Re: you knows your APEXeses
ironwhippet":22rdeusa said:
Wow you got this nailed down. So you reckon if I sit tight on less than £100-£150 I will bag it?
That's hard to say, I was just giving a finger-in-the-air guess on a reasonable price.
ironwhippet":22rdeusa said:
Yes the APEX on Bikepedia is a an APEX SE so not the same.
Truth be told, I'm not sure if there was another model of it, or whether bikepedia is just wrong on that - the 95 Apex was TT-Lite, I believe the 97 Apex was TT-Lite, but the 96 one (at least in the UK) was AVR.
ironwhippet":22rdeusa said:
Does the year matter much? I mean would the 1995 be a better outcome if it turns out that way?
Year doesn't matter much at all, I suspect nothing notable happened to the frame, much, through those years.
ironwhippet":22rdeusa said:
The only other point is I think this might not be a UK model (unsure how and why you would get it over from USA!!) But the listing goes on about a USA original equipment stem Diamondback own. Could this alter the entire debate or could it just be an extra stuck on in the UK from stock in the USA?
I suspect it's a 94 model, or something like that. I'm fairly sure the 96 one was metallic silver, rather than the nickel plated look of this one.
ironwhippet":22rdeusa said:
How is the APEX is it really a nippy light bike as every bike listed says light and such like but I had heard from mates that the older Diamond Backs were actually good and well balanced in this sense?
I first bought an Apex in 91, following it having quite favourable reviews (MBUK and the like) - the 91 version wasn't the lightest bike out there, it was a then, normal-ish weight compared with it's peers (26-27lbs) and had AVR tubing. Very stable handling, bit stretched out, position wise, quite competent off-roader.
A year or two later, they started using TT-Lite tubing for the Apex and Axis , and the TT-Lite frames are lighter than the AVR versions. My 91 Apex got nicked in 95, so I then bought a 95 version. Stock weight for the 95 Apex (claimed) was around 24-25lbs - so it had reduced in weight since around 91 / 92.
ironwhippet":22rdeusa said:
I wish i could get out to see this one and have a wheel about but with either petrol or train fare mean I would have dropped £20 just to see it and that could go along way to bagging it I reckon.
What thoughts?
I'd say if you like it, go for it - my "valuation" isn't particularly scientific, just based on what I see mid range bikes from BITD go for, in reasonable condition. As I said, I'm not that familiar with suspension forks so can't really comment as to whether they add much in the way of value - personally, I'd prefer the stock rigid forks. Same with the other bits and pieces, really, none really do much in terms of changing the value, much.