Mountain Biking - New bike help - Cinder Cone?

Seems like I've found an '08 Kona Cinder Cone that's been lightly used locally. I offered $360 and he took it. Two things... Is that a good price for a used Cinder Cone? And is the Cinder Cone a good bike? I haven't actually rode the bike yet but comparing against the geometries from the bikes I have rode it seems like the bike will fit fine. Here's the bikepedia link if it helps. It's mainly going to be used for firetrail & singletrack riding. I'm 5'9" 165lb so weight isn't too much of an issue since I could lose 10 lbs myself. :)

http://bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?ItemID=13237&Type=bike

Just second guessing myself before actually buying. :lol: Thanks for any help in advance!

That's a decent bike.

If it is indeed 'lightly used', then I would say it is a OK deal.

The weak point, and what may be first to consider upgrading is the fork- low end entry level Dart 3.

I'm coming from a cromoly rigid mongoose from 15 years ago. So as long as the fork doesn't spring me into the atmosphere I'll probably be okay riding it to death and upgrading that when I break it hopefully. Dart's aren't so bad that they're just pogo sticks are they?

^depends on how fast you plan to take that bumpy, off-camber corner.

If you chose to do so, the above bike is indeed worthy of a fork upgrade sometime down the road.

Check that the bike is indeed lightly used.
Any minor problems, be they cosmetic or mechanical, should act as a bargaining point for you to work against that $360. You need to test ride it to ensure the fit is right also.

I ride an 05 cinder cone. I believe the frame and specs changed a bit between 2005 an 2008, but my bike is still going strong on mostly original hardware. I've been happy with it. As others have said, if the "lightly used" claim pans out and it fits, go for it.

Though, just a question about the Dart 3 fork, should I be looking for something like a Tora fork or whatever else that might be similar in this price range of used bikes? In general though it seems the Tora or equiv level of forks were only found on $1200+ bikes? Well short of the '06 Spec Rockhopper comp but I think being that specific might be hard to find used. :)

You've made a solid purchase. Don't worry about the fork for now . . . just ride it until you've gained enough experience on it to become dissatisfied with how it performs.

That bike, only a year old, is a solid buy for $360 USD. That was the first year with the lighter frame. The '07 was way over-built. The '08 dropped more than a full pound off the frame. Make sure the rebound and lockout work on the fork and then ride it until you need to replace it.

Turned out the lockout isn't fully there (but dampens fine) and the brakes probably need a bleeding/tuning along with the chain has some light surface rust. I was able to knock another $60 off the price. The rest of the bike seems great though, a quick tune of the shifters yeilded good results. Now just need to figure out the slightly weak and dragging brakes. Letting the lube stay on the chain overnight to see how much of that surface rust it can penetrate through.