Originally Posted by
Spld cyclist
So I did what I said I wasn't going to do. I looked at Craigslist. There was one pretty good possibility in the first 500 - 600 listings, which I'll look at on Saturday if it isn't sold by then.
The problem is that people are asking $300 +/- for entry level bike store bikes, which (after perusing the specs) likely aren't any better than the $320 Motobecane I linked to in my first post. Plus, they're used. Of course, people may take less than what they're asking up front, but I prefer not to bother unless the price starts at least somewhat close to what I'm willing to pay. They probably won't come down $100 from asking.
The other issue is that if these entry-level bikes often come with an 80 mm travel fork instead of 100 mm, which means I might end having to pay for a $100 Surly fork instead of the $50 Nashbar fork. Price advantage is rapidly disappearing.
If I was looking for a stock rigid fork MTB with canti or v-brakes, Craigslist would be the place to go every time. But it may not pan out in this case.
One thing for sure is that if I buy the Motobecane or any of the used bikes I saw on Craigslist (meaning the ones in my price range), some of the key components will be lower end than if I put together the Nashbar frame and fork with a combo of new and reused parts. Given that the price difference may not be all that much, the Nashbar route might be a better value.
The Surly 1x1 "80mm" fork is the same size as a very old-fashioned suspension fork from the 1990's when they were aftermarket upgrades on steel frames with canti brakes. I think that most midgrade aluminum sport or XC MTBs you might look at from the last 10-15 years are going to have the Suntour elastomer forks and they are mostly suitable for the longer Nashbar fork. My 2001 Hardrock certainly fits that description, anyhow, and so will just about anything from then or later.
Premium bikes tend not to sell as well on Craigslist and you might check Pinkbike. But also I may be spoiled in general to think you can find your bike used, since I live in bike heaven and our CL is the envy of the country.
Remember also that from BD, the price is the price, but on the used market, the price is what the seller hopes... especially if it's a racing MTB that's old enough to be obsolete but not old enough to be "C&V"