Took a mate out on his maiden offroad ride today.

He has a mid-90’s Marin Muirwoods – was probably a decent bike 20 years ago TBF. I know we all used to ride similar then so they were capable of offroading but so much has changed in that time.
As well as being fully rigid (the bike, not my mate), the gears were all out of sync which is easy enough to fix but would still be a small 7 speed cassette so limited range, the V-brakes just about stop but more than anything the geometry is really long and stretched out – at 6′ 3″ he looks uncomfortable on it.

He had a go on my Cannondale Trigger on a rocky bridleway which felt like an ‘armchair’ 😆
When the ride was done he really enjoyed and is very open to the idea of getting a full susser as he now has a comparison. He has had back problems in the past hence FS instead of a hardtail. It won’t be used on anything crazy – Cannock, Sherwood Pines and a few Peaks trips so thinking 120-130mm travel.

With a budget of around £600 (which could be pushed for the right bike) what should he be looking at?
Go 650b or pick up a bargain 26″ bike? Any thoughts/pointers appreciated…cheers

Something like this – make a cheeky offer – recently Halfords were selling off this 2015mofel for £999 I think so second hand about £600 feels right. There was a previous model in black too, but think that’s 26″ wheel. Not that it really matters- just might limit tyre choice a bit in the future.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132048077681

I think I’d be looking at a 26er, there should be a lot of decent bikes that are cheap due to the unfashionable wheel size, which I assume your friend wouldn’t be bothered by.

He won’t be bothered about wheel size.
Thanks joe but he’s 6’3″ so that’s too small.
Was thinking a Boardman or Giant Trance.

I would think that a used 26″ is the way forward. There are some awesome bike out there that only a couple of years ago were the dogs.

You should get something decent on ebay for that, if you can look past the obviously overenthusiastically priced stuff. In a ‘recommmend what you have’ style, I bought a Lapierre Zesty recently, a bit older than this one. Looks OK for the initial price, would have to be in excellent condition to tempt me much higher.

Yup used 26. As in many other threads there are lots of us happily riding 26ers. There was a Zesty in the classifieds.

Cheers all – a 26 Zesty is a very good shout.
Another bike mate had one for a few years prior to getting a Whyte 130 last – always thought they were nice bikes.

Your pal will want an XL frame if possible.

Anyway I agree Zesty, Trance, Stumpjumper, Remedy, Fuel EX should all offer something well-proven and decent value at that budget.

At 6ft3i would think a 29er will be better proportioned for your friend . Need to be very careful buying used full sus on a fairly limited budget , often they can need things like shock or fork servicing or pivot bearings replacing and suddenly your £600 bargain becomes a £1000+ disaster . I’m not saying that there are no bargains to be had just that you need to tread carefully .

I have a Stumpy 29er that I am selling for just below 1k if he can up his budget.

Hi renton – he’s reading this thread but TBH that’s nearly double his budget so unlikely – thanks though.
I think realistically we’ll do a loop around CC soon so he can be sure that he does like biking and wants to spurge cold hard cash.

Bump for the morning back-to-work crowd

With a budget of around £600 (which could be pushed for the right bike) what should he be looking at?
Go 650b or pick up a bargain 26″ bike? Any thoughts/pointers appreciated…cheers

Orange 5? Simple to maintain 💡
Might be some Saracens around( see loose end thread)
Old Commencals were not nicknamed “Commonfail/Cracknfail” for nothing, beware welded/botched frame and budget for a complete bearing change. Have an acquaintance currently riding around on an eBay special held together with liquid metal ❗
Avoid anything with recently bled Avid brakes(or budget to change)
Some early Mondrakers had a reputation of cracking rear ends, again fairly expensive to replace bearings
Giant?

Maybe an old Heckler? Bombproof, versatile and simple

Whereabouts are you? I may have something suitable (if you fancy a project) in West Central Scotland.

Old Commencals were not nicknamed “Commonfail/Cracknfail” for nothing, beware welded/botched frame and budget for a complete bearing change.

I thought Cannondales were ‘crack and fails’ – hence the rhyming 😉
km9 – we’re in the East Mids so pro not a goer – cheers all

Agree with looking at giants.The giant Stance (120mm travel) is another to consider, looks like it can be had for £500. Can be worth trawling gumtree as there are some good bargains at this time of year especially Iif your willing to travel.

Looks like you can get a specialized camber 29er for 600 if you are careful

Might be a good bet

I’ve a 2012 meta 5.5 in xl I’m going to sell under his budget email me if you interested rollinlow@hotmail.co.uk

Ruffride – I had a Meta 5.5 for 6 years prior to the Trigger – loved it.
Will be in touch.

Frame only, but I picked up a 2011 26″ Zesty 314 with good BB, headset, shock, seatpost and offset bushes to fit for £200 (delivered) last year. I swapped all the bits from my Cotic Soul onto it, well chuffed so far, though it will need pivots looking at soon by the sounds of things.

£600 would get a decent 2nd hand 26er. Something like a Giant Anthem / Trance, Trek Fuel or Specialized Camber.

e.g. Camber , Camber , Trance.

Solid advice above.

I’d also add that older 26″ Trek Fuel Ex’s are ripe for an offset bushing and 10-20 mm travel increase 😉

he must buy a used 26″ bike from this money.
example:
merida one-twenty/trans mission
trek fuel ex

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1940532/
http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1865389/