Good shout! Thankfully I already have a nice saddle which I bought for my current bike (turns out if you spend ~£300 on a brand new bike you end up with a horribly heavy clunker - who knew? Oh, everyone lol)
Beginner/commuter mountain bike. Which to buy?
- Thread starter hm.ouse
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It's £50Rockhopper all the way. If it’s under £80 then I might be having thatthough it looks like it’s had a replacement rd
But increase your budget by around 40 and you can find yourself a very nice bike to have fun on. Also don’t limit your bike searches to fb, no matter how many good deals there are on there. EBay, gumtree, and countless other specialised bike selling online shops are available on demand. Or you could pop down to your local bike shop and maybe pick something up of interest.
Based on this thread I'm thinking of snapping it up! But thank you for the advice, seems worth expanding my search before I go for it! Much appreciated
PeterPerfect
Senior Retro Guru
Of course you could always buck the trend and go for a Steel Univega hardtail.
Won the best mtb under £500 for 2 years on the trot in the early 90's and beat all the top brands in the process.
They're superb frames but usually overlooked due to badge snobbery!
Won the best mtb under £500 for 2 years on the trot in the early 90's and beat all the top brands in the process.
They're superb frames but usually overlooked due to badge snobbery!
Don't bother with the raleigh. Try out the others. Check tyres aren't worn and that gears are working as they are sometimes non trivial to fix (ie expensive). Check wear on brake blocks/do they work? The specialized is seemingly the best bang for buck - but if it needs a major overhaul (especially the forks) then it's not good value. With a 50 quid bike, you don't want to spend another 50-100 quid on it just to get it riding. For example, you could easily spend 40 quid on replacement tyres.
The black GT looks like it's had very little use. Sure it's modern rubbish(TM), but it might be the most comfortable to ride and require the least amount of work/money thrown at it.
The black GT looks like it's had very little use. Sure it's modern rubbish(TM), but it might be the most comfortable to ride and require the least amount of work/money thrown at it.
markoc
Orange 🍊 Fan
If (and its a big if) the forks on the Specialized aren't siezed/corroded/knackered then I'd go for that as its a decent (well, better than that actually) base to move on from. The frame is decent, and other parts simple to replace. Something rigid would make more sense though.
Kona Hahanna was the base model, and is very competent - often go cheap.
As has been mentioned, Univega are pretty under-rated and typically had decent frames across the lower range. As such can go cheap.
Don't know where you're based but there's a lovely looking Saracen Backtrax on ebay right now for £45 BIN in Cheshire - again, a brand to look out for as their low/mid stuff from late 90 / early 2000 was decent.
If I was nearer I’d buy it for £45 out of principle lol
Kona Hahanna was the base model, and is very competent - often go cheap.
As has been mentioned, Univega are pretty under-rated and typically had decent frames across the lower range. As such can go cheap.
Don't know where you're based but there's a lovely looking Saracen Backtrax on ebay right now for £45 BIN in Cheshire - again, a brand to look out for as their low/mid stuff from late 90 / early 2000 was decent.
If I was nearer I’d buy it for £45 out of principle lol
Saracen Backtrax Mountain Bike | eBay
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Specialized would be my choice, I've got one in my collection.
Also 2nd the Univega comments, I had one and it was a fine bike - very underated
Also 2nd the Univega comments, I had one and it was a fine bike - very underated
eric_james
Senior Retro Guru
Saracen Backtrax Mountain Bike | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Saracen Backtrax Mountain Bike at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.www.ebay.co.uk
That ended just little while ago, bargain
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