Want to purcahse a Mountain Bike: Advice Needed

Want to purchase a Mountain Bike: Advice Needed

From reading previous threads I noticed there are quite a few cyclists in the forums and I was hoping to get some advice on purchasing a mountain bike. I would like to buy this bike primarily to get back into shape and to also be able to ride with my kids on green way paths and easy to mid-difficulty trails. During my college years in the early 90's I used to ride a rigid GT Tequesta extensively but it is beat to hell and not worth fixing up or upgrading in my opinion. How much has the technology changed over the years in regards to bike frames, suspension, and components? The reason I ask is because I am trying to decide whether to purchase an older "high end" mountain bike or a brand new "entry level" mountain bike. My budget is somewhere in the $300 to $500 range and I really don't care whether the bike has disc brakes or not since I won't be riding in wet/muddy conditions. I found an older Trek 8000 from around 2002 or 2003 that is in excellent shape for around $400 and I'm trying to decide whether or not to consider it or just buy a brand new entry level bike like a Trek 820 or Trek 3700. I know it is now a 10+ year old bike but when it was new it was considered to be a higher end bike with premium components and sold for around $1100. I've provided the bike specs below and was hoping someone could provide some insight on how it's components compare to the components on newer entry level bikes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Frame & Fork
Frame Construction TIG-welded
Frame Tubing Material Alpha SL aluminum
Fork Brand & Model Rock Shox Judy Race, 2.5"-4.0" adjustable travel
Fork Material Aluminum/magnesium, triple-clamp crown
Rear Shock Not applicable

Components
Component Group Mountain Mix
Brakeset Avid 1D-20 brakes, Shimano Deore LX levers
Shift Levers Shimano Deore LX RapidFire SL
Front Derailleur Shimano Deore LX
Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore XT SGS
Crankset ICON Graphite, 22/32/44 teeth
Pedals Bontrager Re-Entry
Bottom Bracket Unspecified
BB Shell Width Unspecified
Rear Cogs 9-speed, 11 - 32 teeth
Chain 1/2 x 3/32"
Seatpost ICON Onyx
Saddle Bontrager FS 2000
Handlebar ICON Onyx
Handlebar Extensions Not included
Handlebar Stem ICON Onyx
Headset Aheadset SAS

Wheels
Hubs Rolf Satellite
Rims Front: Rolf Satellite, Rear: Rolf Satellite Assymetric, 24-hole/28-hole
Tires Front: 26 x 2.125" Bontrager Jones AC, Rear: 26 x 2.00" Bontrager Jones AC
Spoke Brand DT stainless steel, 2.0mm double-butted




Thanks,
Rollin

 

Hi RA, things have most certainly moved on in the MTB world and the technological developments in the scene outpace the motorcycle world! Sounds like you would be well served with either a hardtail aluminium MTB or a hybrid style bike. There are now two wheel standards - 650B and 29", with the 29" being bigger.

The quality of the fork is the best indicator of the quality of a MTB. Personally I would go for a 29" wheeled hardtail with air sprung forks and rebound damping adjustment, eg. Rockshox Recon or Reba. You will find it hard to locate a new bike of this quality for $500 new though.

Second hand MTBs are a bit of a minefield, especially if you're starting out. Nothing discourages new riders more than a crappy bike. If you have a friend who is a bicycle nerd then they will be worth their weight in gold!

Otherwise feel free to ask me questions on the forum. I have done my share of amateur MTB enduro racing as well as the odd sportive-style road event.

 

RA I've had a closer look at the details of the Trek 8000 you're interested in. It was a great bike for its era and its frame is probably the best bit, but I wouldn't pay $300 for it - maybe $150, $200 max if it was well looked after and pristine. Most important thing is sizing - how tall are you?

Think of a 2002 Trek 8000 as a Suzuki GS750. Not a bad thing when new, but not so hot now.

For $500 you are in Specialized Hardrock or Trek 3-series territory. They would be the MTB equivalent of a KLR250 - heavy, slow, but gets the job done and a good rider would be fine with it

 

I have had four MTB in my time. First was a Sears special that I got good mileage out of. Second was a Rockey Mountain Edge which was one of the first full suspension bikes on the market with AMP research suspension. The frame was chromolly but still on the heavy side. I wore out the bearings in the head stay on that one. SO got rid of that one and bought a Specialized Enduro. This was a nice bike all around. I did a little off road but the bikes were mostly for commuting to and from work. Back then, commuting on a bicycle was realistic as I was only a half dozen or so miles away. That one was stolen...another whole heated story...so I replaced it with another Specialized Enduro, just a couple model years newer. That one was used for commuting for about a year before I retired and re-entered the work force in employment that was too far to pedal. Thus the VFR. My first and only.

A couple things to consider. Everyone has their own budgets for this type of thing and I can't advise you on that. But as an example, my rocky Mountain purchased back in something like 1991 or 92, cost about 25% more than the first Specialized that I bought somewhere around 2000. The Specialized is a superior bike to the Rocky, in that advancements came and the cost of these advancements dropped dramatically. Who knows, maybe a brand new Rocky in 2000 may have been similar in cost.

Other things to consider is your weight. Where you are going to ride. And the terrain. If you plan on doing any rough downhill, be careful what you get in the frame. My Specialized is Aluminum, but I don't think it will stand up to hard downhill riding on rough trails.

As we age, I have noticed that I appreciate the rear suspension far more than I did years ago. When I bought the first soft tail, it was pretty much just because I wanted it. Now with my age adding to the back issues I have, the rear suspension does take a bit of the jar out of the bumps.

My advise. If you can at all afford it, buy new. Like was mentioned here by azi, technology has advanced far in the last few years and better gear has become far cheaper than a few years ago.

 

I say go with the best used one you can find. Chances are if you are patient you can find one somebody bought and then never used it much. I say if you never ride the newer technology you will never know the difference. I have thought of getting back on a mtn bike for similar reasons. I use to own a 1994 gt rts 2 with some upgrades on it and just loved that bike. I have looked into the newer stuff and some of it looks really good. But also very expensive. So i am always checking craigslist for another gt rts and i feel i would be just as happy to find a really clean older bike. I may even be able to find the rts 1 that was above my 2 for a very reasonable price. Good luck either way you decide to go. Mtn biking can be a whole lot of fun. And tires are very cheap compared to a motorcycle.

 

Thanks for all the very useful advice guys. As I said before the purpose of getting the bike is to get back into shape with hopes of losing 15-20 lbs. I used to jog close to 20 miles a week but since developing lower back pain in the past 2 years I've had to give up hard impact activities like running and this has resulted in me putting on significant weight. I am 5' 10" and would like to get back down to 190 lbs. The majority of my riding will be on street and paved bike paths so I don't need anything built for speed, jumping, or downhilling. I would like to be able to occasionally ride some fun and challenging trails but this will be pretty rare occurrence. I just want a quality bike that isn't going to start falling apart on me within a year. I've decided to pass on the older Trek 8000 and will keep my eyes open for a newer used bike with the hopes of finding a nice gently used bike that has been collecting dust in someone's garage. I'm open to all brands and would welcome any suggestions on makes/models that you would recommend.

Rollin

 

If you're not going to race right now, that bike looks good. Like you say, it has higher end components and will do you just fine if it fits you okay.

My thought is buy it and ride it. You may find that you've totally lost real interest in mountain bike riding and then you've save yourself some dough. If you decide that you want to get back into it in a big way, you can sell this one and recoup some of your cost, and put that money towards a high end bike. IMO buying new before you're really sure you want to get semi-serious doesn't make good dollars and sense.

You may find that this Trek will do exactly what you want it to do and you'll be so thrilled with it that you'll ride the wheels off it, or you'll be lukewarm about it and it will be gathering dust in the garage for the next 5 years.

Shoot, I'm still riding an old Bianchi Grizzly from the early '90s and it does what I want it to do: just casual trail riding.

IMO finding a good/decent mountain bike for less than $400 won't happen around here. You can find lots of "mountain bikes" but they are mostly low end and low-low end. Shimano Deore LS/XT shifters were excellent shifters, and still are with a bit of maintenance.

 

My old GT mountain bike was completely rigid so I'm completely ignorant on bike suspension technology. Do bike forks deteriorate over time even when they are not being used? If so what needs to be done to them to bring them back to top shape? Also is having "lockout" front suspension worth having? I've read that without it some of your pedaling energy is lost due to absorption by the suspension but is it significant enough to worry about?

Rollin

 

If its an oil fork i would think just drain the oil and clean up the internals some put some new oil in it maybe seals and you are good to go. I dont even know if they still make the elastomer forks. I use to have a manitou fork that had elastomers and new ones were so cheap i had several sets with different densitys to tune it for different types of riding. So i wouldnt worry much about it. Same for the lost energy of a full suspension bike. If you were racing it could be an issue but for the type of riding you are planning on i wouldnt worry about it. In fact you may enjoy a full suspension more and it may encourage you to ride more. I would at least get front suspension though if you intend to ride any kind of trails. Makes it a lot easier to focus on where you are going.

 

At 5' 10" You would be in between sizes - anywhere from a 17" to 19" MTB. The traditional Trek 17.5-18.5" MTB frame sizing would probably suit you.

 

Yes they do. Fork seals on my mountain bike blow out every 6-12 months with regular weekly trail riding.

For general recreational bike path riding a rigid fork is probably better than a cheap and/or worn out fork, so if you find an older second hand rigid MTB at the right price and right size then give it a try. Fatter tyres can increase the ride comfort.

(Just my personal opinion though - the other helpful comments here are just as valid)

 

I strongly recommend you try to find that full suspension bike if you plan to wander off the paved roads considering you have back issues. Especially if they are disc issues. I can tel you from experience, a hard tail is hard on the back in such instances. You are not going to get a plush ride from full suspension but the rear shock does take just enough of the shock from a bump away, that makes it so you are inclined to remain riding rather than giving it up. You and I are about the same height. Back when I rode, I was typically in the 180 - 190 pound range. Now to to compound interest, I am considerably more than that. I need to dust off my bike too.