Buying advice: Full Suspension bike
Discussion
My eldest (14) has decided he wants to buy himself a full suspension bike and is starting to save/work for the money. As I've never really been into bikes I'm not sure what to look for, where to look, or watch out for.
His budget will probably end up around £800. Is it worth buying at this sort price? My worry is that he'll end up needing to spend a load more to fix age/ use wear.
Thanks in advance!
His budget will probably end up around £800. Is it worth buying at this sort price? My worry is that he'll end up needing to spend a load more to fix age/ use wear.
Thanks in advance!
Jim, you could look for something on Pinkbike.
here is an example:
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/4015271/
Chains,brake pads, cassettes are consumables, but don't have to be too expensive.
He can learn pretty much all about maintenance on Youtube, it's not that complex.
here is an example:
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/4015271/
Chains,brake pads, cassettes are consumables, but don't have to be too expensive.
He can learn pretty much all about maintenance on Youtube, it's not that complex.
In the MTB world £800 isn't going to get you anything fantastic, but he is only 14.
As others have said it would be better to look at 2nd hand as MTB's suffer horrendous depreciation so you could pick up a bargain. I wouldn't be too fussed on pedals, cranks, derailleurs, tyres etc as they're all consumables, but frame, shock and forks would be my priority as they're the expensive bits and will require servicing also.
As others have said it would be better to look at 2nd hand as MTB's suffer horrendous depreciation so you could pick up a bargain. I wouldn't be too fussed on pedals, cranks, derailleurs, tyres etc as they're all consumables, but frame, shock and forks would be my priority as they're the expensive bits and will require servicing also.
jimKRFC said:
When looking at 2nd hand is age an issue? Obviously the newer the better but should older (>10 yrs) bikes be ignored?
A lot has changed in 10 years on an MTB, wheel sizes being probably the big one, moving from 2 derailleurs to just one on the rear now. But you should still be able to get spares for these bikes. As per my previous post any suspension bikes need maintenance. In your use case I'd probably buy newer which will mean less fancy parts but you should have less issues also.Patience and care needed, but second hand all the way.
I just picked up a couple of year old but ridden only 10x an Orange Five - full Deore, RS Lyric Select+ and Deluxe Ultimate, WTB 29" wheels, Brand X dropper and carbon bars, Magura MT5's - for £1100....
It genuinely still had the moulding pips on the tyres, a couple of minor marks from where they had put a frame protection patch on badly, and a set of nasty cheap grips. The chap had bought in the chaos of post pandemic and bought the wrong size online. He rode it a few times before putting it at the back of the garage - and then replaced it with a new frame size smaller...
Do be careful, one persons 'good condition' is another persons 'thrashed to within an inch of its life and hiding dodgy BB threads and seized bearings'. Like a car, you end up buying off the person not the bike. Be flexible on what brands and models.
I would also say he wants newer than about 2018/2019 due to the geometry changes on bikes - there are a few older than that which are good, but post 2018 most bikes are 'newer' long, low, slack geometry and ride all the better.
I just picked up a couple of year old but ridden only 10x an Orange Five - full Deore, RS Lyric Select+ and Deluxe Ultimate, WTB 29" wheels, Brand X dropper and carbon bars, Magura MT5's - for £1100....
It genuinely still had the moulding pips on the tyres, a couple of minor marks from where they had put a frame protection patch on badly, and a set of nasty cheap grips. The chap had bought in the chaos of post pandemic and bought the wrong size online. He rode it a few times before putting it at the back of the garage - and then replaced it with a new frame size smaller...
Do be careful, one persons 'good condition' is another persons 'thrashed to within an inch of its life and hiding dodgy BB threads and seized bearings'. Like a car, you end up buying off the person not the bike. Be flexible on what brands and models.
I would also say he wants newer than about 2018/2019 due to the geometry changes on bikes - there are a few older than that which are good, but post 2018 most bikes are 'newer' long, low, slack geometry and ride all the better.
POIDH said:
I would also say he wants newer than about 2018/2019 due to the geometry changes on bikes - there are a few older than that which are good, but post 2018 most bikes are 'newer' long, low, slack geometry and ride all the better.
People did actually manage to ride their old-style bikes before 2018.It's the modern style of MTB which made people think "f
k this, I want a gravel bike".OutInTheShed said:
People did actually manage to ride their old-style bikes before 2018.
It's the modern style of MTB which made people think "fk this, I want a gravel bike".
Agreed.It's the modern style of MTB which made people think "f
k this, I want a gravel bike".I have been on MTB's since borrowing a prototype Orange/Tushingham B16 in 1990 and being loaned a prototype Aluminium O in 1991, and of course road them caliper brakes and 7 speed thumbie gears all around the Lakes and Pennines. So yep, understand older bikes are rideable.
But, like a classic car, older bikes are old. Noodly. Wobbly. Steep head angles and high BB's, low and narrow bars.
My new Orange 5 is all the shizzles, not and long, low and slack as many bikes, but by heck it goes faster and more confidently than any other bike I have had.
My 2017 Marin, while not exactly old school, is definitely a step back in speed and stability, and a step up in 'nippiness'.
My 2021 do it all, curly bar, steel framed touring/bikepacking/gravel bike is still lower, slacker and longer than many MTB's pre about 2017 - and yet most would look at it and assume it is a 'gravel' or road bike.
And this is a teenage kid the OP is asking for. Of course he will want to keep up with mates, shred the gnar and steeze with the best of them. And a more modern geometry is a Good Thing for this.
My two penneth on this subject as a cyclist and also as a father who has bought his lad second hand full suspension bikes. I generally buy (and sell) on Facebook Marketplace. I'm in the Northwest and there are always some great options for bikes. My lad currently rides a 2021 Canyon Neuron CF8 which is a carbon full suspension bike I paid £900 for pretty recently this replaced a Polygon T8 which I bought In January of this year for £700 but then sold for £850 albeit we'd cleaned it up nicely and replaced the rear mech and put on a Renthal fatbar so it probably only covered costs. There are some nice bikes out there and I'm sure some duffers. I would look at the adverts and judge the surroundings and if the photo's and description are well done. A young lad taking shots on his camera phone in the dark will probably not be the sort of bike I would buy. For info I am selling my Giant Trance 3 now and have someone coming to collect it this evening. This was listed at £900 and is £50 more than I paid i March. I've ridden it twice as I have a nice hardtail I tend to jump on. I may as well sell and let someone else use it. Its actually in fab condition. I think £800 should get you a nice, modern(ish) full suspension bike. There are some new bikes around for £1200-£1500 if you know where to look and GT seem to be selling new bikes at half price through various retailers. I'd suggest a mainstream brand trail bike with 140mm of travel will see loads of options and you won't lose much money if it doesn't suit him.
In terms of full suspension, i can advise going second hand alloy frames stay as far away from second hand carbon as you can as second hand sellers can easily hide carbon cracks which make the bike unsafe. Good alloy frames around the £800 mark are hard to come by, i would try get a budget of £1000 will make everything alot easier. I bought a YT Capra second hand last year, yes it was carbon but I know the guy who was selling it we had been riding for years. Best piece of advice and give is find a mid spec bike from the last 5 years (the tech has barely changed).
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