Originally Posted by
hanktrefethen
I currently own an old MTB but not old enough so I've found. Having a hard time deciding whether or not to go that route. Plenty of people in my area getting rid of old MTB's but the prices being asked makes wonder if I shouldn't just get a new frame. Trying to figure out if I want to salvage my falling apart MTB
or purchase another potentially falling apart bike. Another thought I've had is polishing up my current MTB listing on CL and use the proceeds toward a newer bike or an '80's build up. I suppose the next logical step is to crunch numbers. Only caveat there is quantifying potentially failing components. So I often ask myself, "If they will fail in the next year then should I just save up for a new bike?"
Your MTB isn`t old enough? If you`re considering going the MTB route, try it on the bike you`ve already got. As long as your current bike doesn`t have rear suspension or disc brakes, a rear rack that fits it should fit any future non suspension MTB or "touring" bike you might buy- just move it to the new bike. Or keep riding the one you have. If you have suspension forks, it`ll cost a bit more for a front rack than for a rigid fork, but the suspension fork racks will also work just fine on rigid forks. Even if the geometery isn`t "ideal" on your MTB, it won`t be terrible. If you do have disc brakes rack apparently selection gets a bit pickier and rear suspension probably isn`t worth messing with (unless you REALLY want to go that way). Aside from racks, and maybe a pair of cheap barend grips or a $25 butterfly bar, what else could you want to tourize a mountain bike?
About buying a used bike or selling your old one on CL, keep in mind that you`re looking at asking prices. That doesn`t mean people are actually getting the money they`re asking. I see a lot of bikes lately on my local CL that seem very overpriced and I kind of doubt they`re selling. If you go to sell yours, just remember that it might not get what the other guy is asking for his bike of the same model- he probably won`t get that much for his either.
About wheel size, I read the other thread linked above and came to the conclusion that I`d need to be a physics major to see any real benefit to either of the two common sizes as long as I plan to ride in the US.