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Thread: Full Suspension Bike advice

  1. #1
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    Default Full Suspension Bike advice

    Good morning Beyond.
    I am currently in the market for a Bike, well I have been for like 2 years and never end up pulling the trigger. I know nothing about bikes, this would be my first bike since I was a teenager.
    A coworker is selling a Giant Yukon FX2 for $500, at first I felt like it was a good deal but now I have a few questions.
    This bike is from 2009-2010, is that a red flag? I never thought id be considering buying an 11 year old bike.
    He did say it was ready to go, moving forward how much should I expect to be paying on yearly maintenance?
    Overall is this a decent deal?
    any advice would be appreciated.
    Thanks

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    A brand name full suspension bike for under $1000 is a good deal.

    The question is... does this bike fit your needs? 26” tires and 100mm of travel is dated by today’s standards sure, but where are you riding? What’s your comfort level for progression? Is spending over 10x more ever going to be worth it for your needs to be on something newer?

    2009ish is still new enough that most of the components are of a current technology, so that’s good. Maintenance items should still be available, things like rebuilding the suspension, brake pads, tires, etc are universal to all bikes like this. So to say this will be more maintenance intensive than a newer bike isn’t all that accurate. These things are usually use based, how much was it ridden, how was it ridden, and how will it’s future use be? Could be fine for years to come, could need a bunch of stuff today

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    I just wouldn't buy any 26" wheel bike in this day and age 27.5" or 29" makes such a huge difference

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    The nice thing is that bike tech hasn't come that far in the last 10 years, especially if you aren't a serious rider who is more likely to notice smaller differences. Of course the new ones are better but for the average rider you aren't going to notice a massive night & day difference.

    That bike was about $1,100 when it was new according to Google but if it's in good condition $500 is probably still fair, especially with demand these days.

    Nothing wrong with buying an older bike as long as it fits your budget and riding style. Make sure 4" travel is enough for where you like to ride. I've ridden 26, 27.5, and 29" wheel bikes, I don't like 29ers but I am not that tall. 27.5 is the sweet spot for most people but I didn't notice as huge of a difference between that and 26" as some others seem to - again, if you aren't a serious biker it's probably not going to be a deal breaker for you but always best to try before you buy if you have that option. 26 is more maneuverable still, so if you ride a lot of really tight single track you might even prefer it.

    Annual maintenance isn't bad at all, especially if you do it yourself which is very easy if you're willing to learn. If you pay a bike shop for an annual tune up it's still cheap, usually around $100 and a full overhaul is usually around $200. Maintenance costs depend on how much you ride, where you ride, and if you crash a lot haha.

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    Quote Originally Posted by eglove View Post
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    I just wouldn't buy any 26" wheel bike in this day and age 27.5" or 29" makes such a huge difference
    Given that 26" was good for a long time (decades?), for even the best riders, I'd say for OPs casual use it will be of little to no consequence.

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    I'll sell you my '16 Rocky Mountain Altitude 730MSL......$2500

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    I would suggest finding a newer hard tail to avoid the maintenance of a rear shock and also the bearings in the moving parts. Sounds to me like you are new to riding. That's where I would start.

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    Thank you all for the comments, I dont plan to go on crazy trails anytime soon so it will be very casual use. I am certain I wouldn't notice the difference between 26" and 27.5 but as mentioned before I will try it out before buying.

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    It all depends on how much you're willing to spend, but I'll echo benyl that for that sort of budget you would be much better suited by a good hardtail. It's also just better to start learning to mtb on a hardtail as you get better at line choices, and overall skills. You can get a brand new Rockhopper (my first bike) for $550 or a Trek Marlin for $600, ride it for a year or two and sell it for $450. Sure beats an 11 year old FS bike.

    How much you spend on maintenance depends on a lot of factors and is hard to generalize. Mostly its how much and hard you ride the thing and possibly how much you crash. I average around $500 but for yourself its probably a general tune up every year so $100-200, maybe a set of tires, maybe some brake pads. Hardtails are also much easier on the wallet in terms of maintenance as there's no rear shock, pivots, bearings etc.

    Good luck.

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    I started with a hard tail and I wish I had just gone full suspension right away. For me anyway, it was just so much better. Geometry is good enough now that they climb really well and usually you can lock out the rear shock if you want the hard tail experience. This is of course still subjective though so again I suggest you try out both if you have the option, but I have a feeling you will prefer the full suspension bike unless you ride very smooth trail all the time. Even for the local places like Fish Creek Park, Bowmont, or COP's XC area, full suspension makes a huge difference in my opinion.

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    Let's start again

    Quote Originally Posted by 3drian View Post
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    Good morning Beyond.
    I am currently in the market for a Bike, well I have been for like 2 years and never end up pulling the trigger. I know nothing about bikes, this would be my first bike since I was a teenager.
    What is your budget? Without a budget, it's impossible to help you. I can recommend what I am riding, but I feel like $10K FS carbon bikes with carbon wheels isn't what you are after.

    When you were a teenager, what kind of bike did you have and how long ago was that?

    Quote Originally Posted by 3drian View Post
    This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
    A coworker is selling a Giant Yukon FX2 for $500, at first I felt like it was a good deal but now I have a few questions.
    This bike is from 2009-2010, is that a red flag? I never thought id be considering buying an 11 year old bike.
    What kind of riding do you want to do? Are you going out to West Bragg? To Moose Mountain? To Whistler? to Fish Creek?

    Quote Originally Posted by 3drian View Post
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    He did say it was ready to go, moving forward how much should I expect to be paying on yearly maintenance?
    You are supposed to service the shock and the fork every 100 hours of riding or once per year. I'm not sure what people do, but I stick to relative hours or service when I start to feel stiction. A fork service will run you $100 with oil and seals. If you need a rebuild, that will cost more. Can service will be $50-$75 depending on where you go. You can of course do this all yourself and there are plenty of YouTube videos from the manufacturers and DIY to guide you.

    Quote Originally Posted by 3drian View Post
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    Overall is this a decent deal?
    any advice would be appreciated.
    Thanks
    without knowing where and how you want to ride, there is no way to recommend anything or discount anything.

    For instance, I took my Enduro with 170mm of travel out to Cox hill last summer. It was overkill even with the fact that it has one of the longest, if not longest downhill sections in Alberta. I would have been way better off with my light 120mm trail bike. But a 120mm trail bike is not something I would take to Whistler. I live near Nose hill now and I take my hardtail as I don't need an FS bike.

    Food for thought.

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