Advice - Looking for a bike(s).

[st01495]

I have been thinking that I should send some time doing some work on my Wildcat, but as i don't know much about bike mechanicals it will go slowly and I want to buy a bike to ride in the meantime. The wife has also been saying she wants a different/better bike.
We both think an older bike would be ok and don't want suspension, as we mainly ride forest trails, moorland and similar, with occasional hills. We don't plan to bounce over big rocks and fallen tree trunks

The problem is finding a couple of bikes that are ok.
We looked at a few locally but I decided to ask here. We looked at the following: Marin Bear Valley, Raleigh Ozark, K2(?), and tried them out, and they were all ok, but we couldn't decide. All were less than £100 and seemed lighter than the bikes we have, which was good.

Would looking in the range up to £200 get something significantly better?

Does anyone have any advice?
I would post on the wanted forum, but I am not sure what I want.


thanks for reading.

 

[NeilM]

Re:

My wife managed to find a factory original 1991 Marin Bear Valley for £60 which she bought unseen and I picked up. The only work needed was a new chain (JIC) a pair of gear cables and an quick adjustment of the brakes.

You can drive yourself nuts with specifications, best idea is to look at bikes you like to look of and buy the one's you like the best. If you have time to look in the archive here (at the top of this page) to check the specification, then that will help you get the best value, but as most retro bikes sell for relatively little money, you can certainly find a bargain or two.

 

[dirttorpedo]

As always the biggest factor is the fit of the bike. If the bike you buy doesn't fit you it won't matter how great a deal it was - you won't want to ride it. I'd look for a bike that has quick release hubs on alloy rimmed wheels, a frame made 100% out of cromolly steel or a 6061/7005 aluminum alloy. I'd look for equivalent quality to STX / LX /Deore drive train and brakes on the bike.

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

Re:

Is yours a Dawes Wildcat?

 

[Barneyballbags]

Personally, I'd look for a early to mid 90s Kona bike, such as a Hahanna, Fire Mountain, Lava Dome or Cinder Cone. All can be had for under £200 easily, and all would make a brilliant little bike.

Another option (and for sale on this forum at the moment) would be these perhaps?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=292292&hilit=+his+hers

 

[st01495]

Re: Re:

Is yours a Dawes Wildcat?

Yes, but it needs a bit of repair and maintenance and as I am not a bike expert it will go slowly and I need a replacement in the meantime.
I might also think of upgrading various parts, which means reading about compatible better parts, or asking on here.

 

[Bryncrug72]

How tall is she ? there is a nice Marin Pallisade on ebay at the moment for £50 ?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... ink:top:en

 

[st01495]

How tall is she ? there is a nice Marin Pallisade on ebay at the moment for £50 ?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... ink:top:en

she is 5' 7". I will have a look

 

[Diamant_Don]

Just a thought, but surely a bit of repair and maintenance on the Dawes you have would cost less and be less hassle than buying another retro machine (which, in my experience will probably have issues of its own)? Your LBS is your friend here! Ask for a quote and you may be surprised how low it is. Or not, in which case, as you were!

IME it's naturally tempting to buy old bargains, but unless you're confident enough to spot any issues when buying you may well soon have a collection of half-knackered bikes in your garage/shed/backroom... and still nothing decent to ride!

 

[st01495]

The advice here is quite useful and thanks to the contributers so far and any future ones.

It does seem that most(all?) of the people on the forum are experts and remember loads of the bikes around in the 80s and 90s. I bought my Dawes Wildcat new and never looked for another bike as it went everywhere I wanted to, so I missed out on the looking for other bikes, reading reviews etc. I remember the shop didn't have much choice of ATBs and they kept asking me if I was sure I wanted it because it wasn't a road bike

I think it would be nice for newcomers to be able to read a list of 'good' bikes to look for in various classes - beginner, intermediate, top end; with reasons. It can sort of be done with lots of searching, but it would be nice to have a thread(s).