Opinions needed on this bike please?

[purplemoon]

I've been looking for a cheap second hand MTB specifically for riding off-road forest trails as although my Giant Cypress has handled it ok so far I think last week's ride may have stretched it to it's limits. I think a proper MTB might suit this purpose better.

Currently watching this Specialized Hardrock AX on Ebay but can't find any info about it as it looks to be an older model. Any opinions on it please?


Edit: Hmmm on closer inspection it appears not to have any front suspension. I think that would possibly be a problem for me, or rather my wrist joints

Back to the drawing board

The sort of thing I'm looking for would be something like this GT Avalanche 3.0 Disc but not sure I can justify buying another brand new bike yet.

 

[Soltydog]

Just keep checking ebay & local classifieds. I bought a GT ava 2.0 about 3 years ago, only kept it about 6 months & had minimal use, i just didn't get on with the MTB thing, (although i'm on the look out for a cheap one again )
I sold mine via ebay with loads of extras for about £200 IIRC Quite a bit less than i'd paid for everything but a great bargain for someone else

 

[Mr Pig]

Half the guys I cycle with do not have suspension forks, one has a Hardrock not dissimilar to the one you're looking at. They cope just fine off road and their bikes are a heck of a lot lighter than mine, which counts for a lot.

I'd rather have a very light ridged bike than a heavy full suspension one any day. That's an old bike but if it's in good condition it might still be a good buy.

Lots of bikes out there though, and it is pretty small, 15.5. Is that your size?

 

[experiment]

That Hardrock is pretty old, yes. And with MTBs, old pretty much always means bad. MTBing has developed so quickly over what is comparatively a short time compared to road biking, so there's a lot more stuff that should be destroyed still about.
And as for suspension, it depends what you're riding. If the trails you're riding are smooth, rigid will be fine. If there's rocks and roots about the place, you can either get suspension, or learn how to ride them well. And you will learn fast after hitting a few!

Back to the original point, I wouldn't go for that Hardrock. What's your budget? It might be worth having a look in the classified sections of some MTB forums, www.southerndownhill.com is a good place to start.

 

[Mortiroloboy]

That Hardrock is pretty old, yes. And with MTBs, old pretty much always means bad. MTBing has developed so quickly over what is comparatively a short time compared to road biking, so there's a lot more stuff that should be destroyed still about.
And as for suspension, it depends what you're riding. If the trails you're riding are smooth, rigid will be fine. If there's rocks and roots about the place, you can either get suspension, or learn how to ride them well. And you will learn fast after hitting a few!

Back to the original point, I wouldn't go for that Hardrock. What's your budget? It might be worth having a look in the classified sections of some MTB forums, www.southerndownhill.com is a good place to start.

Almost antique

thought about a carrera?

 

[Kovu]

Almost antique

thought about a carrera?

Devil's bikes.

 

[Mortiroloboy]

devilishly gvfm

 

[purplemoon]

Thanks everyone, I didn't bother going for it in the end. I'll just keep looking out for a decent second hand one. I've seen a few come up on Ebay but they're usually at the other end of the country and the seller requests "collect in person only"

 

[Mr Pig]

Check your local free ads too, there are always lots of bikes for sale. Loads of people buy bikes with great intentions then use them once, so be fussy. Look for 'as new' or near it.

 

[domtyler]

You could always try going through the attic and seeing if there is anything up there that you could sell on eBay. Sure, it's a lot of work but people will buy any old crap on there and you will be tidying the attic into the bargain.

 

[purplemoon]

Good point Dom! I probably have enough crap saleable stuff I can sell to finance a new bike rather than a second hand one

 

[Kirstie]

www.singletrackworld.com classifieds are also a good place to find second hand stuff. If you post a wanted advert on there you'll prob get a good response.