Lacch Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Hi all, 43 yr old buying my first mountain bike. need help! (I'm good on anything with a board, skateboard, snowboard, skimboard, etc, just new to bikes) At this point I'm just looking to pick up something used, cheap'ish (<$1000) that can hit the trails near my house (Austin TX, Walnut Creek) Anyone here willing to spend a some time on a phone call or emailing to help me narrow down options? There are lots of used bikes listed around me, I'm just not sure where to begin. Ideally, I'd like to start with a 'must have' list to help narrow down the options. This is what I have after a few days of research... -under $1000 -Hard Tail -Derailleur clutch -29 or 27.5 -L/XL frame (I'm 6foot) -1x drivetrain Is there a cutoff year that I should consider? like, if I find a 2001 bike on craigslist, any reason I shouldn't be considering bikes of that age? any suspension features to consider as a must have? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 you're not going to find many bikes with any of those features from 2001. 29ers were not common until a few years later. I'd not buy a bike that is more than ten years old for certain unless you have a taste for "vintage". tubeless tires and/or rims that play nice with with a tubeless setup is essential for me in central Texas. the rocks are sharp and everything has thorns on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 also, I have a really hard time digging through craigslist. I like Bike Farm but they totally spam CL with their bikes all day, every day. Facebook Marketplace is much, much better. if you don't have a Facebook account, it's worth setting one up just to search for used bikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacch Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 10 minutes ago, mack_turtle said: also, I have a really hard time digging through craigslist. I like Bike Farm but they totally spam CL with their bikes all day, every day. Facebook Marketplace is much, much better. if you don't have a Facebook account, it's worth setting one up just to search for used bikes. will do! thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Yeah, I second Bike Farm. If I were directing someone new to the sport I would point them there, cool people and they understand very complex things in our sport like budget, ability, and need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Since you want a hard tail, a steel Chumba may be the right bike for you. They go for about 1500 new and it's a really great bike for this area, local too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 (edited) A Chumba frame is around $1600. awesome bikes, but probably 5X the author's budget once the parts start adding up! Edited March 9, 2021 by mack_turtle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacch Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 (edited) Thanks for all of the feedback! I've been checking out craigslist and FB and have a found a few bikes worth checking out. There are 2 XL Giant Fathoms (1 and 2) listed for just around $1k. (a 27.5 and a 29er). I'm afraid XL is a bit large for me at 6ft, but I'm going to check them out. If you guys have any feedback on the Fathoms, I'd love to hear it. I'll also head into Bike Farm later today and talk to someone in person. One thing that is intimidating about bike farm is the number of brands they have listed online. Being a noob, I'm only familiar with the most popular brand names (Specialized, Giant, Trek, etc) What are some of the other reputable brands I should be considering? I want to make sure I don't fall for a knock-off. Edited March 9, 2021 by Lacch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Bike Farm is not going to sell you any knock-off junk. just stay clear of buying bikes from ebay, ali express, etc. if you're unsure about a brand, see if any reputable bike websites have published reviews of them in the past. if not, steer clear. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notyal Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 4 minutes ago, Lacch said: What are some of the other reputable brands I should be considering? I want to make sure I don't fall for a knock-off. That's a pretty loaded question. It's impossible to list all companies that make bikes and put each in a good or bad column. Even the big brands you mention make crappy low-end models. The good news is that people on here love spending other people's money. If it's on CL or FB, just post the link, and you'll get some opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacch Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 (edited) 6 minutes ago, notyal said: That's a pretty loaded question. It's impossible to list all companies that make bikes and put each in a good or bad column. Even the big brands you mention make crappy low-end models. The good news is that people on here love spending other people's money. If it's on CL or FB, just post the link, and you'll get some opinions. lol. thanks, will do. Here are the 2 Giants that I'm currently considering... https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/d/austin-extra-large-21-inch-2019-giant/7273088404.html https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/d/pflugerville-2019-giant-fathom-29er/7284393368.html Edited March 9, 2021 by Lacch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATXZJ Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Its a bad time to buy a MTB. If you could increase your budget to $1200-1700 the bikes get MUCH better, wont need as many upgrades, and you could buy new. Direct to consumer brands are offering some good options these days. https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/use/xc-trail https://www.fezzari.com/wasatch https://www.commencalusa.com/meta-ht-am-origin-sand-2021-c2x31920244 https://vitusbikes.com/collections/mountain-bikes-cross-country/products/vitus-rapide-29-mountain-bike Failing that: Bike farm is a good option for sure. https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/d/austin-2018-specialized-rockhopper-29er/7275209314.html 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 ATXZJ is spot on. That Fathom 29er looks good IMO for the price (at least for these current times). I'm not sure about the fork though. I was trying to figure out if it's one of the lower-end Suntours or not. Don't rush and get the wrong size bike. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheX Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 29 minutes ago, AntonioGG said: Don't rush and get the wrong size bike. The one thing that can't be fixed with upgrades. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112Greg Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 One thing about Giants is they tend to be a little bigger than the normal S. M, L or XL. I took a friend's Trance 2 out a couple of years ago and it was a small, it had all the dimensions of a medium. So be careful there. I don't think, generally, someone who is 6 feet tall should have an XL. Could be wrong there, so just be careful and throw a leg over whatever you buy if possible. My saying that Giants are a little bigger than other bikes is based on info from a couple years ago. That may not still be the case, but it most definitely was then. So if you're considering a used rig, just be aware. That may or may not be the case with new bikes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATXZJ Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Here you go https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/fathom-29-1-2019 Basically a 21" seat tube on the CL fathom and it also has a dropper. IMHO, you need a pretty long inseam to ride that bike, like minimum 35-36" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafeend Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 7 hours ago, TheX said: The one thing that can't be fixed with upgrades. Man is correct-- Dude if you are 43 you can afford to wait and make a wise decision that you wont soon regret, take your time and yea, Bike Farm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacch Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 (edited) Thanks again for everyone's feedback/advice, you guys have great community here! I tried out the XL Fathom 2 today... it was too big. I loved the features, but its was obvious that the bars were just out of reach. too bad, because otherwise it was a great bike. I also stopped by Bike Farm, Trek and ATX bikes today. A few things became pretty clear to me... - This is a horrible time to buy a bike... 😐 - @ATXZJ is right, I'd need to up the budget to 1200-1700 to get all of the features I want in a quality bike At this point I have 3 options that I'm considering... all new bikes and available at local stores today. (Availability is the biggest issue I'm dealing with) 1) Giant - Talon 2 ($650)- cheap, basic, but ticks some of the core features I'm looking for. might be a good choice to test the waters before I dive in too deep. I'd likely consider a dropper post as the first upgrade. Also, I don't think tubeless is an option with the stock wheels... 2) Marin - Pine Mountain 1 ($1450) - ticks most of my features, but I'd have to bump up my budget quite a bit. 3) Trek - Marlin 8 ($1200, I think?) - I'd have to preorder this as its not officially released yet. I think it fits what I'm after, but I've never seen one and would have to wait for it to get delivered to find out (expected delivery is end of May?) I did ride~10 different bikes today, so that's progress! Any thoughts on the bikes I listed above? Edited March 10, 2021 by Lacch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 13 hours ago, Lacch said: Thanks again for everyone's feedback/advice, you guys have great community here! I tried out the XL Fathom 2 today... it was too big. I loved the features, but its was obvious that the bars were just out of reach. too bad, because otherwise it was a great bike. I also stopped by Bike Farm, Trek and ATX bikes today. A few things became pretty clear to me... - This is a horrible time to buy a bike... 😐 - @ATXZJ is right, I'd need to up the budget to 1200-1700 to get all of the features I want in a quality bike At this point I have 3 options that I'm considering... all new bikes and available at local stores today. (Availability is the biggest issue I'm dealing with) 1) Giant - Talon 2 ($650)- cheap, basic, but ticks some of the core features I'm looking for. might be a good choice to test the waters before I dive in too deep. I'd likely consider a dropper post as the first upgrade. Also, I don't think tubeless is an option with the stock wheels... 2) Marin - Pine Mountain 1 ($1450) - ticks most of my features, but I'd have to bump up my budget quite a bit. 3) Trek - Marlin 8 ($1200, I think?) - I'd have to preorder this as its not officially released yet. I think it fits what I'm after, but I've never seen one and would have to wait for it to get delivered to find out (expected delivery is end of May?) I did ride~10 different bikes today, so that's progress! Any thoughts on the bikes I listed above? if you can squeeze another $600-700 into your budget this would be a good option. https://www.theproscloset.com/products/kona-big-honzo-st-mountain-bike-2019-x-large 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATXZJ Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 13 hours ago, Lacch said: Thanks again for everyone's feedback/advice, you guys have great community here! I tried out the XL Fathom 2 today... it was too big. I loved the features, but its was obvious that the bars were just out of reach. too bad, because otherwise it was a great bike. I also stopped by Bike Farm, Trek and ATX bikes today. A few things became pretty clear to me... - This is a horrible time to buy a bike... 😐 - @ATXZJ is right, I'd need to up the budget to 1200-1700 to get all of the features I want in a quality bike At this point I have 3 options that I'm considering... all new bikes and available at local stores today. (Availability is the biggest issue I'm dealing with) 1) Giant - Talon 2 ($650)- cheap, basic, but ticks some of the core features I'm looking for. might be a good choice to test the waters before I dive in too deep. I'd likely consider a dropper post as the first upgrade. Also, I don't think tubeless is an option with the stock wheels... 2) Marin - Pine Mountain 1 ($1450) - ticks most of my features, but I'd have to bump up my budget quite a bit. 3) Trek - Marlin 8 ($1200, I think?) - I'd have to preorder this as its not officially released yet. I think it fits what I'm after, but I've never seen one and would have to wait for it to get delivered to find out (expected delivery is end of May?) I did ride~10 different bikes today, so that's progress! Any thoughts on the bikes I listed above? Trek would be fine if you're willing to wait. Good support after the sale Giant- dont buy anything this cheap new. I bought my kid a $600 kona MTB and just about everything on it was a mish mash of junk. Marin- Look kinda cool and not a bad option. Be aware that is gonna be one HEAVY mofo. Steel frame, 2.6 wire bead tires and entry level components. Wouldn't be surprised if that marin is close to 33-35 lbs 28 minutes ago, Chief said: if you can squeeze another $600-700 into your budget this would be a good option. https://www.theproscloset.com/products/kona-big-honzo-st-mountain-bike-2019-x-large Was gonna recommend a honzo Admittedly, i'm super biased but the honzo was probably one of the most fun bikes i've ever owned. Just modern enough geo to keep things interesting but not too long or slack for the switchback/ledge rockbike riding here. Just fun AF. This CA bike shop is legit and has some older honzo models left over. This DL has a good fork, decent wheels, drivetrain and dropper. Wont need much of anything except a water bottle. If you call and talk the the owner he will usually work with you on shipping or lowered price. At 6ft I'd grab the large as they are pretty roomy already. https://centrecitycycles.com/2017-kona-honzo-al-dl/ Just my crap 2c 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 stretching your budget a bit is always a good idea. if you buy a lesser bike, you'll want/need to replace a few things within a year that will cost you more than buying the next level up on the model. if the bike does not already have tubeless tires or a dropper post, and spending another $400 on the bike means not spending $1,000 in a year for those upgrades (vague estimate, probably a bit less than that), it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBaron Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 25 minutes ago, mack_turtle said: stretching your budget a bit is always a good idea. if you buy a lesser bike, you'll want/need to replace a few things within a year that will cost you more than buying the next level up on the model. if the bike does not already have tubeless tires or a dropper post, and spending another $400 on the bike means not spending $1,000 in a year for those upgrades (vague estimate, probably a bit less than that), it's worth it. I agree with all of what you are saying. But that's making the assumption that our OP actually sticks with it and becomes a regular rider. In my 25 yrs of cycling experience, a few of which were while owning a bike shop, the majority of the people buy a bike and then it turns into hanging 'garage art' after about 3 months. Quite often, my advise is to buy used, buy cost-effective, and give it about a year of "test riding" to see if you actually pick up the sport. After that 1st year is over and you've proven to yourself (and wife/family?) that this is now your thing....tee off on something nice! Under normal non-pandemic circumstances, I usually recommend a used $500-600 bike (which can equate to a new $1200 bike). If bought used, then when it gets sold in a year it will still be with close to what the newbie paid for it. If hooked, then I'd probably recommend trying to step up to $2-2.5k and he could have a bike that could be ridden definitely. But its true, given the lack of both used & new bike availability, it makes 1st time bike purchasing very challenging. Good luck, CJB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacch Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 I had a talk with the wife last night about budget/goals and we came to the same conclusion as @CBaron. One thing I haven't mentioned is that although I intend to hit up Walnut Creek with this bike when I'm riding solo, over half of my time on it will be neighborhood rides with the family and pulling the kids in a trailer on the "new" paved trail between Balcones Woods <-> Walnut Creek. (we live right next to it) Either way, I need a new bike, and hitting the Walnut Creek trails seems too convenient to pass up if I'm buying a new bike anyway. As much as I love aggressive sports, I honestly don't' know if I'll stick with mountain biking. After our talk we decided that the 1000 budget is a must, so I won't be able to jump to the nicer models many of you have recommended. Here is my new question... If I go with the Talon 2 and take it on the Walnut Creek trails, will the cheaper bike have a negative impact on my experience or can I still have fun and see if I stick with the hobby in 6, 9, 12mo? I've been looking for a used quality bike, but in today's environment there just isn't much out there to pick from. Thanks again for all of the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBaron Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 25 minutes ago, Lacch said: the "new" paved trail between Balcones Woods <-> Walnut Creek. (we live right next to it) Here is my new question... If I go with the Talon 2 and take it on the Walnut Creek trails, will the cheaper bike have a negative impact on my experience or can I still have fun and see if I stick with the hobby in 6, 9, 12mo? Fun fact: I use to live in BW. We were there for about 6 yrs, my wife still coaches on the BWBW swim team. To answer your question: yes it will have a somewhat negative impact on your experience. But does that REALLY matter where you're coming from? Prolly not. Walnut Creek really doesn't demand much from equipment to have fun. Likewise, some of the easier trails at Brushy (Pedaler's, Picnic) don't either. But yes, you can easily tell the difference in mediocre stuff and quality stuff. Thats part of why my usual recommendation is to be quality USED stuff from 3-4 yrs ago. I think my recommendation would be to hone in on the correct bikes size (and learn the actual numbers so that you don't rely on monikers like M,L,XL). Then search CL and FB Mkt multiple times per day (maybe even in other cities San Antonio, Houston?). Then when the right bike pops up JUMP on it. If you're diligent and quick, I think you can find a bike in this heightened environment. Likewise, new isn't the end of the world either. If this experiment works for you and you find yourself diving into the deep end in a year, then your entry point bike can turn into your neighborhood kid cruiser. PS- I've got a very busy 36 hrs ahead of me. But I've got an extra hardtail bike in your size range. As long as my son doesn't plan to take it with him for Spring Break, you are welcome to borrow it for the next week. But it might spoil you! 😉 Feel free to hit me up. -Cody Baron 512-6nine4-one3one9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notyal Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 24 minutes ago, CBaron said: PS- I've got a very busy 36 hrs ahead of me. But I've got an extra hardtail bike in your size range. As long as my son doesn't plan to take it with him for Spring Break, you are welcome to borrow it for the next week. But it might spoil you! 😉 CBaron is generous to offer this, but one piece of advice, don't ride a nicer bike that you own (or can afford to own) if you are not ready to buy it. A used, quality hardtail 29er for under $1K is not hard to find. Be patient. Similar to the advice above, the most expensive upgrade you can make to a bike is $5000 carbon full suspension bike you'll want to buy after riding a crappy entry level bike for a few months. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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