Are retro MTBs a good place for a tight-budget beginner to start?

[ferrus]

Yeah, those Jetstreams’ are one of the best handling and smoothest riding steel frames ever made

 

[d8mok]

In reality a retro bike isn’t good value at all if you plan on doing any sort of mountain biking in its current form. Like the bikes , mountain biking has changed a lot in the last 20 years.

If you plan on riding a bit of light singletrack , and gravel then yes a retro hardtail will certainly do the job. However a modern gravel bike at around 1k will do the same job but better. Plus have the benefit of being new without work out parts or potentially cracked frames etc.

Any bikes which are truly retro will command a premium if they are half decent. This money can be spent on a used modern hardtail which will handle proper riding much better.

I know people complain about bike prices these days at the top end. But in reality a used 1k bike gives you a lot for your money. New bikes can be financed at a tiny amount a month which make them even more accessible.

I realise that some may disagree but nobody even a pro will keep up with a average rider aboard a modern bike whilst riding a retro. They make everything easier and faster whilst correcting any mistakes.

 

[2manyoranges]

Direction of prices is UP. And there's no sign of the market collapsing. Gross shortages of product and an increasing trend towards cycling means that if you buy wisely, then you will not lose anything on resale and that resale will be relatively easy. So if you want to 'try off-road cycling and see if it's for you' then you can buy at any price point and not lose money. I like retro bikes. But with an emotional upwelling, not rational thought. For riding anything technical I personally would use a modern geometry bike - long low and slack. That will make riding a far better experience and something you are more likely to stay into. I have been off road since the early 80's and have enjoyed every generation of bike and had a ball throughout that time. But I sure like my modern bikes. I am with d8mok - go modern. Perhaps hardtail - and do your own building. That way you can get something very special for far less than retail. You get the fun of buying components too.

 

[Grifter78]

I have an almost new Giant MTB bought through the CTW scheme in a moment of madness, a Steel Kona Explosif, a Roberts White Spider and a few other Retro bikes and have ridden lots of others through the years.

When I ride new, I don't have to think much about what I do, the lines etc etc, let the brakes off and make it home un-bruised but feeling unchallenged ( I guess to some that's good).

Ride the Kona, I go home having felt like I have wrestled a Gorilla, bloodied shins and a great big smile on my face !

And I agree with the above post about components being made of Chinese cheese

Over the winter not so much but by the end of the summer my shins are covered in pedal rash, I had a Cinder Cone with none stock tenderiser pedals, I love the bike, it was two inches above what I normally rode, a lot of no feet down at traffic lights, those pedals always caught me every trip.

 

[2manyoranges]

Direction of prices is UP. And there's no sign of the market collapsing. Gross shortages of product and an increasing trend towards cycling means that if you buy wisely, then you will not lose anything on resale and that resale will be relatively easy. So if you want to 'try off-road cycling and see if it's for you' then you can buy at any price point and not lose money. I like retro bikes. But with an emotional upwelling, not rational thought. For riding anything technical I personally would use a modern geometry bike - long low and slack. That will make riding a far better experience and something you are more likely to stay into. I have been off road since the early 80's and have enjoyed every generation of bike and had a ball throughout that time. But I sure like my modern bikes. I am with d8mok - go modern. Perhaps hardtail - and do your own building. That way you can get something very special for far less than retail. You get the fun of buying components too.

er...oh how things change....

 

[dirttorpedo]

20 years ago I was riding a full suspension free ride mountain bike with 5 inches of travel front and back. I haven't ridden the modern stuff so can't tell you how much better it is than my old stuff, but those old bikes were extremely capable compared to the bikes this site is focused on and a blast to ride. So my answer is yes - a 10 year old full squish or hardtail mountain bike will be just fine to start off on.

 

[Russell]

er...oh how things change....

comment aged like a cheap cheese!

 

[2manyoranges]

Indeed - it’s all gone bad very quickly…it really did seem like there ‘were no signs of the market collapsing’ but it certainly has. With hindsight, we can see a number of things came together. During lockdowns people were at home not spending money on normal things, so had excess for bikes and components. They had more Unassigned time, so pursued their interests. Everyone who wanted a bike old and new, young and old, bought them. A massive peak in demand. Then came the post-lockdown financial slump, and with a saturated market and reduced purchasing power, the while industry is creaking….

 

[Imlach]

Boom bust

 

[novocaine]

Boom bust

yes please.