What can I get for circa £150.......?

[MadDad]

I am in the market for a weekend trail bike (hardtail) so that I can thrash around the Lookout and Swinley Forest with my 10 year old son at weekends and wondered what I could pick up for circa £150 on the second hand market?

I am not fussed about buying something new (good job with such a small budget!) but would like to get something half decent, I realise this means it will be a couple of years old.

I have had my eye on eBay over the past couple of days and narrowly missed out on a Trek 3700 that went for £112 and a GT Arrowhead that sold for £105.

Question is, realistically what can I get for this price and where is the best place to look????? Also, what brands should I avoid?

[Progressive]

Your cutting it fine with a budget like that, however.... Look at brands like Specialized, Trek, Boardman etc.

[MadDad]

Don't laugh but I went to Cosco today and stumbled across a Muddyfox Mayhem for £199. When I was younger Muddyfox were a half decent brand but I noticed a Universal Cycles sticker on the bottom of it?

There was very little info on the box but it seemed quite light and claimed to have an alloy frame, front and rear mechanical disc brakes, adjustable front shocks and 24 speed thumb shift gears.

Can anyone comment on Muddyfox and does the above seem like a good deal?

[CooperS]

I would of thought it would a mine field at that price range in the second hand market.

A main stream producer such as GT, Spec, Trek will be as good as each other and should be chosen on condition and fit rather than anything spec

[AndrewM]

You can pick up some bargains on eBay - I recently bought a 2008 Carrera Banshee X full suss bike, hardly used for £205. The list price new was £800 and, despite being on the heavy side, has some pretty decent kit - Hydraulic disc brakes, Sram X7 kit, Truvativ external bearing cranks etc.

I do my own servicing, so a quick brake bleed and a bit of air in the shocks and it's not a bad thing to ride! I'll get much fitter using it though as uphill, the weight really tells (mine as well as the bike's).

I'm thinking that by the time I get back on my road bike, I'll fly!

[GG89]

Get on your local gumtree and see what's to be had.

[MadDad]

After a couple of days of deliberation I decided to pop along to a few bike shops and ask the experts. I have to give a big shout to Berkshire Cycles in Crowthorn as they were excellent in offering advice and allowing me to try out a number of bikes. They were non-pressure and offered what seemed to be genuine personal advice based on experience. Also they were totally transparent in explaining the difference between 2009 and 2010 models to make sure I got the most for my money!
Although I had a budget of £150 I blew it out of the water and spent £250, before parting with my hard earned cash I tried;
Giant Boulder – nice bike, difficult to find fault with it but somehow didn’t gel….. seemed hard work to ride and poorly specced compared to its peers.
Kona ??? – cannot remember what model it was but I really liked it, rode well but not quite as well as the one I bought…..
Specialized Rock Hopper - despite being the most popular bike on the market I didn’t get on with this. It felt heavy, rolling road resistance was not good and the bike itself felt very heavy. Also felt quite cumbersome and was hard work to get going. Also, could not get on with the thumb only gear change.
Felt Q220 – This is the one I opted for on the end. All round nice bike; easy to ride, light, well equip but more than anything else I managed to ‘get on’ with the bike. I know that it may not be everybody’s choice but was by far and away the best feeling bike (and best specced the price)I rode!
I hope that I have made the right decision, I am sure that if I were patient enough I could have picked up a top notch bike for £100 on eBay but so far I am happy with my Q220 – Thanks Berkshire Cycles!

[timbo48]

The main thing is you're on two wheels and Swinley's good fun. Be prepared for your lad to show you up though!