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Used Buy Help

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
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Nov 9, 2015
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Breckenridge, CO
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.

Excellent point about price vs suitability for the job. The right bike might even be less than the wrong one. Win-win!
 
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TS
oswaldr2

oswaldr2

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Jul 18, 2017
Posts
466
Location
Denver, CO
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.


Yes I have started to think of that. I was looking at the XC category originally because I demo'd a Scott Spark 740 at Vail, which my understanding is XC. However I realize now that I probably want something in the Trail or Enduro category to be a little more balanced between the XC and Downhill categories.

I found Pioneer Sports in frisco which demo's Giant aluminums for $45 which is super reasonable compared to most places, so I'm either going to demo their Trail or Downhill for a day at Keystone on Saturday.
 

jmeb

Enjoys skiing.
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Nov 13, 2015
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4,490
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Colorado
FYI -- many shops will credit the cost of demos with them to the purchase of a bike in the future.
 

palikona

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Posts
530
I currently have a 2010 26” full suspension and am thinking of an upgrade.
I’m 6’-4”, 230 lbs...is there any reason to look at a 27.5 or is a 29er the best way to go for someone of my size? I’m looking for a bike for cross country riding (typical Front Range and Summit County riding) as well as some lift serviced downhill.
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
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Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
13,552
Location
Great White North
I currently have a 2010 26” full suspension and am thinking of an upgrade.
I’m 6’-4”, 230 lbs...is there any reason to look at a 27.5 or is a 29er the best way to go for someone of my size? I’m looking for a bike for cross country riding (typical Front Range and Summit County riding) as well as some lift serviced downhill.
29 vs 27.5 is a personal thing really. 29 rolls better but I find it a little less responsive. It's a trade-off to me..I like the 29 personally because my riding is more about efficiency and smoothness. I miss the 26 in some very technical stuff but not much else. The 27.5 is a good compromise in my opinion. You also have the option of getting a 27.5/29 dual compatible frame. I'd be more careful about suspension tuning if I were you though..you may have some work to do to make the suspension work properly for you.
 

martyg

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
Nov 24, 2017
Posts
2,216
I currently have a 2010 26” full suspension and am thinking of an upgrade.
I’m 6’-4”, 230 lbs...is there any reason to look at a 27.5 or is a 29er the best way to go for someone of my size? I’m looking for a bike for cross country riding (typical Front Range and Summit County riding) as well as some lift serviced downhill.

At your size, and for XC, our customers rock 29.

I have a stack of last gen ST and current gen Epics in HT and FS as persoanl bikes. I find that most HT iterations tend to be a few cm shorter, which certainly contributes to quicker handling, but not always quicker times.

My suggestions: purchase the bike that will be the best match for the riding that you will actually be doing. If you will be doing "some" lift serve, rent an appropriate bike for that, and focus your search on a 100 - 120mm travel bike.

We might have a L and / or XL left. I've been out for a while on on pain meds. Hit Mountain Bike Specialists up at 970-437-4066.

Epic-Comp-Carbon.jpg
 

martyg

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
Nov 24, 2017
Posts
2,216
29 vs 27.5 is a personal thing really. 29 rolls better but I find it a little less responsive. It's a trade-off to me..I like the 29 personally because my riding is more about efficiency and smoothness. I miss the 26 in some very technical stuff but not much else. The 27.5 is a good compromise in my opinion. You also have the option of getting a 27.5/29 dual compatible frame. I'd be more careful about suspension tuning if I were you though..you may have some work to do to make the suspension work properly for you.

Suspension tuning.... yes! Many people pay big bucks for a FS bike and guess at suspension tuning. Sopecialized's factory team spends a lot of energy on this. Also, tire pressure is an element of suspension.
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
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Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
13,552
Location
Great White North
Suspension tuning.... yes! Many people pay big bucks for a FS bike and guess at suspension tuning. Sopecialized's factory team spends a lot of energy on this. Also, tire pressure is an element of suspension.
And he's a big dude..
 

Wilhelmson

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
May 2, 2017
Posts
4,328
My friend picked up a used bike at a shop for $1,500 that went for $5,000 4 years ago. The shop tuned it up and it was in nice shape. He said there were lots of other barely used bikes for sale - maybe it's a busy upgrade year providing discount opportunities.
 

Tom K.

Skier Ordinaire
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Dec 20, 2015
Posts
8,404
My bike shop guru just sold my old(er) S-Works Tarmac. Well used, but in perfect shape, other than needing a new chain soon.

Carbon everything, but 10-speed, rim brakes, and no room for even 28c tires (unless you like to live REALLY dangerously).

It took two months to get $1,800, for what I recall was a near $7,000 bike?!

Road bike deals are out there!!!!
 

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