Second hand mountain bikes

[Christowp]

I have been looking for a replacement bike after my trusty and very good condition Trek 4000 was lifted from our garage about two years ago. So I keep looking at adverts and for sale sites. Very few "basic mountain bikes" (no suspension or shock absorber forks) coming up for sale. I am a social rider who enjoys cycling in and around the neighborhood. A basic bike or the commuter kind will do it for me. No luck for a while. O wonder if folks are all hanging on to their old bikes or if they are in storage somewhere. 

While scanning ads I was amazed at how the prices of mountain bikes in particular have shot into the stratosphere. I understand that there has been some evolutionary strides  in materials used, frame geometries, gears and transmission systems, brakes etc. But what has happened to justify a second hand mountain bike costing more than a small hatchback or a family sedan. How can a second hand bicycle cost R250 000. I am not a bike nerd but I love bicycles and like many folk in SA grew up with bicycles as a form of transport to school and as a leisure activity. Even did a few cycle races on my then road bike. Got my kinds into cycling and they continue to enjoy bicycles to this day.   

I suppose real bike fraternity members and bike nerds will understand the high prices of bicycles, but its really a bit shocking to me.  I have other hobbies and have seen similar trends there but there is a point of diminishing returns. Not sure I will ever be able to justify spending R40 000 on a bicycle. 

Just some thoughts from what I am sure is an uninformed perspective on serious cycling. Times change and things change. I still find it difficult to reconcile the price tags on the exotic bicycles. I am sure folks who buy them know why they do and enjoy their purchases / investments to the maximum. 

[OVERDRIVE]

4 minutes ago, Christowp said:

I have been looking for a replacement bike after my trusty and very good condition Trek 4000 was lifted from our garage about two years ago. So I keep looking at adverts and for sale sites. Very few "basic mountain bikes" (no suspension or shock absorber forks) coming up for sale. I am a social rider who enjoys cycling in and around the neighborhood. A basic bike or the commuter kind will do it for me. No luck for a while. O wonder if folks are all hanging on to their old bikes or if they are in storage somewhere. 

While scanning ads I was amazed at how the prices of mountain bikes in particular have shot into the stratosphere. I understand that there has been some evolutionary strides  in materials used, frame geometries, gears and transmission systems, brakes etc. But what has happened to justify a second hand mountain bike costing more than a small hatchback or a family sedan. How can a second hand bicycle cost R250 000. I am not a bike nerd but I love bicycles and like many folk in SA grew up with bicycles as a form of transport to school and as a leisure activity. Even did a few cycle races on my then road bike. Got my kinds into cycling and they continue to enjoy bicycles to this day.   

I suppose real bike fraternity members and bike nerds will understand the high prices of bicycles, but its really a bit shocking to me.  I have other hobbies and have seen similar trends there but there is a point of diminishing returns. Not sure I will ever be able to justify spending R40 000 on a bicycle. 

Just some thoughts from what I am sure is an uninformed perspective on serious cycling. Times change and things change. I still find it difficult to reconcile the price tags on the exotic bicycles. I am sure folks who buy them know why they do and enjoy their purchases / investments to the maximum. 

Ah well. Times have changed, and manufacturers are catering both for pros, beginners, and the weekend warrior. Think it's just down to what you really want and what you're willing to spend, keep looking, some cool stuff on the hub. 

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

Horses for courses I think. I regularly see really old 26ers at what I have considered pretty tough MTB events, and their owners have finished miles ahead of me 😂 If you don’t feel you’re missing something, you’re not. 

On my return to cycling at 41 having last ridden a bike at probably 16, I got a taste of a “modern” bike with a model that is commonly used for bikepacking, and now I can’t imagine doing any rough stuff without a decent suspension fork, rims, gearing. 

The most expensive bike in the world won’t make you faster or fitter but if it makes you happy, go for it. 

[Dexter-morgan]

I also think the COVID pandemic skewed the prices for quite some time, and it is busy resetting, slowly but surely. (Hopefully)

[Jensie]

The only place you will find that kind of bikes is on FB Marketplace, My brother sold his old but almost never ridden 26er there within minutes +-R1500. eft was done and bike was picked up the afternoon. Don't see many of those here.

[Shebeen]

On 6/9/2025 at 9:29 PM, Christowp said:

I have been looking for a replacement bike after my trusty and very good condition Trek 4000 was lifted from our garage about two years ago. So I keep looking at adverts and for sale sites. Very few "basic mountain bikes" (no suspension or shock absorber forks) coming up for sale. I am a social rider who enjoys cycling in and around the neighborhood. A basic bike or the commuter kind will do it for me. No luck for a while. O wonder if folks are all hanging on to their old bikes or if they are in storage somewhere. 

While scanning ads I was amazed at how the prices of mountain bikes in particular have shot into the stratosphere. I understand that there has been some evolutionary strides  in materials used, frame geometries, gears and transmission systems, brakes etc. But what has happened to justify a second hand mountain bike costing more than a small hatchback or a family sedan. How can a second hand bicycle cost R250 000. I am not a bike nerd but I love bicycles and like many folk in SA grew up with bicycles as a form of transport to school and as a leisure activity. Even did a few cycle races on my then road bike. Got my kinds into cycling and they continue to enjoy bicycles to this day.   

I suppose real bike fraternity members and bike nerds will understand the high prices of bicycles, but its really a bit shocking to me.  I have other hobbies and have seen similar trends there but there is a point of diminishing returns. Not sure I will ever be able to justify spending R40 000 on a bicycle. 

Just some thoughts from what I am sure is an uninformed perspective on serious cycling. Times change and things change. I still find it difficult to reconcile the price tags on the exotic bicycles. I am sure folks who buy them know why they do and enjoy their purchases / investments to the maximum. 

Trolling classifieds can be a minefield. If you are Christo from Western Province, then give a tinkle to Nils at woodstock cycleworks or even Avron at Cycletraders both in woodstock, CT. Tell them what you're looking for an they will give you good headsup on what is possible and suitable.

While you can buy a bike at R250k, you don't have to. There is a R200k Datsun Go! and a R15m Maybach that both classify as vehicles. The guys who actually need those bikes to perform are given them by their sponsors, the people who buy them are a very small subset of the community and while it is easy to label them as complete clueless out of touch w@nkers - they keep the lights on for the bikeshop to sell you a tube at a fair price (actually tubes are $$$ too these days). 

 

 

 

[Tomik]

@Christowp what are you looking for? Size, budget? 

My business partner (not on BikeHub) is looking to sell his hardtail - very lightly used - probably size M, I think it's a Giant or Cannondale, in Welgemoed (Tygervalley/Durbanville). He bought it for c. R20k and will probably offload it for a lot less. DM me and I'll put you in touch.

[Headshot]

Spesh seems to be having an up to 50% off bike sale at the moment. Not sure if it is dealer specific but Freewheel in Kenilworth have been advertising it. 

[ChrisF]

On 6/9/2025 at 9:29 PM, Christowp said:

Very few "basic mountain bikes" (no suspension or shock absorber forks) coming up for sale. 

 

What you describe is called a rigid bike.

 

Rook is one of the few that still sell rigid bikes with flat bars.

 

Rook One being a single speed bike

 

Rook Shift sounds like what you are looking for.

 

MTB's went the suspension fork route in the early 90's.  By 1996 Giant only had the ATX 830 as a rigid option. Loved mine 👍

 

 

Maybe the Rook is what you want.

 

Please avoid the cheap Makro stuff ....

 

Trek was selling decent entry level MTB bikes on special a few months back for around R14k.  Basic, but significantly better quality than Makro.

 

Giant and Scott also had good specials ...

 

Titan Racing has some good value for money options.

 

 

 

WAY out of the box .... if you want a rigid MTB, then you probably are not into trail riding.  A "gravel bike" is well worth considering ...

 

 

Best wishes with the search

[DANIEL 00]

Im selling my trek Procaliber but I haven’t received any offers yet, how do I know If my bike is advertised as a fair price? Im thinking its too high but I don’t want to sell it for less than it’s worth, could anyone give me advice?

[Tomik]

11 hours ago, DANIEL 00 said:

Im selling my trek Procaliber but I haven’t received any offers yet, how do I know If my bike is advertised as a fair price? Im thinking its too high but I don’t want to sell it for less than it’s worth, could anyone give me advice?

A bike (anything really) is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. Sometimes no-one is looking for that particular bike so the price may be irrelevant. Otherwise if someone is interested, they would make an offer. The second hand market appears to have slowed a lot. People with bucks are buying new, and those without are not buying (or are financing through their LBS). 

[LazyTrailRider]

21 hours ago, Headshot said:

Spesh seems to be having an up to 50% off bike sale at the moment. Not sure if it is dealer specific but Freewheel in Kenilworth have been advertising it. 

Some excellent deals to be had.

The Levo SL that I paid R150k for can now be had for R105k, as an example. Sucks a bit for me, but great value!

[Christowp]

HI Everyone

Thanks for the inputs. I bought a Trek 6000 off FB marketplace. Was disassembled (wheels off) but the bones looked good. I gave it some TLC and now up and running. Basically needed to replace brake "shoes", Rear gear cable ad adjust gears. Also needed to service the shifters. Good learning curve thanks to You Tube. Not quite the rigid bike I was looking for but enjoying the ride. Going to need new tyres soon. Got if for less than R1k