Mountain Biking - Trek 830

Sorry if something on this bike has already been posted, but I couldn't find it and couldn't find much about this bike on Google.

I am currently in the market for an entry level mountain bike, and came across this one. The seller says it is a Trek 830 RST and is asking $140. I have two questions.

1. Is this a fair price for this bike assuming it is in good condition?
2. Is this bike a good entry level mountain bike?

http://images.craigslist.org/3k23pc3la5Tb5Pd5Rba3881dee0f9a86913ca.jpg

sounds good to me i believe these entry level bikes were in the 3-400 dollar range new.good set up to give mountian biking a try see if you like it then invest in something with a few more features and components. i know youll love it

I'd pay no more than $75 for that bike. Heck man...the drivetrain could be completely shot. It's old technology. $75 is pushing it.

BTW...RST is the brand name of the suspension fork on the "Trek 830". (Rapid Suspension Technology)

Is that what RST stands for...

$75 might be generous. Try looking through the various 830 models here for an idea of what it is http://bikepedia.com/Search.aspx?Q=trek+830

I'd pay no more than $75 for that bike. Heck man...the drivetrain could be completely shot. It's old technology. $75 is pushing it.

Assuming the drivetrain is still in good condition (that is something I still have to check if I go see it) would something closer to $100 or $120 be more fair? There is a pretty decent market for used bikes around here, so they generally sell for more than $200.


BTW...RST is the brand name of the suspension fork on the "Trek 830". (Rapid Suspension Technology)

I thought that might be the case, but I couldn't find much about it online. Thanks for the clarification.

Assuming the drivetrain is still in good condition (that is something I still have to check if I go see it) would something closer to $100 or $120 be more fair?

Assuming the drivetrain is still in good condition...something closer to $75 "could be fair".

Is that what RST stands for

I was gonna make something up, but I gotta respect the old man.

You are not going to get anything sensible -unless you are lucky- for much less than the asking price of this bike. The forks are not that good but they do go up and down (I hope) There will be some wear all over the bike but some wear is to be expected.

Go prepared- "Not really what you are looking for"- spin wheels and watch for any out of true and point out- Chain will have wear unless it is new- crank rings will have some wear and point it out.

See how cheap you can get it but if it is rubbish leave alone.

My second bike was a Trek 800 rigid 18 speed with the gears too high for offroad. But in the next two years it taught me how to ride and it got me fit. The first bike was rubbish.

You are not going to get anything sensible -unless you are lucky- for much less than the asking price of this bike. The forks are not that good but they do go up and down (I hope) There will be some wear all over the bike but some wear is to be expected.

Go prepared- "Not really what you are looking for"- spin wheels and watch for any out of true and point out- Chain will have wear unless it is new- crank rings will have some wear and point it out.

See how cheap you can get it but if it is rubbish leave alone.

My second bike was a Trek 800 rigid 18 speed with the gears too high for offroad. But in the next two years it taught me how to ride and it got me fit. The first bike was rubbish.

Thanks for the advice. My plan was to throw my chain wear indicator in my pocket to check and make sure it hasn't been run with a really worn chain. I know pretty much what to look for in wear on the components from when I bought my road bike a while ago, but I figure I may as well check it to be sure I don't miss something.

When you say gears too high for off road, what range did it have? I know I need lower gears on a mountain bike, but right now I run 53/39 chainrings and a 12-23 cassette on my road bike and don't have problems with most hills, and I live where it is pretty hilly. How low do I need on a mountain bike if I have the granny gear up front?

You are going to take a chain-wear indicator along to scrutinize an old, $75 bike?

:lol:

When you say gears too high for off road, what range did it have? I know I need lower gears on a mountain bike, but right now I run 53/39 chainrings and a 12-23 cassette on my road bike and don't have problems with most hills, and I live where it is pretty hilly. How low do I need on a mountain bike if I have the granny gear up front?

The road riding hills have little to do with the mountain biking hills where I am. I run a 53/39 and 12/27 (12/25 when I'm fitter which I'm not right now), but in the same area the trails I use 44/32/22 & 11-34 setups. Our trails are quite a bit steeper...

Thanks for the advice. After going to look at it, the frame and drive train are in good condition. The cables and chain needed replacing, and it looked like the seller put his old saddle and pedals on it before selling, but aside from that it was in good condition, so I pulled the trigger on it and am glad I did. I got the work done on it that it needed so it came out to a great deal around here. It should give me a chance to see if I really like mountain biking without a huge investment. I figure that if I decide I don't want it after a while, I can flip it for at least what I paid for it, but I imagine that if I decide I don't like single track riding, I will use it as a rainy day commuter bike.

Don't know about the 830, but my 820 came with a freewheel. I broke 2 axels before upgrading to a freehub.

You are going to take a chain-wear indicator along to scrutinize an old, $75 bike?

:lol:

I would- Badly worn chain will point to worn cassette and chainrings. New set of those would double the cost of the bike.