Neil Donoghue: Today, I'm on a hunt for a cheap mountain bike.
Now, I'm looking for a proper mountain bike.
Something that's not too old, not too worn.
I want to find a real bargain that's ready to ride.
To begin with, it really helps if you know the market, if you got a good idea of how
much bikes are worth so it's definitely worth looking in shops, looking online, looking
for sales.
In this video, I'm trying to find a real bargain so I have to dig a bit deeper into other resources.
To find a cheap and a real mountain bike, I'm actually just going to look at hardtails
because they're cheap in the first place and they also takes away the risk of abused shocks
on the back end or sloppy bearings and anything like that.
Also, I want something that I can upgrade in the future when that I can afford to.
Something that isn't too old because things like standards and sizings change.
I want something that's fairly recent and something that I can afford to upgrade in
the future, things like brakes, suspension wheels.
Let's have a look at options of where to find bikes for sale.
The first thing I would say is actually, ideally, you'd to find it locally.
Wherever you look, via eBay, online, in the classifieds because ideally, you would like
to go and see the bike.
Yes, I know people do buy bikes just from photos.
If you ask the right questions, it can be fairly risk-free but if you can go and see
the bike, then that's going to help you much better.
Let's start with eBay.
Have you heard of eBay?
Hundreds of bikes, thousands of bikes on eBay.
It's kind of an expensive place to sell [unintelligible 00:01:30] so I think other online auction
places or classifieds.
Again, more popular.
What I would like to do on eBay?
Search for something quite generic.
If I put in mountain bike, enter search, then I'll start filtering it a bit better.
I think this is where you can find some bargain.
I then sort it by ending soonest.
I think it's very important what time of day you do this.
If you'd look sort of at random times when there are less people on there, then that's
when you're more likely to find the bargains.
It's when things end in the evening, there's more likely to be people online so they can
bid on them.
At the moment, it's two o'clock in the afternoon here in the UK.
I'm looking for some bikes and then I got four minutes.
There's a Carrera Banshee, £280.
Not bad for a suspension bike.
A Trek Fuel EX 6, £530.
11 minutes left.
It's got 17 bids.
That's quite popular.
One of the good things about eBay is there loads of filters.
If you want to filter on the wheel size, the frame size, the distance from your house,
because like what we said, if you can go and see the bike, this can give you a lot more
information than just looking at a few pictures online.
With eBay, really is a time for trawling through lots and lots of bikes.
I'm probably looking at it different times of the day.
You start doing a bit of investigation as well.
If you find a bike that you really like, then what I would do is click on the seller and
start looking into things they've sold in the past.
It might actually give you a bit of information about how legit that seller is.
Move into the next option, Gumtree.
Now, probably the best thing about this is it's more likely to be local so you can search
by the town you are in.
Again, it's easier to find stuff that you can go and see.
I guess the biggest disadvantage of Gumtree is it's quite renowned for stolen bikes being
on there and lots of stolen property.
Of course, not everything on there is stolen but the easier is for people to list things
for sale and stay relatively anonymous then the easier it is for people to sell stolen
things.
Maybe the Gumtree, that's where I'll start digging a bit deeper for something you'd like
there.
Then start sending questions to the person who's selling it.
Just try and find if it's legitimate or not.
Again, there's quite a few bikes in there.
There's definitely some lower end bikes, just some sort of kid's bikes.
Proper cheap bikes.
I'll just search mountain bike again just so it's fairly general.
Something that is catching my eye is this Rocky Mountain.
This is the Rocky Mountain Vertex.
It's in Bristol so it's 13 miles away from where I am now.
It looks a little bit old.
I'm guessing that's probably 2008, 2009.
It's 27.5 wheels.
It has a decent amount of information here so there's something to go on.
It's not 26 so it can't be too old.
It's only £225.
That seems like that it could be a bit of a bargain.
I'll put down a shortlist.
Another option worth investigating is to look if there's any bike shops or even charities
in your area selling refurbished bikes.
Now, they're likely to be reputable and actually have done worked to check the bike is ready
to ride.
Also, you may get a warranty with them.
Definitely look around in your local area to see if something like that to find a cheap
bike.
Next option is to ask your mates.
Now, I guess this is quite an easy one.
Just ask around.
You can put it on Facebook and see if anyone is selling a bike in your price range.
I guess in that case, you're more likely to find someone who isn't going to sell you a
dodgy bike.
You'd hope if you've got good mates, that you can find something that isn't going to
be nicked or dodgy at all.
Whilst you're on social media, why not take a look at Facebook Marketplace.
This seems to be one that has gotten much bigger in the last few years, you can find
loads of stuff on there.
The problem with that is you might have to really start filtering things or looking through
loads and loads of different things for sale.
There's just secondhand bike parts and all sorts of all bikes looking like they've been
in the bottom of a river, but this is where you are probably likely to find a bargain
if you've got the time to look through everything else.
Again, a risk with Facebook is the bikes can so easily be listed for sale that you can
find some dodgy bikes there.
You can delve a bit deeper.
You can look at the profile of the person that's selling the bike.
You might not be able to see much on there but I would look at when they joined Facebook.
If it was relatively recently, then that would be a big red flag for me.
What out about Pinkbike classifieds?
I know it's popular spot for people.
I saw bikes on here in the past, some are race bikes.
Can you trust fellow mountain bikers?
Well, yes, I'd like to think so but nothing is for sure.
You're more likely to find proper bikes on Pinkbike Classifieds and by that, they're
more likely to be more expensive.
If you've got a bigger budget, this could be a good place to look, but you might still
find some bargains.
Let's have a bit of a look.
Cannondale M400, and that's a retro bike.
It's only £150, that's cool but it's old.
You got the old Sachs grip shift on there.
I mean, that is a bargain but as far as getting something that is up to date, working and
upgradable, that's not necessarily a risk-- [unintelligible 00:06:44], it's a pretty cool
bike, £450, but not for me.
This is pretty good, a 2014 specialized Rockhopper.
It's a little bit old but it's 29er.
It will have most of the modern geometry on there, I think.
I wonder if it's boost.
That'd be something to check.
Even if it's not, you can still upgrade wheels and things.
This looks like it's in really good condition.
It's got a lot of details as well, which helps me find out that the person that's listing
this does know something about mountain bikes.
I guess you're more likely to find that on the specialized bike sites like Pinkbike.
It looks in really good condition, £400.
I've just had a quick search and these new would be about £650 so it's not a massive
bargain, but it's pretty cheap and it says open to reasonable offers so I think I'm going
to put this one on the shortlist as well.
On the shortlist is a Rocky Mountain Vertex.
I like the look of this bike, actually.
It's a bit exotic as well.
Something coming from British Columbia or a specialized Rockhopper, £400.
The Rocky Mountain is 225, that's bit of a bargain I think, but the Rockhopper, it's
a bit more of a dependable bike there.
Obviously, it's a massive brands specialized, kind of knocking out good quality, fairly
cheap bikes.
I'm going to start looking a bit deeper into these bikes and maybe start thinking about
making some offers.
Of course, try not to buy a stolen bike.
If you're doing that, you're just fueling the trade so that person could just go and
steal more bikes, maybe yours.
Obviously, that bike really doesn't belong to you.
If you bought it and it's stolen, it's still someone else's bike.
You can get that by taking off you.
What about the signs if the bike is stolen?
Well, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
If it's just too cheap for that bike then definitely rings some alarm bells, that person
might be trying to get rid of it quickly.
Also, just how much detail is there in the advert.
They might be trying to keep it a bit vague because if it's someone's bike that has been
stolen and they start searching for those details, then it can pop up.
If they're just saying it's a mountain bike, it's a Rocky Mountain, and there isn't things
like size or year or any of the componentry on there, I would started thinking that it
could possibly be stolen.
Something that I would do is actually Google search that bike.
If it's a Rocky Mountain Vertex ST3, it's quite a lot of detail, and then put stolen
next to it, see if anything comes up, any pictures of that bike.
If someone's had their nice bike stolen, they're likely to have at least put it on their social
media or somewhere online.
That would definitely something I check straightaway.
If you can get the frame number or a picture of the frame number, that's going to help
you out.
If it's been grinded off or it's been damaged in any way, then just don't buy it.
That means that someone's trying to hide the identity of that bike.
In the UK, there are resources like BikeRegister or you can get your bike with the police.
You basically do this service where they put little stickers and tag the bike.
It's definitely something that people can do if they are worried about their bike being
stolen, but also you could check if that bike is on the register of stolen bikes.
Now if you are interested in the bike, it's time start asking the seller some questions.
How much do they know about the bike?
What's the components on there?
What year it is?
What size is it?
Does it fit them and if it doesn't fit them why not?
Are they selling it for their friend, their little brother?
Those would be little alarm bells for me.
If it doesn't fit the person, it's not their bike.
If you're then interested and you want to go and get the bike, is the seller keen for
you to go to their house?
If they're super keen on you not going to their house then maybe I would start thinking,
"Well, why not?"
There can be legit reasons for that.
People might want to be protecting themselves if they've got a few bikes or they got a new
bike and they don't want people just showing up and seeing what else they've got.
I'd definitely not just write it off because they don't want you to come to their house
but there have been plenty of stolen bikes just handed over in car parks.
Be a bit wary of where you do meet them to buy the bike.
If you're just going to buy the bike from the pictures online, if you want to commit
to it then I would still look at it in as much detail as you can.
Look at the components on the bike.
Is there anything that's looking a bit shabby on there or maybe a bit old and is going to
need replacing?
Start to factor those into the cost of the bike in the first place.
Now, looking at this Rocky Mountain Vertex, this is the one that is in Bristol, £225,
so super cheap.
There's a few little warning signs for me.
The seat post is pretty scratched.
Looks like it's been stuck in the bike and someone's really had to wrench it to get it
moving.
Maybe this bike hasn't been looked after that great.
It's got a flat back tire.
It's missing a bar end plug.
I don't know.
This is in Bristol, as well.
Now, Bristol's a cool place, love it, but it's a bit of a hot spot for bikes getting
stolen.
It's on Gumtree.
This person has been posting for less than month on Gumtree, as well.
There's a few little warning signs but I think I'm going to message this person and ask a
few questions.
See what replies I get and see how much I like them.
The Rockhopper that is on Pinkbike, I like that.
There's four pictures.
There's loads of details on what's on it.
Basically, every single component's listed.
It's his dad's bike.
Rides it.
Says everything works well, very conditioned, covered very few miles, the gears are good.
This to me sounds pretty much legit.
This is in Bristol as well.
Maybe I'll go and see two bikes.
Only thing with that, it's £400.
It's only 250 quid-ish of the new price and it's six years old.
It's all right but it's definitely not massive, massive bargain.
Maybe if I can do a bit of work on that price.
Anyway, let's start messaging people.
Well, I missed out on the Trek that I really wanted.
It just sold super fast.
Went in less than half a day.
The Rocky Mountain, the guy never got back to me so I'm kind of dubious about that bike
anyway.
It seems that at the moment, it's a real seller's market.
If you're trying to sell a bike, people want them.
If you find something that you like, you've got to move super fast.
Luckily, I did with this bike.
I got myself a Voodoo Hoodoo.
I found this one on Facebook Marketplace advertised £400.
Just a month old.
Four rides it's had, this bike.
It sounded like it was too good to be true.
The previous owner had the receipt and he also had a legit reason for selling it.
I was super happy that this bike isn't stolen and of course I've got the receipt, I've got
the frame number on there so I'm pretty sold on that one.
The guy had just started mountain biking, bought this bike, decided that he loved it
and decided pretty much straight away that he was going to upgrade to a full-suspension
bike.
It looks immaculate.
It's slightly dusty.
Luckily, we've had a really dry last month in the UK so it doesn't look like it's really
seen much mud, just a bit of dust.
This is a Voodoo.
This is a UK brand.
This is actually from Halfords.
If you're not based in the UK, that is an automotive shop.
They sell car accessories, camping equipment and bikes which is kind of what I said I was
going to try and avoid, to begin with because Halfords do sell very cheap not great quality
bikes.
However, they do sell some good bikes as well and this is one of their own brand bikes.
I'm really impressed.
This bike would have been £600 new.
It's got great reviews.
It's got really good angles, actually.
Modern angles, hardtail.
It's got a 50mil stem.
It's got a one by SETA.
It's got some Shimano Deore drive train and got the M935, I think they're called, they're
slightly cheaper brakes.
This is a really sorted bike for the money.
I did a bit of haggling.
Got the bike for £375.
I feel it was an absolute bargain.
This is the type of bike I was looking for.
What I did find, mainly on Facebook to be fair, was there's lots of old bikes, lots
of retro bikes which you can get super cheap.
Some bikes for less than £200, but I didn't necessarily want an older bike.
I wanted something that was a good starter mountain bike and something that was really
upgradable.
This has already got a one [unintelligible 00:14:51] system.
Super impressed with that.
It's only 1x10, so it might be something that I can upgrade in the future because I am with
Doddy's help from GMBN Tech, going to be doing a bit of work on this bike, looking at what
I can upgrade next to it.
What I have noticed, something really nice about this, it's got one of those- it's got
a hole there for an internally routed dropper post if you want fit one, because at the moment,
it's just got a fixed seat post.
There's a few things I can do to this bike, but I'm stoked, £375.
Just goes to show you can buy yourself a proper mountain bike to do some proper riding for
not a huge amount of money.
There's a video with some tips how to buy a cheap bike.
If you've got any more tips, don't forget to leave them in the comments down below.
Help out our fellow viewers.
There might be some ones I've missed in there.
Now, I've got myself a good bike.
I'm going to do some things with it.
Keep your eyes peeled, this bike will be appearing a lot more on GMBN Tech.
I actually want to take this bike for some proper rides.
[00:15:48] [END OF AUDIO]