Beginners mountain bike - 2nd hand recommendations?

[Sircharlesofcharles]

Hi

I want to get a bike for my DH who has not ridden in many years (a decade...) and who is carrying extra weight but is keen to get out there again. He has been hiring a bike at the bike park but at ZAR200 a pop we might as well get him a 2nd hand bike.

He is about 5'10 & 90kgs and has cycling shoes with cleats already.

What would you recommend I get him to help him get restarted? I don't want to spend too much on a bike he may want to upgrade after a few months or might not ride much if he does not get back into the sport.

[Pulse]

What is a DH?

?

[Sniffie]

What is a DH?

Dear Husband?

Darling husband?

[Help.Me.]

Down hill .....???

[Lurch the stalker]

What type of riding did he do a decade back?

What is he doing at the bike park on the rental?

What is your budget? (You say he has cleats, but you need to consider other things like does he have a helmet? That's a need, not a want. Does he at least have some cycling shorts? No padding can make for a very long day in the saddle)

Do you want it in time for Christmas? If not you'll probably get some good post-holiday sales 

I understand not wanting to pay a fortune, but it is worth paying a little more to not get a piece of junk - he's a lot more likely to use it if it is not like trying to drag a dead mule around.

[Sircharlesofcharles]

Ha ha! Sorry. I'm from the UK.

"DH" is "Dear / darling husband"

He has shorts and a helmet and glasses.

He used to bike around the Downs near Brighton on the south coast of the UK at weekends with a group of mates. Mainly mountain biking. He also did a the London to Brighton cycle which was road biking but he didn't do much of that.

Sadly both his bikes got stolen when we left them at a friends whilst we were out of the country on an extended trip a few years back. As he had not ridden in a few years he did not replace them. It was sad because he had built them himself over time and so they were worth a lot more than he would ever have spent outright in one go.

I'm not sure what he is doing on the rental at the bike park .... Just following the routes marked I think.

Not sure what the budget is. What would get a working 2nd hand bike? ZAR 2k? 3k? 4k? I would much rather it was below 3k for now!!!

[Sircharlesofcharles]

Btw is there usually an increase in the number of bikes for sale 2nd hand after Christmas? I don't need it for Christmas but would like it soon after....

[Paddaman]

There is no such thing as a beginners bike.  There are cheap bikes,  expensive bikes, and I am not buying that expensive bikes (otherwise known as pro-ware).  Best is to buy a mid range bike, with deore/X5 groupo and an air shock.  You could also buy a single speed rigid (but that is another story)

[johanpre44]

Problem with "Cheaper" 2nd hand bikes is that the sellers mostly want to recover the cost of the bike, hence you will be buying at almost the price of a new bike without the warranty. Watch out for these deals!

 

What I would suggest is getting a new bike like the Silverback Sola/Slade 4 (2014 models may be on special now for under R7k). The bikes are cheap, but will hold up to some hard work for a long time. Then if your DH decides that cycling is not for him you can always sell the bike for R2k less than the new price (and in the process make a buyer happy and have a quick sale without loosing too much cash - I believe what you will be loosing will simply be fair usage and much less than renting a bike for every ride).

 

Like Lurch said, don't get junk. I would suggest a minimum of Disc Brakes (prefer Shimano Hydraulics), Good Drivetrain (Shimano or SRAM), possibly and Air Fork (some extra tune-ability). Have a look at the Bikes at Cycle Lab (especially the one in Fourways), their prices are fairly good (they may even do a very good deal for you).

[Sircharlesofcharles]

Fabulous. Thanks for this. I'm off to cycle lab!