Which mountain bike do I really need? new or old?

[bianchiboyd]

Im looking to get into trail riding after having been a road cyclist with my Dawes Galaxy 1994 touring bike for the last few years.
Ive never really had a good mountain bike only had experience with the likes of Townsend and cheap catalogue bikes.
Im looking to get a mountain bike really just for sustrans cycle paths and ash paths/ small pebble / loose ash paths, so probably not extreme cycling but getting worried about the wear and tear on touring bike off road.
Can anyone recommend what I should be buying? Im looking at the moment at a new Specialized Rockhopper but love retro bikes and would like to know if their are any old bikes thatd give me a great ride off road.
Thanks

 

[mass199]

Have a look in the for sale forum.

You should be able to find yourself a suitable bike

 

[Charlieboy28]

just my opinion, but a new rockhopper your looking at £500 notes, likely to have a budget groupset and components too. £500 just doesnt buy much of a modern bike. From the less than nothing i know of retro galaxys, they are steel and considered to be one of the best if not best touring bikes for the connoisseur.

seems you have a refined palate, so my suggestion is get some retro steel.
£500 quid is also gonna buy you something very special retrowise

oh and i would add that £500 retobike will far surpass the ride given by a £500 rockhopper

 

[Barneyballbags]

I'd definitely agree with Charlieboy.

A budget of £500 will get you a lovely steel (or aluminium) framed retrobike and more than likely a smattering of XTR kit too...

If it were me, I'd be looking to spend my money on a Kona. You'd get yourself a corking bike. And if you bought one of these for sale forums, chances are it'll have been well maintained and will last a good many years to come too

 

[bianchiboyd]

Thanks for that, kinda what I wanted to hear, yeah galaxy great bike and would feel odd on a new bike, like you say £500 could buy a helluva good old mountain bike, just looking for a decent steelie now as have a bit of a hating for alloy, just need to think about the sort of riding id be doing which is long distance mild trail riding.

 

[Barneyballbags]

A decent steelie you say? Well, it's not a Kona (and it might not even be your size!), but here's an example of what just £350 can get you if you're lucky - and as far as I know it's still for sale too

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=195892

 

[bianchiboyd]

Id been considering GT/ Marin bikes but Kona look really good too, off to the classifieds

 

[bianchiboyd]

Yeah that Orange looks sweeet love it, great price too, id never come close to that buying new, vaguely remember hearing about Orange mtbs when pedalling my old Townsend lol

 

[legrandefromage]

Im looking to get into trail riding after having been a road cyclist with my Dawes Galaxy 1994 touring bike for the last few years.
Ive never really had a good mountain bike only had experience with the likes of Townsend and cheap catalogue bikes.
Im looking to get a mountain bike really just for sustrans cycle paths and ash paths/ small pebble / loose ash paths, so probably not extreme cycling but getting worried about the wear and tear on touring bike off road.
Can anyone recommend what I should be buying? Im looking at the moment at a new Specialized Rockhopper but love retro bikes and would like to know if their are any old bikes thatd give me a great ride off road.
Thanks

Your Galaxy will quite happily do the above with just a wider set of tyres. I Regularly ride off road on a 1974 531 touring bike with no issues. Bumpy bridle paths are no problem.

 

[Barneyballbags]

Another one of the good things about buying retrobikes is that, if for whatever reason you don't like the bike, or just fancy a change, then they hold their value, so you could more than likely sell it and get your money back, which you could put towards another one, and so on...

Before you know it, your wallet will be empty, your shed will be full and you'll still be looking for your next project