New or second-hand?

[nelmo]

OK, need to buy a bike (just destroyed the last one by driving under a height restrictor with bike on roof ).

I ride rarely, mostly with the kids but I want a mountain bike because I keep promising myself I will go back to the Lake District for that week long cycling and camping trip I used to do when younger.

Money is tight so looking at the budget end of the market, £150 max. Halfords (sorry!) have dual-suspension Trek's for well within my budget, which really surprised me. Local bike shop are great but their cheapest bikes seem to start at £250+. So, questions:

1. Are Trek's (or dual-suspension bike this cheap) utter rubbish? Or will it be OK for a minimal user like me?
2. Never had suspension before - is it worth having? Does it actually do the job?
3. Would it be better to get a better brand second-hand? I feel that a new, lower quality bike will be better than a 'God-knows-where-its-been' second-hand Specialized, or is that a load of tosh?

Many thanks for any advice.

 

[sabian92]

Suspension, especially rear, is bad for on the roads. You could probably get by with a hybrid instead, or if you look around you could get a decent bike for £150. You'll want skinnier tyres as well, because on the road fat mountain bike tyres will make you work like buggery just to keep up speed on the flat.

Having a mountain bike for the road and occasional off roading is not really worth the extra hassle of being constantly knackered riding the thing. Get a hybrid and it'll be a lot easier on your legs, it'll weigh less and it'll handle better.

 

[nelmo]

Apologies, you're right, it's TRAX at Halfords (sneaky, almost like they named it that on purpose )...

Will check out Decathlon and the ad's on here...thanks...

 

[jackm]

You've done the first bit correctly, coming on here and asking for advice!! I did it the other way round, and while I enjoy my cheap full suspension MTB, I realise what I am missing. Never mind, next time I might get it right!!

 

[nelmo]

You've done the first bit correctly, coming on here and asking for advice!! I did it the other way round, and while I enjoy my cheap full suspension MTB, I realise what I am missing. Never mind, next time I might get it right!!

Ahh but are you missing anything? If you say you're enjoying it, what's wrong with that? Would you notice a better quality cross-member under-strut or whatever it is? I doubt I would...
I've been looking at second-hand bikes and I'm thinking, 'they look like wrecks' I know it's the more sensible thing to do and any new bike will look knackered 10 minutes into my first ride but all that new shinyness, sadly, works on me...

 

[I like Skol]

, because on the road fat mountain bike tyres will make you work like buggery just to keep up speed on the flat.

Having a mountain bike for the road and occasional off roading is not really worth the extra hassle of being constantly knackered riding the thing.

Not 100% right. Knobbly tyres and low pressures make it hard work, slick tyres and high pressures = less effort. I used my front suss MTB to commute with a set of slick tyres (Continental City Contacts) in 26x2.1(FAT) at 60psi and the bike was just as easy to move around as my hybrid and even with an extra 6 months of commuting under my belt I still only achieve comparable commute times over the 10 mile each way trip on the hybrid.

The only reason I swapped to a Hybrid was so I wouldn't have to swap tyres on the MTB when I wanted to get muddy. Both bikes seem to require the same effort to propel.

For the use the OP describes I would think an MTB would be perfect, especially for rides with the kids. Avoid rear suspension like the plague in this price bracket and I wouldn't bother with front suss either.

 

[Adasta]

Would it be worthwhile looking at a Cyclocross bike?

 

[ian turner]

If your sole motivation for choosing a mountain bike is hankering after that lake district holiday then book something that commits you to it rather than ending up with a mountain bike for cycling on country lanes.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

+1
[QUOTE 1343211"]
1) Trek is a reputable brand but not one stocked by Halfords and not well below £150. Are you sure you've got the brand right?
1) No, dual suspension at that price isn't worth looking at.
2) For the type of riding you describe, no. At your budget you're far better off buying a bike where the money has gone on other components rather than cheap suspension. You definitely don't want rear sus, and IMO front isn't much use either unless you're going properly of-road. It saps energy and affects steering.
3) Yes. Just make sure you're confindent in the seller. Your best bet is the classifieds of forums like this. Why not plant an ad in "Wanted" on here? I did a couple of weeks ago and now have an excellent second hand road bike.
3) Yes, Specialized are good mtbs. If it's not stolen or been trashed you're guaranteed a good bike.

If you want a decent, new MTB get yourself to Decathlon and buy their Rockrider for £199. It's great.
[/quote]

 

[nelmo]

[QUOTE 1343218"]
Plenty of used Hardrocks on Ebay



http://shop.ebay.co....Distance=E1..25
[/quote]

Thanks mate - very helpful. There are flipping loads of other makes on there as well - what others would you recommend?

Also, what frame size should I be looking for? I'm 6' 2" and a bit of a bloater at 18 stone...

 

[Alembicbassman]

Try this

Good spec, well reviewed, great warranty.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-5-2-grey-69566845/

 

[3narf]

[QUOTE 1343218"]
Plenty of used Hardrocks on Ebay



http://shop.ebay.co....Distance=E1..25
[/quote]

My wife has an original steel Hardrock which I bought her brand new in 1991.

For the money you want to spend, I wouldn't bother looking at anything else- they're perfect.

 

[nelmo]

Try this

Good spec, well reviewed, great warranty.

http://www.decathlon...-grey-69566845/

Yup, going to Decathlon today to have a look - thanks...

What about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Trek-Liquid-1...0580403266?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item230f4a9c42

Just down the road from where I live...

 

[Alembicbassman]

Don't think that Trek will go for any less than £350

 

[I like Skol]

I ride rarely, mostly with the kids but I want a mountain bike because I keep promising myself I will go back to the Lake District for that week long cycling and camping trip I used to do when younger.

Suspension, especially rear, is bad for on the roads.

[QUOTE 1343211"]For the type of riding you describe, no. At your budget you're far better off buying a bike where the money has gone on other components rather than cheap suspension. You definitely don't want rear sus, and IMO front isn't much use either unless you're going properly of-road. It saps energy and affects steering.[/quote]

For the use the OP describes I would think an MTB would be perfect, especially for rides with the kids. Avoid rear suspension like the plague in this price bracket and I wouldn't bother with front suss either.

What about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item230f4a9c42

Just down the road from where I live...

NOOOoooooo.......

You haven't really listened to a word anyone has said have you? I guess you are making the typical noob mistake and falling for the 'whistles and bells' full suss MTB 'cos it looks brill'.

For the use you describe at the top of the thread this ebay bike would be the WORST choice. No suspension or maybe short travel front suspension at the most is the thing you need even for an MTB camping trip you wont be able to strap a rack onto a full suss bike and take any gear with you.