 1000 cycle computer so might load up some rides.
> 
> Cheers for everybody's help. Much appreciated



Take a look at Open MTB Maps if the 1000 doesn't cover off road mapping. The Open maps include bridleways, canals etc etc.


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## Hacienda71 (26 Jan 2020)

Trailforks can be good if a bit patchy in parts of the country. 
Ridewithgps lets you search and download other people's rides. Include mtb in the search box and there are loads on there, you can download in the appropriate format for your garmin.


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## johnblack (28 Jan 2020)

nickg said:


> I certainly will once I get off these long night shifts at weekends.
> 
> Just need to find some nice tracks near me. Anyway of finding this out?


You could try you local County Council website, my local one has an interactive map that shows all bridleways and byways for the county, comes in really handy, doesn't tell you what kind of state they're in but part of the fun is finding out.


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## figbat (28 Jan 2020)

Agreed - my local council has their 'definitive map' online - this map is the absolute arbiter of the status of any right of way. I'm a bit of a stickler for the rules and avoid riding on footpaths or other routes that are not permitted.

In terms of which are the _good_ tracks, that needs local knowledge. I found a like-minded group on Facebook who I now ride with regularly. Otherwise plot yourself a route and give it a go. I use a combination of Google Maps (including use of Street view where available), OpenStreetMap (which has a Cycle routes layer), Streetmap (which zooms in to OS map detail) and sometimes Strava (which will use route popularity to help planning). Or just head out and see where each track takes you.

Using the above planning methods I have generally been OK when riding in unfamiliar areas, but it has led me into some very muddy/boggy/overgrown places which only local knowledge will tell you.


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## johnblack (28 Jan 2020)

If you get a bit more adventurous there are some nice routes on here https://www.mtbepicsuk.co.uk/gps/


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