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Used Buy Help

oswaldr2

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I have very little experience with mountain biking, and by very little I mean I went to Vail for gondola serviced downhill once. I really enjoyed it and am considering getting into the sport. I always buy used just because of sticker shock.

Anyways, thoughts on the condition of this as a used bike? I don't know how often things are replaced or just tune, but this is a 2013 and seems like a pretty good deal. I understand this post could be down as it's a Craigslist ad, so sorry if it's down when you read this.

https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/d/giant-anthem-29er/6663780795.html


BBB

https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/SearchListingDetail.aspx?id=3072582
 

jmeb

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Used mtbs can be a land mine. How handy are you mechanically? Inclinded to put time and money into learning to maintain your own bike?

It's a reasonable price. The equipment on it is high end, but it has obviously seen a lot of use. There are missing/chipped teeth on the chain ring which implies the bike has seen a good deal of use. From the ad, I'm guessing the owners don't know its service record--so I'd assume to get the fork and shock running as well as they can will require at minimum an oil change and at max a full overhaul. Looks like a Carbon front triangle, so check carefully for any damage there.

From an obsolescence standpoint it's not that bad: modern good brakes, 29er wheels. However it is a generation behind in preferred trail frame geometry for non-racers, and it has non-boost spacing. This means, for now, you can easily find new wheels if necessary, but in the future, they'll be harder to come by.

The best thing you can do if you don't know how to check these things out yourself is to ask to meet at a bike shop and see if they'll do a quick once-over for a few bucks. It can save you a ton of $$$ in headaches.
 

graham418

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I like the opening line in the ad..... It was my GF's bike and she only hardly rode it. Kinda like only driven by a little old lady on Sundays to go to church. Sure.:rolleyes:
 
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oswaldr2

oswaldr2

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Appreciate the insight Jmeb. I'm unfortunately not all that handy and don't have a lot of bike maintenance experience.

jmeb said "The best thing you can do if you don't know how to check these things out yourself is to ask to meet at a bike shop and see if they'll do a quick once-over for a few bucks. It can save you a ton of $$$ in headaches."

I think this is really good advice actually. I was thinking of ways how I could include a shop/tech into this, thought about going there and asking a guy to come for $50 after work. But this is a much better idea, appreciate the advice.

I think i'm inclined to stay away based on the generation behind and use that you mention.
 

Philpug

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I like the opening line in the ad..... It was my GF's bike and she only hardly rode it. Kinda like only driven by a little old lady on Sundays to go to church. Sure.:rolleyes:
Hmmm. a LARGE 29'er..ridden by girlfriend....hmmmm. Rarely would I ask and I watch this but, pic's of 6'1"+ girlfriend please.
 

scott43

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Didn't look at the bike but word of wisdom Repair costs can add up significantly with these bikes Plan accordingly.
 

jmeb

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You might be a good candidate for a demo bike from an area shop. We're nearing the end of the season for sales, and soon current demo bikes will be on sale. Often these are well looked after and come with some tune-ups offered by the shop for X time. The big mtb shops in Golden, Wheat Ridge Cyclery, etc are your friend here. You could also reach out to local producer Guerrilla Gravity to see if they are going to have a demo sale in the near future.
 

Ken_R

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You can find much better bikes at decent prices here in Denver that are in great shape. More people than you would think buy high end bikes and then do not use them a lot.

For Vail I would go for a bike with at least 120mm front travel (130-160mm preferred) and 2.3 or larger tires on 27.5 or 29in wheels. 1X gearing setup is MUCH preferred for ease of maintenance. Good brakes are also essential for lift served and 180mm rotors or larger are ideal.

You can get down most trails at Vail on a lesser bike but it wont be nearly as safe and enjoyable.
 

Doug Briggs

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Last year I bought my Santa Cruz 5010 C at Wilderness Sports (Dillon, CO) Labor Day demo sale. It was a first come, first served sale. They had indicated a lot of interest in the bike, so I planned to get there early. I couldn't sleep so I got there at about midnight and hung out with another guy anxious to be sure he got his bike.

I got my bike for $2,700. It listed for about $5,000. As a demo, it came with its full warranty and they kept it in good shape for demos. They list the bikes available and their price in the days before the sale in the paper and on their web site. If you see something they have that you are interested in, you can get a super deal.

1709 - Wilderness Sports sale 21231976_1138916429542370_8353228639242256023_n.jpg


20170910_130025_Boreas Pass Road.jpg
 
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oswaldr2

oswaldr2

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Last year I bought my Santa Cruz 5010 C at Wilderness Sports (Dillon, CO) Labor Day demo sale. It was a first come, first served sale. They had indicated a lot of interest in the bike, so I planned to get there early. I couldn't sleep so I got there at about midnight and hung out with another guy anxious to be sure he got his bike.

I got my bike for $2,700. It listed for about $5,000. As a demo, it came with its full warranty and they kept it in good shape for demos. They list the bikes available and their price in the days before the sale in the paper and on their web site. If you see something they have that you are interested in, you can get a super deal.

View attachment 50477

View attachment 50478

@Doug Briggs, this is really helpful information. Looks like you scored an awesome bike. Question about the line, what time did it start to grow?

I did the same thing for Larson's Ski and Sports swap last fall, but I only needed to get there at 7 am to be the first in line. Scored some awesome 2016 Enforcers doing that!
 

coskigirl

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I agree with looking at demo or past season bikes from local shops. As much as I do not like Bicycle Village for their customer service, they often have leftovers from previous seasons just due to their purchase volume. Full Cycle in Boulder is where I got my previous season mtb last year but it doesn't look like they have much sale stock right now.
 

Doug Briggs

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@Doug Briggs, this is really helpful information. Looks like you scored an awesome bike. Question about the line, what time did it start to grow?

I did the same thing for Larson's Ski and Sports swap last fall, but I only needed to get there at 7 am to be the first in line. Scored some awesome 2016 Enforcers doing that!

I showed up at about midnight. My partner in crime arrived about 1. We both couldn't sleep so figured we'd be awake and in line rather than awake and not in line.

20170901_235417.jpg


Others started to show up at dawn, so 5ish or so. Most were there for road bikes. There were 6 high end road bikes, 3 sizes in two models. There was no conflict until all 6 were spoken for then other people started showing up and being disappointed. Curiously, despite the shop saying the 5010 was in high demand, no one showed up for it by the time I was let in and bought it. Hype? I dunno.

The camping in the lot was fun as it was a nice night and my fellow camper and I shared stories. Like the last time we camped out to buy something was concert tickets, and so on.

Apparently the spring sale where they sell off demo ski gear is much better attended. The shop owner mentioned that some people hang at and close the Red Mt. Grill and then camp for that one.
 
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Doug Briggs

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I agree with looking at demo or past season bikes from local shops. As much as I do not like Bicycle Village for their customer service, they often have leftovers from previous seasons just due to their purchase volume. Full Cycle in Boulder is where I got my previous season mtb last year but it doesn't look like they have much sale stock right now.

I was recovering from my 3 rib special as the Labor Day bike sales were going on so while I could ride, it wasn't particularly comfortable. I rode 3 - 4 bikes before I selected the 5010.

Around Breck, there are a huge number of shops that have sales where you put money down before Labor Day to hold your bike until they are ready to sell after Labor Day. Wilderness Sports seemed to be the outlier in having a first come, first served sale.

Right now is the time to start looking in Summit. IIRC, the shops wanted 10% to hold the bike. All the bikes I test rode were in great shape. A friend got a bike by putting down a deposit and when she picked it up the owner took another $200 (about 6%) off for dings that may have occurred after the deposit was made. That shop was Avalanche on the South end of town.
 

Tom K.

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Used road bikes are mostly a steal. Used mtbs, as pointed out by others, can be a land mine.

I'd only buy used if I knew the history REALLY well.

Better approach IMO is buy new when on sale, maintain well, and keep a long time.
 
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oswaldr2

oswaldr2

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good advice @Tom K.

I did actually steal a used road bike a couple months ago off Craigslist, so that's why I was hoping to do the same with a MTB. Based on what everyone has said, it's probably not a wise move. I'm going to try the demo thing or buy when a sale is going on.
 

jmeb

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good advice @Tom K.

I did actually steal a used road bike a couple months ago off Craigslist, so that's why I was hoping to do the same with a MTB. Based on what everyone has said, it's probably not a wise move. I'm going to try the demo thing or buy when a sale is going on.

Another option is direct-to-consumer brands. You can get a lot of bike for very little money. Diamondbacks Release 1 for instance is a bike capable of riding most anything a non-pro would in Colorado, and is $1500. Solid but not fancy parts. Mines on its third season, and while my buddies Santa Cruzs and Yetis are nicer, its not the bike holding me back.
 

Philpug

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I would be much more comfortable buying a demo bike that I was able to actually see and touch verses one from Ebay or sight unseen.
 

jmeb

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Diamondbacks can be touched and tested at REIs. So they aren't strictly straight to consumer.
 

Mike Thomas

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I have very little experience with mountain biking, and by very little I mean I went to Vail for gondola serviced downhill once. I really enjoyed it and am considering getting into the sport. I always buy used just because of sticker shock.

I would strongly recommend thinking less about 'deals' and more about 'what type of bike should I buy' and try really hard to get that right the first time. I'm pretty sure you don't plan on making lift serviced mountain biking your primary use (?), but even a little bit would make an XC race bike (like a Giant Anthem) the WRONG bike. Saving a bunch of money on the wrong thing is actually wasting a bunch of money, in my eyes anyway. Do you have friends you plan to ride with? What do they ride? What type of mountain biking are they doing? This will probably determine the type of bike you should be looking for. Start there and maybe rent bikes a few times to go with them and see what you think, what you like and what you don't enjoy.
 

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