Is this a good starter bike?
 

Hi,

Being new to mountain biking, I hope you guys don't mind me putting a couple of bikes out here to get some feedback.

I found this one on craigslist:

http://lincoln.craigslist.org/bik/3607537525.html

The guy is looking for $600 and I just wondered if that was a fair deal or not? (apologies if you aren't supposed to link to ads on here). I researched the bike a little bit and it seemed to retail quite a bit higher from that. The size seems like a decent fit and mostly I will be riding to work and hitting a few trails around town.

Any feedback much appreciated.

Cheers!

I am a Scott Homie and the bike looks good to me. For that gruppo and pedals I would offer $400 and be ready to come up some. $600 seems a tad steep. That would be a good bike though. I would ride that Scott anywhere.

Thanks! Anybody else with a bit of feedback/advice? Hopefully picking this up tomorrow. Looks like for $575.

Cheers!

Go for it. Solid choice.

Good deal, go for it.

Thanks guys. I picked it up over the weekend. Quick question. It came with the stock tyres, which whilst pretty solid for trails, are not going to fare too well on my ride to work in the morning. Can anybody recommend tyres that will do the job for commuting whilst allowing me to hit a light trail on the way home? I'll put the heavier ones on for the weekend :)

Cheers.

Maxxis Larsen TT may be worth a look.

Thanks. Bit of a daft question. The Scott Scale Team bike I got has some sort of quick release for the wheels. If I buy a set of these tyres, can I just replace my existing wheel set with these ones? Or is there something else I need to buy in addition to the tyres?

Thanks again.

You're only buying tires, not wheels, so you'd replace the tires on your existing wheels. You need a pump. I'd also recommend tire levers to help get the tires off, but you may be able to do without them.