UKC

Any thoughts if this is possible or likely to just buy myself some trouble?

I don't ride off road too often but when out with mates who all ride decent bikes I'm struggling on my hard tail with the back end bouncing around on downhills.

I don't ride any serious stuff....mates do but I'm a roadie at heart. For example, they are off to Morzine next week and I'm on a tour to Norfolk!

However, even on local trails some of the downhills are problematic to me, hence my idea about a full suss bike but I don't want to spend big money!

I'm 5'11 and ride a 56 road frame....if anyone has anything on offer?

In reply to abr1966:

I'd say that for that price you're not likely to buy a good full sus bike and I'd consider alternatives to the problem.

First, what tyres are you running? can you drop your pressures/ run larger/ go tubeless to run large and low pressure? These could be worth investigation if you have good frame tyre clearance or maybe already have tubeless ready rims/tyres. I don't run tubeless as I see them as a bit of a faff and unnecessary for me as I already have a full sus with bigish tyres but in your situation I'd consider it.
Alternatively, if your finishing kit on your current bike is tidy and you're handy with a spanner you could try to find a second hand full sus frame and transfer all your current kit over to it. Obviously you'd need to be careful to find a frame that would match with everything you have including fork travel/wheel size/dropout type and width/BB shell type etc.

In reply to abr1966:

Item number 192206205339 on that auction site?

In reply to abr1966:

Yes I think it's possible - though of course you're not going to get anything decent that's new-ish for that price so there's a bit more risk involved.
There are lots of people upgrading perfectly decent 'looked after' older mtbs (particularly 26'ers)
I actually have a 9 year old Orange Five Pro that would be your size and that I've been considering selling for £4-500...
My main mtb focus has headed in a bikepacking direction and the Orange isn't ideal for that (it was actually fine for a recent 3 day 120 mile Lakes trip this yea but I 'need' a bikepacking bike!). It's a classic All mountain / trail centre bike though which has had money spent on it over the years but also shows some expected wear and tear.
Ideally you'd check it out any second hand bike of that vintage before buying of course (I'm Lancaster-based). If not that one there will be others that fall into that category I'm sure.

Cheers
Mark

In reply to abr1966:

Im looking for a decent second hand bike for my son, he's a size small/medium, sorry for the hijack North wales based
I have seen a few canyon nerves on fleabay for around £500 a bit more than you were expecting to pay.

In reply to abr1966:

At that price and second hand it will be a lottery - if you buy a duffer (e.g forks, rear shock or bearings gone or need servicing), then you could be straight in for spending £££.

But, a mountain bike (if you do a fair bit, especially in gritty areas like the Peak in winter), is just a case of constantly throwing money at it anyway, so expect to have to spend dosh once you get one.

If you have experienced MTB matres, best bet it to wait for one of them to upgrade... or get them to find one locally on Ebay and get them to check it out for you.

At 5.11, you are probably a typical MTB L frame, but some M might be OK.

In reply to ChrisJD:


Depends on the components, if you go light, then yes. I'm still on the same Deore LX groupset I put on in 2003, I've changed the chain a few times and the chain rings and cassette once. I spent my teens wrecking lightweight kit and replacing it, so put more robust stuff on so I have a bike I don't need to spend time on.

In reply to ChrisJD:
"At 5.11, you are probably a typical MTB L frame, but some M might be OK."
I'd consider a medium, at 6' my large specialized feels a bit big and awkward to throw around, although it is obviously more stable at speed because of this. Annoyingly, when I bought it I tried both the M and L and feel I picked the wrong one.

In reply to jonnie3430:


How the hell do you manage that? I ride about once or twice a week (all weathers) and care for my kit but get through Deore kit in about 2 years and a chain in 6 months. Grit definitely eats components.

In reply to Monk:

Dunno, it doesn't get cleaned, the chain gets oil before a ride, but that's it.

In reply to abr1966:
I've just noticed that you are pretty local to me. I ride everywhere round here on a hardtail without any major problems although people on full sussers can (but don't always) go faster than me. I'd be worried about getting a full susser on your budget, unless from someone you trust. There are lots of things to tweak on a hardtail to make things easier though. Tyres, both size and brand can make a huge difference, as can pressures and suspension settings. As an example, i did a long ride around the goyt recently with lots of road, so i added a few psi to my tyres; it made a really noticable difference to handling on the descents (not in a good way). Also, is not an easy fix, especially when rising with more experienced people on better bikes (and the bike genuinely makes a big difference) but a couple of technique tweaks made a huge difference for me. A skills coaching day was very good value in my opinion.

In reply to abr1966:

Get decent tyres and tweak your riding style. My full sus Santa Cruz will bulldozer its way over most things and I love it but I can ride similar stuff on my hardtail. You might want to get a dropper post and sort out you riding position for going downhill.

In reply to Monk:

True about grit. Ride at Bike Park Wales in heavy rain and you're lucky to have any bike left at all at the end of it.

In reply to Siward:

That looks a pretty decent buy. Seems to have been well cared for from what little the pics show. My SC is no where near as old and paint and anodising looks trashed in comparison but it does lead a very hard life.

In reply to jonnie3430:

Do a winter worth riding in the Peak and it will be a different story.

In reply to Monk:
I get through a chain every 6-8 weeks.

My cassette has done pretty well for me - 5 months, about to renew.

In reply to abr1966:

I'd recommend sticking to what you have and upgrading components.

I'm of the mindset that you should always start mountain biking on a hardtail. I think it makes you a better rider in the long run as you have to pick your lines better, rather than just roll over everything.