2nd Hand Full-Sus for £500
Discussion
Hi all,
Currently have an OK hard tail but having followed my mate on his full-sus a few weeks ago I was very jealous and would like to make the jump to full suspension.
I don't mind going to 2nd hand as I don't mind working on my bikes and I don't go riding every weekend (sadly) nor do massive bike-breaking jumps (whimp).
I've had a look on pinkbike and ebay but I'm not massively sure what is a good deal or not, for example:
is this worth £80 morethan this
Would any of you be able to give me some tips? Know of any bikes made between 2010 and 2015 that were great back then and are a bargain now?
Some info:
I'm 6"1 so large frame needed.
I usually do XC or blue/red routes, no big jumps.
This bike will also be used for riding along canals with the missus until I have room for a second bike so lockout would be good.
Cheers
Currently have an OK hard tail but having followed my mate on his full-sus a few weeks ago I was very jealous and would like to make the jump to full suspension.
I don't mind going to 2nd hand as I don't mind working on my bikes and I don't go riding every weekend (sadly) nor do massive bike-breaking jumps (whimp).
I've had a look on pinkbike and ebay but I'm not massively sure what is a good deal or not, for example:
is this worth £80 morethan this
Would any of you be able to give me some tips? Know of any bikes made between 2010 and 2015 that were great back then and are a bargain now?
Some info:
I'm 6"1 so large frame needed.
I usually do XC or blue/red routes, no big jumps.
This bike will also be used for riding along canals with the missus until I have room for a second bike so lockout would be good.
Cheers
I'd be looking at the Giant Anthem out of those two.
I ride an Anthem 3 with 27.5" wheels and can't get enough of it. It's a great bike, very easy to live with, and has been pretty reliable given what I've put it through. Two replacement freehubs and one bottom bracket have been the only expenses over and above chains/cassettes/brake pads/tyres. I've ridden 2,570 miles on it since I bought it new in March '16. Mostly local natural singletrack trails, some bridleway stuff and the odd few road miles to get between trails.
It's a relatively short-travel bike, so ideal for zipping about the trails, but not for jumps and drops etc. Having gone from a 26" hardtail to a 27.5" full suspension bike, I'd definitely advise you to look to the more recent offerings in the second-hand market. Bikes with 27.5" or 29" wheels. And as a personal preference I'd want Shimano gearing and brakes, not Avid/SRAM. Again, though, that's just me - I've not used SRAM myself so won't write it off as 'utter crap' or anything. It's just not 'my thing'.
Perhaps something like this... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giant-Anthem-X3-Large-Me...
You might get lucky and find a lightly used Anthem 2 in budget. But bear in mind that Giant is one of the more well-known mainstream brands (biggest bike manufacturer on the planet, I think) so they do attract interest on eBay. Hopefully you'll get some advise from owners of more left-field or niche brand bikes. Some really good bikes out there that slip under the radar on eBay simply because the majority of novice MTBers haven't yet heard of the brand.
Good luck with your search!
I ride an Anthem 3 with 27.5" wheels and can't get enough of it. It's a great bike, very easy to live with, and has been pretty reliable given what I've put it through. Two replacement freehubs and one bottom bracket have been the only expenses over and above chains/cassettes/brake pads/tyres. I've ridden 2,570 miles on it since I bought it new in March '16. Mostly local natural singletrack trails, some bridleway stuff and the odd few road miles to get between trails.
It's a relatively short-travel bike, so ideal for zipping about the trails, but not for jumps and drops etc. Having gone from a 26" hardtail to a 27.5" full suspension bike, I'd definitely advise you to look to the more recent offerings in the second-hand market. Bikes with 27.5" or 29" wheels. And as a personal preference I'd want Shimano gearing and brakes, not Avid/SRAM. Again, though, that's just me - I've not used SRAM myself so won't write it off as 'utter crap' or anything. It's just not 'my thing'.
Perhaps something like this... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giant-Anthem-X3-Large-Me...
You might get lucky and find a lightly used Anthem 2 in budget. But bear in mind that Giant is one of the more well-known mainstream brands (biggest bike manufacturer on the planet, I think) so they do attract interest on eBay. Hopefully you'll get some advise from owners of more left-field or niche brand bikes. Some really good bikes out there that slip under the radar on eBay simply because the majority of novice MTBers haven't yet heard of the brand.
Good luck with your search!
l354uge said:
Thanks for your help, I'm guessing anthem 4 is the lowest spec and 1 is the highest?
Funnily enough I'm watching that x3 already, its not too far from me either!
Just have the agonising 8 day wait to see if some bugger comes and throws a £700 bid at it last second..
Yup, Anthem 4 is more basic than a 3 or 2. Bear in mind that they also do an "Anthem X" or "Anthem Advanced" too which is more expensively equipped again. And may have a better/lighter frame too. I can't quite remember. But suffice to say that a 27.5" Anthem 4 would make a great base for later improvements in gearing and brakes, whilst being absolutely trail-ready to get you riding straight from the word "go"...Funnily enough I'm watching that x3 already, its not too far from me either!
Just have the agonising 8 day wait to see if some bugger comes and throws a £700 bid at it last second..
...like I say, though, maybe try to do some research into 'smaller' brands with lower general market exposure. You might find a REALLY cheeky bargain that way.
l354uge said:
Yellowjack, I just offered the guy with the anthem x4 £300 and he came back with £310!
You think that's a solid buy? I should get £300 for my old bike so I wont actually be down..
Much depends on age and condition, but list price on mine (a 2015 bike) was £1500 new. I paid £900 as the last one in the shop, advertised at £1100 but price-matched to another shop with a bigger reduction on one in the same size. £300 sounds OK to me, provided it all functions as designed...You think that's a solid buy? I should get £300 for my old bike so I wont actually be down..
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