Joesanerd

Hey new to the forum... been lurking and researching on here for a bit now but first time posting. Basically looking for some advice on which bike to get, decided to get into recreational mountain biking after debating between that or a hybrid... looking to do on and off road, probably some light trails. My options are this...

1. Get a new Trek 4500 for $530 at the LBS... test rode it, its pretty sweet I like how the fork can be locked. (At this price it just seems like the best 'new' option to go with)

2. I've been looking on Craigslist for possibly something used and found a couple of interesting bikes in my size, but because of how old they are I don't have the experience to tell if it's worth it...

1999 Cannondale F400
Looking for around $350


1997 Cannondale F500
Looking for around $300


Any other advice or suggestions would be much helped!
Looking forward to getting further involved with the forum!

Thanks!

Joe

mystolenbikes

Spend the extra $200 and get the new bike instead of spending $300 for a 12 year old bike.