Mountain Biking - Fix or replace?

I've been out of mountain biking for several years now and am looking to get back into it. I still have my old bike, however it is greatly in need of a tune up and some repairs. I got the bike used around 10 years ago (don’t remember the $) so I'm not exactly sure how old it is, but picking it up tonight I know it is really heavy. :irritated

Current bike:
~10 year old Scott frame
Marzocchi XC100 fork
Rocky Mountain handlebar
Shimano Mountain LX crank
Shimano Mountain LX front derailleur
Shimano Exage 300 LX rear derailleur
Scott SE Pederson rear caliper
Shimano ?? front caliper
Araya rims
Richey Z-Max front tire
Richey Mad-Max rear tire

Current bike problems:
Front suspension seals leak
Front shift lever index cam broke

Realistically, I can't see myself off road (single track) riding more than twice a month and on the road a few times a month. Also, I’m unsure of convincing the wife to spend over $500 on a new bike versus fixing the old one. So, I’ve been looking at the Specialized Hardrock Comp (yeah, I hear the groans) and a 2002 Specialized Uno (on sale) because the prices are right, but I wasn’t impressed by either one during test rides. I liked the Hardrock frame, both had the Judy TT fork which seemed sloppy, and some of the components (e.g., front derailleur) seemed cheap and ill fitted..

So, the questions are:
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Do I spend the $ to fix the Scott or buy a new bike? Bike shop quoted at least $80 labor + seal kit + replacement shifter + unknown broke/worn parts.
Suggestions for new (or used) bikes to look at in the $500 range? For that price range, I think I’d be happier with a hard tail.
Any idea what a respectable trade in value for the Scott is?
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Thanks for the help. :beer:

Doh...I should have added a third option of "neither" to the poll. :confused:

Is there a mod in the house? :D

I say, fix the old goat, she deserves a few more years of riding!

Well there are many options. First fixing te Scott is definately less expensive than a new bike. In the $500 range the Iron Horse Desperado is a great bike for the money.

That bike is still a great ride! I say fix it up!

I wouldn't however, try to rebuild that fork replace it. This may force the repair bill a little higher, but it'll be money well spent.

I suggest getting something like this: http://pricepoint.com/product1691.html
For $90 you get an up to date fork!

Granted, you can't use this specific one, because it's threadless, but you can do some searching and find a threaded fork. You could also find a good fork on Ebay as well!

That or spend even more money, get a new headset and stem. If you do a bit of homework, you could probably go this route and get a new fork, headset and stem for about $125 plus labor.

I don't know about your shifter problem. What was the repair costs for that alone?

If you trade your bike in "as-in" you won't get hardly anything for it. If you upgrade and then trade it in, you'll be lucky to get back what you spent on the upgrades.

L8R

Replace the front fork. If you have a 1' headtube Marzocchi still makes a 1' fork.

http://www.marzocchimtb.com/bombers02/exr.html

If you can't find a replacement fix it up. It should go for a while longer. (I think these are 200 american BTW)

I would repair it and go.

Ask yourself what you really WANT to do and pick that option. I think you'll be happy with the ride with either decision.

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
That bike is still a great ride! I say fix it up!

I don't know about your shifter problem. What was the repair costs for that alone?


A bike store simply said the shifter would need to be replaced, and didn't quote me a price for the repair. The quote I did receive was $45 labor for the tune up, and $35 labor for the seal replacement.

Get a new fork,a new headset, and a new stem. Have them installed and the shifter fixed. And head out to the trails more than twice a month...:D

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
That bike is still a great ride! I say fix it up!

I wouldn't however, try to rebuild that fork replace it. This may force the repair bill a little higher, but it'll be money well spent.

I suggest getting something like this: http://pricepoint.com/product1691.html
For $90 you get an up to date fork!
L8R

Hmmm..I honestly hadn't thought about replacing the entire fork. That is definitely something I'll look into.:thumbup:

Thanks!

Now that I look at it, polls aren't very popular on this forum.:confused:

Ooops, I never voted!

L8R

Hey man, would you rather have advice or a popular poll?? ;)

Both! :D