jtfowl01

I'm looking to pick up a decent bike to do some mountain biking this summer, nothing too technical (no big drops, but probably plenty of roots/rocks/etc.) and have been looking on my local craigslist to try to find a good value. This bike popped up on there and I wanted to get some expert advice about whether or not it would be worth the money. Here's the listing:

https://louisville.craigslist.org/bik/148226427.html.

A pic is attached. The bike is about 10 years old, but the guy selling it said that its too tall for him so he has ridden it very little and never offroad (judging by the stem he installed this seems likely). He has the original stem (which I would quickly reinstall) and the bike is probably a good fit for me, size-wise--I'm 6'4 and about 230. I'm concerned that it doesn't have front shocks...should I be? Do I even need them? I notice in the "post pics of your bike" threads that most of you have front shocks of some sort, but a few don't.

He said that he was offered and accepted $395, but the guy backed out, so he would extend that price to me. Its been posted for awhile, so I can probably get him to go a little lower than that, hopefully. New Super Grizzlies are almost $4k, but I'm not sure that's a good comparison since they seem to have become a different animal altogether (disc brakes, shocks, etc.) Anway, is this bike a good value? I was initially excited about it but then realized that my LBS's nearby have a number of entrly-level bikes for about $350, so now I'm not so sure. What do you guys think? If I go look at it, what should I look out for? Since its 10 years old, will the components be much different than modern ones? Like I said, I know a little about road bikes and almost nothing about MTB, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

mcoine

That bike is probably almost 20 years old. Its in nice shape but I would say its not worth more than $150 and that would be stretching it.

ScareyH22A

Save up a little bit and buy something newer that most would acknowledge as reputable entry level mountain bike. If you can't find anything on your local craigslist, just go to your LBS and get a new bike like a Specialized Hardrock or a Trek 4500 or something. There's a lot of good brands available so I'm sure you'll find at least one LBS that carries something you may like.

Fivetenfrank

I agree with this. For $500 or $600 you can get yourself a nice entry level MTB with Deore components and lower end suspension fork.

Chone

Hmm, that looks like a road bike to me with MTB tires, anyways at 400$ you have plenty of options for new entry level MTBs or some nice used ones, for example Specialized´s Hardrock Sport is 380$, Trek has the 3900 at that price which is also nice.

nodnerb

I agree with everyone else here. But no matter what you do, don't spend $400 on that bike. That isn't a mountain bike and it is not worth even close to $400. You'd be soooooo much better off going to your shop and buying new for so many reasons.

mcoine

No, this is a mountain bike, thats what they looked like in 1988.

nodnerb

I hear ya. Look at the calendar though. It is 2006. Theres been a 'slight' change in the past 18 years.

mcoine

But it was (and is) a mountain bike, some people were suggesting it was a road bike, which it is not. Its got a u-brake on the back!

pinkrobe

Mid 80's for sure. Don't do it! I had a Bianchi Axis CX from that era that looked just like that, except for the wheels. Sketchy. You should be able to find a decent used Rockhopper for $400 bucks that's only a few years old.

cyccommute 

It'd go downhill real nice. But then 1980's mountain bikes climb like pigs so you never really get a chance to see how well they descend .

I agree with everyone else, $400 is way over the top. I don't know that I'd pay $400 for a used Rockhopper that's over 2 years old. Mountain bikes just don't hold their value that well unless they are something really special.

Look at new. $400 to $800 will buy a fairly nice bike.