Mountain bike wanted

[gg]

I am interested in buying a second hand mountain bike. I want to get something decent but I'm not willing to spend a fortune on a brand new one. Do any nopers have an old (but still good condition)one sitting around?
If so let me know

(Preferably within easy reach of Warwickshire or Surrey)

[stodge]

You could look at buying a new bike with a half decent frame but lower standard 'consumables' eg brakes, mech, wheels etc. With a second hand bike these will need replacing earlier than a new bike so depends how cash flow is going.

Decathlon do some really good Moutain Bikes if you are not a label man....

Else the Giant XTC range is very good value.

Sept/Oct is the best time to buy as that is when the new models tend to come out.

What is your budget.....

[Kitch]

It is absolutely worth investing in a decent (light) frame that is the right size for you. Pushing a heavy awkward hulk around is no fun and you end up not making best use - so its a waste of money. Get down to a shop for some measurement / advice - you don't have to buy.

Next go for good deraileurs, unreliable gear changing is a real pisser. You can always re-place these if necessary

[Harley]

Ask yourself what you are going to use it for?

If you're not going to ride anything technical then you'll want a hardtail at most, and you may even consider a wholly rigid frame. You can get a lot of bike for your money if you ditch the suspension and rely on some meaty tyres to soak up the bumps.

Don't be seduced by disc brakes unless they are on really good quality forks and mounted the right way around (many aren't) as there have been a lot of catastrophic failures in this area.

If you want one bike for lots of uses consider a cyclo-cross bike with a change of tyres, light weight and versatile, great on the road and great fun off it.

For a really cheap DIY project you could get an old touring bike with a smallish frame size (like a Dawes Galaxy) with lots of mudguard clearance, strip off all the extraneous bits and throw on some 37 or 44mm knobblys and flat bars and you'll be well away. I've got one in my stable but it's so much fun I cant bear to part with it.

[Adventure Racer]

Not sure all these replies are what gg was after, but if we're going to make recommendations, then I'd actually suggest that the best value can be had by getting a well looked after s/h bike. Since fashions change rapidly in mountain biking there are generally lots of good deals on s/h bikes out there that haven't been hammered and don't need everything replacing. Of course you should check carefully to make sure that the bike you buy isn't hammered as it is quite easy to wear stuff out if you ride off-road (I know of people destroying complete drive chains in 3 months).

Good places to look are either http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/list.php?f=5&menu=16 or http://bikemagic.com/classifieds/classifieds.asp?sp=&v=2

[Fratello de Pingu]

you can get new bikes relativley cheaply, as here http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?langId=-1&catalogId=10151&storeId=10001&categoryId=38308&parent_category_rn=38308&top_category=38308&crumb=33980-33957-47151&sortOrder=ascending&CarSelectorCatalogId=&CarSelectorGroupId=&brandFilter=&minimumPriceFilter=&maximumPriceFilter=80&sortResults=yes
But it all depends how much you are willing to spend

[Harley]

Hmmm .... 13 speed gears ? so how does that work FdeP? - only at Halfords!

[Fratello de Pingu]

no idea but if you go into the more info, it says 18 speed

[andrew T]

those halfords bikes look absolute muck. you would be far better off spending more money and getting a better bike that wont break easily. You can get a good mountain bike for probably around £350+.For that price you should get something that is well capabale of proper off road use and shpuldnt be tou heavy. I would avoid full suspension ones at this price and also disc brakes. especially cable ones they are generally a bit poo.

[Ed]

the focus bikes on wiggle.co.uk are pretty good value if you want a new one (decent frames and well thought-out components on 'em - I've got the Arriba for the daily commute and am well happy with it) - but being mail-order you can't try out to get the right frame size... unless you go to Germany where they're in all good bike shops (and since the 2007 models are out now then there's some bargains to be had on the 2006 ones)

edit to add: from experience I'd go for a decent new bike (not from Halfords, probably costing about £350+!) or a good s/h frame with new components (or new bottom bracket, drive train and maybe wheels on it) otherwise you end up spending your whole time replacing components as they wear out or just having a less than satisfying bike experience. its a bigger initial outlay, but better value for money. Unless you can find someone who's selling a nearly-new bike because they're upgrading...