Looking to get back in the game...

[DenverCruiser]

I used to race mountain bikes in high school and college and rode a lot in my 20's. Always loved and still have my 97' S-Works but am thinking, as I approach 40, I should look at full suspension. The question is, is there anything of quality under a couple thousand dollars? I bought my S-Works which was close to the best you could buy for $1,200. Now it looks like there is nothing decent under $5,000.

 

[gilamonster]

Just look at used bikes. So, many people buy new bikes every year and ditch them in the fall for the new stuff. And they usually have fewer miles on them then you'd think. For $1500-$2500 you should be able to find a pretty decent bike that will last you many years. Craigslist and pinkbike are good places to look.

 

[DenverCruiser]

Thanks, I had not heard of pinkbike before
!

 

[swelltimes]

Thanks, I had not heard of pinkbike before
!

What size frame are you looking for? I've got a size medium Specialized Camber I'm selling, can send pics and info if you'd like.

 

[bcart1991]

Also check out Online Swap Meet on FB. Tons of used bikes in your price range.

I'm somewhat local (Paulding Co.), hit me up if you want to check out some trails. LOTS around Atlanta to explore.

 

[Roosevelt T]

I used to race mountain bikes in high school and college and rode a lot in my 20's. Always loved and still have my 97' S-Works but am thinking, as I approach 40, I should look at full suspension. The question is, is there anything of quality under a couple thousand dollars? I bought my S-Works which was close to the best you could buy for $1,200. Now it looks like there is nothing decent under $5,000.

I just went through this search. I rode a lot through my teens, and then rode for a couple years in college. With my camping more and looking to find another avenue to be active outside, I decided to get back into riding again. My goal was to spend 1600 - 2200. Here is what I found. YMMV.

- Anything below ~1800 is going to be a 26 or an early generation 29 (talking tire size). 26 is legitimately becoming obsolete... I wouldnt cross one off the list, but I would be very aware. The early 29ers had geometry that didnt seem to work that great, and thats a reason they got a bad rap in their early days.

- In the 1800 - 2300ish dollar range, you will find 14/15 MY bikes that are 27.5s (again, tire size) but in general are older geometry bikes that are almost exclusively SRAM GX (with some cheaper parts here or there) factory spec'd bikes, and arent as well taken care of. There is nothing wrong with SRAM GX, but if you pull up some bike manufacturers you will see what I mean. A full GX build is how they spec their 2nd from the bottom build in a line of 4-5 builds for any frame. Furthermore bikes in this price range are usually being sold by someone who either didnt really upkeep the bike very well (you wont hear about all the maintenance they did) or its someone who does upkeep their bike, but wants to sell their old frame so they took all their parts they had lying around they didnt care want and threw them on the bike to sell.

- 2500, and really 2700ish is where you really start finding things worth buying if you dont want to budge on wheel size, modern geometry, upkeep or components. In this range you can find a lot more MY 16+ bikes that has an owner that was religious about bearing and shock/fork maintenance and often has upgraded components. These bikes often have 'newer' geometry, which really means more head tube angle (slacker), less seat tube angle, longer reach and top tube, and longer wheelbase.

I spent close to 3k. More than I initially wanted to, but it was worth it. I got a bike with a great fork/shock combo and all the components are nice. Also, the PO kept up with all the maintenance. I research a lot and I just couldnt find any value on the lower end of the price spectrum.

Hope that helps a little. Sorry I was so long winded.

 

[coleAK]

Yes I agree bikes have gotten stupid expensive. But everything has and high end bikes always have been$$$$. I owned a ski and bike shop 1993-2000. I have the original book from my 1999 s-works cross country duel suspension it was $3200 MSRP. Santacruise heckler frames were $1500 in the late 90s with a rock shock Judy. Not to mention Ti and carbon bikes were $5k+ And you could spend $7-8k on a top end road bike in 2000.

Another vote for pinkbike. But I’ve bought my last 2 bikes as shop demos end of the season for about 30% off MSRP.

 

[gregnash]

@DenverCruiser Definitely get the newest bike you can afford as in the last couple of years the technologies have changed pretty drastically so something that is even 4yrs old will be a bit outdated.

Lots of companies are starting to do buyer direct sales models (e.g. Diamondback, Canyon, Intense, Fezzari, YT, etc.) and this is driving a lot of prices down. If you live in an area that has a decent amount of shops that have rental or demo fleets, right now is prime picking for those locations as most will be getting rid of their fleets to prep for the new year.

Aside from that, you can get a pretty decent FS bike from most companies now for between $2200 and $2800. All depends on where you are willing to make your compromises. Hottest seller that I know of right now is the YT Jeffsy A1 model (base level aluminum) that you can get for around $2500 with a pretty good kit (12spd, good brakes, good hoops, etc.). Aside from that there is just LOTS out there and you really can't go wrong with any bike these days.

One thing to note since it has been so long since you have ridden is that the GEOs have changed. Main thing for Trail/AM/Enduro type bikes (longer travel fs) is Long, Low and Slack. This means that the wheelbase will be quite a bit longer than you were used to, BB will be low (like 13ish") and the fork will be really slacked out. The last is where you are going to see the major difference as you were probably used to a 70*-72* head tube angle where most trail bikes are anywhere from 67* to 64* these days, and that is normal.

Definitely go out and demo some bikes again as things have changed pretty drastically since you last rode.

 

[LINUS]

Another vote for pinkbike.

Esp right now while alot of people are both sitting on bikes for the Winter & money for alot of other people gets tight in the holidays, this is a great time to make a deal.

I’ve both bought & sold there, the history you can see on sellers is a great feature IMO, plus once you know your frame size you can find a bike with darn near the other peripheral stuff you want, depending if you like Sram or Shimano, Fox or Rock Shox.