Plot twist, Seth is trying to artificially inflate the market on used bikes to make his flip bike series more popular!!! Nah I'm just messin with you Seth... Love your videos and glad to see you playing devil's advocate
Hell yea. I had a 2005 one that would today be considered a red-blooded graveller. I used it as a commuter for a good few years, but changed it to a hardtail by putting a very basic coil fork on it. When you live in the third world, not every road is paved, those that are tend to be more patchwork than asphalt, and sometimes you have no choice but to hop onto the sidewalk because of insane traffic. A little bit of suspension goes a long way in these cases.
My dad has an old BH Gazella he has been tryng to keep as original as possible, and that thing flies even though it weighs the same as a DH bike. I love to use it but the brakes make it scary to ride it at high speeds. The only accident i had wich was my fault was on that thing, it just wouldn't stop in time. Luckily no one was hurt including myself.
I was an avid road rider from the mid 1970's until the late 90's. After that my bike hardly ever left the garage. Last year at ago 60 I decided to get into riding the hundreds of miles of gravel roads in my area. After some sticker shock from looking at new bikes I started looking for a good used one. I salvaged a free Peugeot Orient Express from a scrap metal pile. All it needed was new tires and brake pads, a good cleaning and fresh grease to ride like it did 35 years ago. The list price for this bike was about $450 in the mid 1980's. It was a high end bike when it was new. Including an upgrade to clipless pedals I have $135 into it. I'm riding inactive logging roads with no plans to do anything more technical. This bike will do everything I need until they stop making 26" replacement tires.
I’ve got my old Diamondback Sorrento SE that got me into mountain biking. I did just get a new bike, but I’ve had it for over 20 years. My wife gets on it every now and then to ride. I’d love to have you do a bike flip on it!
@@erechbalasabas5351 its the best, very little chain cross and no ridiculous big or small chainrings and or stretched derailers. The downside is a bit of weight and cockpit clutter.
Purchased a 2015 Diamondback Axis XE for $100 recently. Previous owner said he paid around $500 for it new and rode it only one time. It was garage kept, all it needed was a new inner tube and a good cleaning. I have $110 bucks in the bike and I love it. Thanks Seth for being down to earth and honest in all your videos!! Keep them coming.
I remember having scratch anxiety about my bike, and boy I didn't realize how much "scratches included" is actually a great thing! Being able to basically not care about the bike being damaged aesthetically makes it soooooo much more fun to ride!!!
The last time I bought a new bike, I rode it for a few hours to make sure I was really feeling it, then I intentionally took a tool and dinged the paintwork. Anxiety solved.
@Dio Brando i have a friend who has ceramic coating on his bike and even though the bike is 3 years old and it has gone to the mountain multiple times it looks like it just came out of the shop every time, it's just crazy.
As a BMX guy scratches are inevitable. Not only are you gonna scratch it your gonna huck it into steel bars and concrete on the regular. Makes not worrying about scratching my MTB a lot easier 😂
I’ve had a 1970/80s Raleigh road bike for almost 10 years now. It ran me $5 at a liquidation centre when I was 13 years old. It was my main mode of transportation as a teenager, competed in several triathlons with it, and I now use it to commute when the weather is nice. It’s my favourite bike I’ve ever owned.
i have a 25 year old mountainbike, my dad got is when he was my age, and then i got it around 5 years ago, i have been fixing and shredding it ever since and the amount of joy that gives is so much better than a new bike
As a used bike buyer I'm looking forward for the end of the current period of bike penury. So much people didn't buy the bike they really wanted but the one their local shop had in stocks . It means that quite a lot of them will probably want to change as soon as the shelves are full of new shiny bikes again. I'll be glad to buy their used almost unused ones when this happened. 😁
I still have my Father's MTB from the late 90's which have seen better days for the last 3 decades. I also learned how to break parts and tools first from it before I learn the proper building and maintenance. Older bikes has so much to offer depending on how hard or chill you ride. In conclusion to it, older bikes can help you learn the basics of bike maintenance. I really love watching your stuff seth specially when you come up with these vintage bikes.
I bought a 2018 specialized rockhopper for $200, it still had the hairs on the tires. Basically brand new, but much cheaper. It does everything I need and will hold up better than a mongoose from academy. I can't justify spending close to $1k on a bike, so to me used made sense.
How is that possible tho. Was the bike broken or needed repair or was it the lowest end rockhopper I need answers man. Or maybe you live in a place with shit weather so you get good deals on bikes
I'm in OK. They guy bought it new, but it was a medium frame and on the small side for him so it sat in the shed from 2018 to 2020. Then it got listed on marketplace for $200 and I bought it.
This is a terrific video. I’m in my 60’s and just began riding a year ago. I had in my garage an early 1990’s MTB that I purchased when my child was younger but simply never rode the bike. I gave it a thorough cleaning, took all of the axles apart and greased the bearings, replaced the brakes, tubes, and tires, and started riding. I’ve now purchased an all road style bike with drop bars for pavement and am using the older MTB as a bike for casual riding around as well as for riding to some fishing spots on the beach where parking is either very expensive, non existent, or even prohibited. Although I enjoy my newer all road bike there is something special I feel every time I ride my 30 year old steel frame bike. Thanks for encouraging others to look for opportunities to buy older bikes, bring them to life, and into use. BTW I only recently found your channel by accident and not only is your information extremely informative your presentation and format are very interesting. Thanks
I have a Canadian Tire Supercycle I bought over 25 yrs ago. Its a Mountain Bike and it has 21 gears. I have been thinking about upgrading it but I most likely can not because it is just too old. It does run well as I have maintained it well over the years, I just love cycling and always will it is such a sense of freedom that you can not find anywhere else. Love the channel, keep up the great work!
I built a 26" Ellsworth Truth brand new in 2012. This bike has over 40K miles on it and I am still riding it in 2021. I love this bike and don't feel like I am losing any performance etc in any aspect to a newer, more "modern" bike.
@@DaveedNation well the bike is nearly 10 years old. If you think about it 40K miles in nearly 10 years really isn't all that much. That's 4000 miles/year, or an avg of 333 miles per month, or 83 miles per week, which is nothing. I've done lots of rides way longer than 83 miles in a single day, lots of weeks in excess of 240-250 miles, and many months anywhere from 900-1300 miles in a single month.
Just a friendly advice: don't try a 29"er! There is a big performance gain if you're on the trails. I bought one for my girlfriend and I ride her bike if she doesn't join me.
My bike is a 30 something year old steel frame bike of an unknown brand that my friend found thrown in the basement of the house he bought and wanted to throw it away cause it was rusty, had no brakes, had tires so dried that could put a desert into complex mode, the gears were all crooked... well it was to be thrown away BUT! I didn't have any bike at the time and I was looking for a small project... you know, to make my life a bit harder. I changed almost everything on that bike apart from the frame and fork. It's a full stiff, no suspension what so ever, repainted the whole thing, changed every other component with cheap but respectable parts (according to amazon's reviews) and the damn thing rolls! It's still a shit show of bike cause it's also too small for me (frame of unknown size and measurements of course) and most of the time it's incredibly uncomfortable, and currently it's the only bike I own, BUT HEY, it's MY bike and I made that thing hit the road once more. That piece of rusty junk it's now my commuter, my gravel bike, my mountain bike at the same time and I love it!
Is it possible to fit the frame size to your height by changing the stem and seat post maybe? I really dont know that much bout bikes but I heard that a smaller frame could be fitted while a bigger one cant. Have you tried any of that?
@@FFriday I can't change the stem height because it's an old bike with fixed stem and fork. I tried to change the seat tube height but since the stem is still low it's even more uncomfortable and I look like the hunchback on a bike.
Another great video Seth, I'm still regularly riding my '92 Specialized Hard Sport, ~95% upgraded parts, and I also bought an old Trek and Specialized/Crossroads (both late 90's) for $25 combined a couple years ago, got them both back in good working order to use as friends/company bikes when people visit, good solid bikes that just needed a little love.
I bought a Huffy MegaMax 24" 18 speed MTB for $10. No idea what it was new. All steel frame no suspension. Turned it into a 2400 watt AWD ebike that topped out at about 42mph (software limit). I take it to ride around at large automotive events. Looks really cool. Thought it was funny that people stopped and took multiple angle pictures of it while I was off looking at cars. I have pictures if you're interested in having a look.
When i bought my bike back in 7 years ago, i didnt have money and even used bikes were too expensive since good ones started at around 600€. So i decited to buy a brandless new one and the only thing i was concerned with was how the welds look and if the frame looks sturdy. I upgraded my bike over the years to a 1by nx drivetrain, i bought used g2 brakes, a used 10year old rock shox reba that was never used, changed the stwm and bars, proper pedals and wider tires. i probably paid over 1200€ in total over u years for this bike, but it is perfectly setup for the type of riding i do. I do long tours, dirt park and downhill with it and it holds up to any abuse i, with my skill level, can throw at it. And i built it, which is an amazing feeling to ride what u build and setup urself :)
I'm stil rocking my 26" 3x9 Sensa hardtail that I bought 16 years ago, actually the first bike I ever bought. I've broken/replaced every thing but frame, handlebars and cranks: 1 brake groups 2 front forks 2 wheels sets 2 bottom brackets Lost count on spokes, chains, pedals, sprockets and tyres. I didn't pay for it in money, did some work over the summer in a bikeshop. Getting this bike was a better deal than getting money. I really agree with your anxiety point: If I or somebody else would snap my bike in half today, I would care more about the story than the damage.
So glad that I found this channel, the down to earth attitude and easy going commentary is in stark contrast to a lot of ''up their asses snobbery'' common in a lot of cycling channels. I am a roadie and into mtb and I was a proud French bulldog owner. Best wee dogs in the world and I am even more motivated to get me an the wee kids another dog. Kudos and cheers. Northern Ireland
Still riding my 2007 norco Sasquatch, well kinda, over the years I upgraded every parts except the stem. Even the frame got upgraded for a larger one. My joy is to keep up on my hard tail with the others and their fancy 5k double suspension bikes. I kind of get some pride out of it
I use my 2002 Giant Boulder Rigid mountain bike with a 3x7 Gearing to go ride with my friends, they all use skinny tire road or hybrid bikes. I keep up with them and work up a sweat where if I use my skinny tire bike I just coast most of the time. All that time using the Mountain Bike exclusively build up muscles the road bike wouldn't have ;-) Different kind of riding, but same joy!
I really like how Seth (in this series) is also taking the other side, like 3x vs. 1x, and new vs. old bikes, because I feel that there are always more people rooting for the new, expensive stuff than there are people on the other side.
I mean, i don't doubt why. When i go out with my group and get to use some of their insane bikes for a little bit i just can't help it but realize how well engineered everything is. Since i have my Formula RX brakes i don't wanna change back to wires ever again, it's a completely different world, and with 10 gears on the back a single gear on the front might be enough to both get high speeds downhill and a good climbing gear. (I know i'm not using the right words for some stuff, but i don't know all the terminology in english for theese things). I usually don't hear people say old is bad, but i do hear people say the new stuff is amazing, and i can't dissagree with them.
@@Ferrari255GTO I agree, used bikes are great, and hydraulic disk brakes are a big upgrade compared to rim brakes, or even mechanical/cable disk brakes. My CO-OP DRT 1.1 came with Tektro hydraulic disks, somewhat low end compared to what Seth uses, but the stopping power was just unreal compared to rim brakes! 1x life is the bomb, my bike has a 3x7 Shimano tourney drivetrain, it's noisy, annoying, drops chains, ect. When I get my next bike I'll be sure to get one with a 1x! That said, there are merits to slightly "older" bikes, for example (not that hardtails are old!) hardtails are just so much simpler and easy to maintain than full suspension, albeit with a little more bounce and slightly less traction, but I love hardtails, I've ridden them all my life.
What a great video Seth! I purchased a second hand Cube LTD Race from 2008 a couple of months ago. I picked it up for 200 euro of the previous owner. It looked almost new. I now put on new tires on it, a new saddle, a shorter stem, wider handlebars, grips and new paddles. I had so much fun customizing it to my specific needs and preferences! It's a great ride. It opened a whole new world for me!
There is one huge downside you didn't mention: when buying a used bike you should either be or have a person with profound bike knowledge. Because examining a bike before buying it used is pretty hard and there are possible catastrophic failures a bike can have that are hard to spot.
I thought so as well, but if there is an issue with, say the frame, those are fairly easy to spot. kinks in the tubing? spotted it. cracks? spotted those too. The only place you're really going to have to take a punt is if you're buying used online, sight unseen. You don't have to know everything to spot when something is off. Besides, part of buying something like this is learning how things work. I bought a 1980's Peugeot randoneur and I spent nearly a year faffing about trying to get it road-worthy. Time well spent because I can look at that bike and know everything - simply EVERYthing - about it, all it's quirks and drawbacks, what works and doesn't and, I am still riding it and getting positive feedback everywhere I ride it
my "old" bike is a 2008 surly 1x1. It's got really oldschool XC geometry, 26" tires and no suspension. I was working at a shop that couldn't sell the frameset so I got it for cheap. Been riding it as a MTB/commuter for the 5 years since I got it. I even won an XC race with it earlier this year (not a high level race though).
You can't recycle carbon frames. Hell you can't even fix them some times. They go right into landfill. Steel bikes can last for decades but even if they're damaged you can recycle that alloy.
A carbon bike frame actually has a longer lifecycle than steel and auminum. The biggest killer of carbon bikes are crashes particularly where the frame receives high energy in a small surface area, these loads would typically kill an aluminum frame as well. That is the one place where steel has more durability as a steel frame can have a small dent and still be safe to ride. Other than that its lack of maintenance or maintenance induced failures like over torquing. Any crash without a frame impact that will kill a carbon bike will kill any bike.
@@bananasstuff3344 Carbon frames actually would outlast aluminum and steel if you didn't crash, but carbon cannot handle crashing as well as aluminum or steel because it will crack instead of denting. Riders who crash a lot and suck at inspecting their bike should not ride carbon
Was going to buy a new bike this month, and my local bike shop told me not to bother - my 15 year old Raleigh Mojave 2.0 is holding up great, and it'll be much cheaper and better value to add new pieces to it instead of buying outright new. So I'm pretty excited to take the bike in tomorrow! New drivetrain and V brakes for sure, we'll see what else they recommend. I was told to expect about $350 needed in parts, which definitely beats $750 on a new Trek Marlin or Cannondale Quick CX 4, and I get to keep loving this "wise and old" bike that has accompanied me for my whole adult life!
If you're a new rider lurking in the comments, this is great advice. Been preaching to buy used before new for years and still have yet to buy new. I've seen plenty of new riders go out and buy a brand new bike right away only to lose interest or crash due to undeveloped skills and lose a ton of money repairing or replacing. Just last year I sold my old hard tail to some guy that crashed and cracked his carbon full suspension first time out on an actual trail. What a waste!
Another advantage of older bikes (especially in built ones) are the parts that come with it as standard. Older bikes have shimano parts as standard. Even if they are entry-level parts, they are still Shimano which depicts "quality." Since the pandemic, built bikes usually come with imitations parts that may or may not pose danger to riders due to quality issues
This might be true for drivetrain parts, but doesn't necessarily hold up for fancier old-ish bikes. Avoid anything hydraulic that says "Avid" or "Hayes" on it. There's also a time limit to the age of suspension that can be rebuilt effectively, since in many cases shops can't even get parts anymore. An older road bike with Shimano brake/shift levers is asking for an expensive repair when your ratchets wear out or your cable head breaks off in the shifter. Also, Microshift is also making some decent stuff now. I have one of their 10-speed AdventX derailleurs on my commuter, and it performs better than SRAM SX. I sell and fix bikes for a living, so I'm definitely not saying there aren't good used bikes out there. We've been overhauling a lot of older bikes just because we don't always have new bikes in stock right now. But I have also seen some truly clapped-out bikes come in that are way more of a hazard to their rider than anything new would be. If you can, I always recommend having a shop quote you for repairs BEFORE purchase.
Heck yeah. I have Microshift advent 9speed and love it. Much better than acera or something. It shifts smoothly, it is easy to maintain, has a clutch and 9 speed are enough for me. That chain is also more thicc, so it will probably last longer
@@KujoA2 At some point it becomes hard to find parts that use older standards. And older could even mean 5 years or less. I have a ~2014 mtb that uses "26+" tires, a size that never caught on and are consequently in short supply and very expensive. I thought I'd convert the bike to 27.5 to have better tire selection but I could not find a single used, non-boost wheelset on craigslist or marketplace over several months. So I spent 160 bucks on tires.
I got my bike from my late Grandpa (linc quantum pro. not sure but that's what written on the frame), god knows how long since he bought it. he said it was a gift from a friend when he was still working. since retirement he rode the bike and cherish it until covid hit him hard and he passed away. after almost a year I finally put my hand on it, bring it to mechanic to get repair and change few parts, and now I ride it everyday. commuting feels happier than ever been. now I knew why he love that bike so much
I found a 40 year old Basso Roadbike in my parents basement. Hasn‘t had been ridden in years and was just collecting dust. It was only like 2cm shorter than my optimal frame size so I wanted to try and restore it and ride it myself. Dad said yes and I, with pretty limited knowledge about how to fix bikes started by washing it, reading and watching videos about the different parts and how to do maintenance on them and then just… tried. Now I am the proud owner of a vintage steel roadbike with matching groupset and wheels and I use it as my messenger bike. I really learned to enjoy maintaining it and riding every day. Gotta admit tho, new bikes that weigh like half or even less are looking hella tempting too
How come no one is talking about how Oscar is like the sickest trail dog ever. He needs his own channel, or at least his own episode🤙 oh and Seth is pretty good too🤣
I have a 1998 department store hard tail with a 2009 specialized front suspension. I rescued the bike from a guys basement form $30 cdn and the specialized hard rock I found in a dumpster. Took all the good parts from it and put it on the old beater, best bike I've owned
Last year I bought the 2008 Giant XTC, barely used and in great condition, for a less than +/- 250 dollars (im living in Europe...) and I'm super happy about this bike! In 2008 i bought brand new Giant Rincon cause that was the bike in my price range, but I remember checking out those XTCs in bikeshop and just dream about buying one of them. Now, after few years i finally got it for a next to nothing! The simmilar to the one on my bike rockshox front fork costs albout 100$ alone... Its a great bike for a further upgrades, it looks great, had a huge capibility and it's very lightweight. Every single ride is pleasure. Of course 26' wheels are really outdated but im fine with this. First when I bought it I was really into upgrading it, but all in all it needed only some new tyres, new seat, pedals and wider handlebar. I left 3x9 drivetrain cause I sometimes use this bike to commute and it spends more than 50% time on concrete roads... I use them to get to local forest trials too... It's great that you hyped older bikes, cause there is something in their style and desing, that says "it is indestructible and really reliable".
In 1994 I bought a brand new mongoose Alta mountain bike. It was my college bike. I paid 400 dollars for it which was a lot to me back then. It is Taiwan made steel with rigid fork. Other bike brands offered suspension forks but skimped on the components. This bike had full shimano STX components. I put slicks on it and used it for commuting. I put thousands of miles on it. I have since bought other mountain bikes including a 2010 Gary Fisher (Trek) Marlin and a a 2018 trek Xcaliber 8. I love those two bikes but the mongoose holds a special place in my heart. Years later I added a manitou fork , new handlebar and stem. I still own it and won’t part with it. I intend to tear it down, clean everything and rebuild it this winter. Because I have a difficult time letting go of bikes, I now own 7 of them. That doesn’t include my kids bikes or fiances
You’re right about coil forks, I would often ride my old Trek 6500 hard tail with a coil sprung Rock Shox Judy over my Kona Stinky with a Marzocchi air fork because the air fork was horrible and needed maintenance before every ride; it either leaked and let the air out or was so stiff I couldn’t cycle the fork even putting all my weight on it.
I recently made a big upgrade (for me) to a 2013 Specialized Epic Carbon Expert. $1250 for a carbon full suspension XC shredder. I've given it new shift cables, new tires, and a brake bleed. That's it, that's all. I love the positivity towards used bikes (or used gear of any sort).
I picked up my 2013 Giant Talon in 2015, it was abandoned on a pier and rusting away, saved it from the trash. I commuted on it for years, now I'm riding it around trails, new tires, PNW bars/pedals and an Eagle NX drivetrain. I know its a ton of money for a $700 bike but here in a year I'll pass it down to my wife and she'll enjoy it too.
All of my bikes came off of Facebook Marketplace, and the newest one I waited several months to find one at a price I was comfortable with. 02 Giant Boulder $120, 11 Giant Rapid $150, ?? Mongoose Beast $100, and ?? Motobecane Fantom Trail DS $320. Only the Giant Boulder is a bit rough in appearances, the other 3 have a scratch or two but still look gorgeous. The main thing is all of them were literally get on and ride, no shop visit right off the bat! I love used bikes as it's how I was financially willing to get into different kinds of biking!
I've got a 2020 Scott aspect 730 that I brought back in 2019 for around $950 and has had the whole group set changing, new bars, tires, grips and even a dropper post. Its been my first proper mountain bike and is now getting to small for me "I'm 16" and I can only get around $700 for it. Definitely going to get a used bike next, thanks Seth :)
Hi from Canada . I bought new my bike in 2004 Still mostly stock with small upgrade as the stock parts were getting worn out / seat - brakes and pads - cables - hand grips - seat post quick release . Accessories that have been upgraded - Lights - cargo rack - speedometer - This year a new Pair of mongoose pedals and a phone mount Brand - Bonelli Limited edition . Chromoly Frame - 22 Alloy Wheel 26 x 1.75 21 speed Shimano drive train . Shimano V-brake brake system . Zoom shock - Front only . Yellow and red pain job still in awesome condition. Zefal water bottle cage . Zefal storage canister. Zefal water bottle Paid 700$ . Keeping my bike saved me 3,962$ if I got one every 3 years roughly Awesome videos thank you sharing them with all of us .
I haven't owned a brand new bike since 1996! I have been riding my 2005 Stumpjumper hardtail on single-track for the last 5 or 6 years. I paid $350 used. New this bike was around $2000. It is 3x9 gearing, old school 26" wheels, and had cantilever brakes. I upgraded to some used disc brakes, replaced broken parts with used items over the years, and it has treated me very well. Last weekend I upgraded to another used bike, a 2015 Salsa Spearfish that I picked up for $850. This bike was nearly $3,000 new, and still in great shape. I wanted to step up to 29" wheels, thru axles, boost spacing and getting full suspension was a bonus. I love it so far I also have a Fatback and Specialized Fatboy fat bikes in my stable right now, total investment was about 30% of new retail. I have been buying and selling used bikes for years, easily over 100 of them. My mission was to keep people off department store crap and get them on something decent for much less than new. Not everyone needs a full carbon fiber race machine, and the cost is out of the question for many so buying used stuff that has depreciated for a fraction of new is a great option for a lot of us.
Back in 2019 i won a raffle of used mountain bikes and pay for $2 for the owner. Up to this day, it's still my main bike, I ride through the technical trails and long rides. And of course, I need to pay to upgrade my bike to get the experience of trail rides. So yeah I love my bike.
My whole family now have mid 00's specialised epik's, buying second hand frames and transferring components from smaller bikes is a great upgrade path for kids
Can confirm, used/flip is the best way to go! Purchased a used 2016 Specialized Stumpjumper for $500 pre-pandemic, put about $500 worth of upgrades into it (used fork, seat dropper, drivetrain, etc.) and resold the bike for $1500 recently, got lots of good riding time out of it too!
I bought a used Raleigh Tokul 1 in 2018 and have rode it for over 2000 miles, had a lot of fun and great stories, about 3 months ago with the suggestion of a new friend, we made a few upgrades and now is a trail bike specifically, and I love it. Great job Seth!
Finally someone said it I bought my Scott Voltage FR30 2012 for about 600$, and it was fully stock, and in great condition, with only a few scrathces It's an absloute freeride beast for the price of a beginner level hardtail
I got me a 2014 Scott voltage fr10 at the beginning of the summer. Love this bike!, and I agree the voltage line were some of the best freeride bikes ever made. I got mine for 1000 and it litterly looks like someone bought it road it once and put it in the garage. These bikes retailed for around 3500 new, so I fully agree on shopping used if your on a budget or lol you cant see spending motorcycle or car money on a bicycle like me.
I bought a Nashbar AL1 road bike with Shimano Sora and Gatorskin tires for $200 which was three years old at that time. Upgraded the pedals to SPD, rear cassette to 11-34 and bike works like a charm for all my rides. Longest ride I have done is 45 miles with 2400 ft of elevation. Planning to do my first century on this same bike. I got 600+ miles on it so far in past 6 months. I love upgrading and taking care of the bike myself. Always nice watching your videos Seth!
I shred an old Bridgestone “Wild West” from the 90s and the bike company as an entirety stopped making bikes back in the mid late 90s. Sent my first black diamond on it and almost died :). It held up though!
I just recently got a new bike. I had been riding my entry level hardtail (Trek Wahoo) for 7.5 years though. That bike is a tank. Yes I've had to replace parts but the frame is a tank. However, my skills have surpassed its capabilities and since I ride mostly downhills I meeded something more aggressive. So I finally broke down and bought a full suspension with a lot slacker head angle. So far I'm in love. However, my Trek will always be with me. It still will be used as XC bike.
I bought an Ibis Szazbo new in 1997 for $2700 in Colorado at the end of the summer bike season with the full XTR component group. It was the display model and was originally priced at $3600. I’m still riding it 24 years later! I completely rebuilt it in 2019 with new tires, cables, stem, front fork, rear shock and 1x11 XT drivetrain. I get more attention on the trails than folks riding new bikes and it still goes everywhere I want it to.
Had an 05 Specialized Rock Hopper I got for $20 - single speed, cable disk brakes didn't work, trashy rattle can job but had Marzochi forks on it. Stripped everything off it, cleaned it, installed new tires, bars, grips, seat post and saddle while refreshing everything else. Was just a fun bike to bum around on being a single speed hard tail with a plus fork. Then it got stolen within 5 days of moving to Baltimore. Fast forward 2 years, living in OR now and finally able to get an MTB again and got a 2018 Trek Roscoe 7 and have done some minor upgrades to it. While I like it a lot and know it is a far more capable bike, it just does not have the same spark of enjoyment that old rockhopper had. Especially when just cruising around town and on gravel paths (single bike gang where you at?) Anyone in Oregon have an old 05 Rockhopper they want to sell for $20 lol
Bought my Mountainbike "newish", it was a last years model and since I wanted something more aggressive they upgraded me with a minimal used fork and saint hubs + wider rims (although now I wish i wouldn't have those saint hubs with the stupid oversize centerlock). But I bought my street/race bike used for about 280€ (that thing is the same age as me), old Bianchi with frame shifters, worked great right from the start and just had to replace tires+brakes. Upgrading it over the years made a lot of fun and until now I replaced almost every Part, but that old violet sleeve weld frame (hope it is called like that in englisch) surely is a eye catcher with new parts.
Unfortunately with Covid rotors are even harder to find for those hubs now. This right here is one of the biggest reasons/thing to look for when buying a used bikes. Old standards that are difficult or impossible to source parts for.
@@william1286 When I bought them in 2009 it was a new standard but now its really hard to get them like you say. Wanted to change the size to 180/160 but good luck finding those now (for a normal price). Also there is no adapter like for normal Centerlock.
@@DinnerForkTongue thats one reason why I switched to a new carbon fork on that bike. Still was cheaper than buying an threaded one because all I could get were from chris king (~200$)
Mine isn’t ancient or anything but in January 2020 I bought a used 2017 diamondback Edgewood LX. A gentleman in his 60s said he rode it once and decided it wasn’t for him and sat in his garage until I bought it. He made sure the tires were fine and the chain was oiled. I’ve been using it as my commuter and recreational rides with my daughter. I have done zero maintenance and on my way home from groceries this morning my chain started skipping. I’m an all weather rider in the north east, so for 80USD on a 270USD (Dicks sporting goods sticker was still on it) I am very happy. It isn’t my dream Kona Dr Dew, but it gets me from A to B just fine :)
I have a hand me down from my older brother, a Trek Y11 OCLV. Really gotten me into mountain biking and was the main reason I came across your channel. All I did was replace the fork with a new one, got new shifter and brake cables, and got a new chain. Recently have been hitting blue square trails, but kinda scared to bring it to anything tougher, afraid the bike would break. Was considering selling this off to get a Marin SQ3 but after watching this video I think I'll keep it for a bit longer and make more memories with it :)
Ive been watching for about 3 years now however I haven't owned a bike in near 15 years. That changed this week when I finally bought a bike I've been eyeing for about a year. A brand new TREK Marlin 6. I love it. Thanks to you and a few other mtb youtubers for the I spiraling to spend all of my Money and time on this therapy that is biking again.
@@ceoofshanghaicorn3096 I did another of research before I bought it. It has everything I wanted, mainly the 1x and "juice" brakes. And so much lighter than the department store bike my gf just picked up off marketplace lol
I am riding a 26" since 2010 when I bought it brand new, replaced big part of the part due to usage but it holds a lot of fun, and prefer it since I am used to the geometry.
Reliving my past through your channel! In my 50’s now and haven’t ridden a bike in 25 yrs. Getting a hip replacement soon and hope to be back on a bike soon!
I bought my 92 Cannondale m700 used for a couple hundred bucks after high school. 20+ years later, it's been a great bike that I intend on keeping forever. Since it has more sentimental value to me than value as a bike at this point, I bought two bikes to take over regular riding so I can preserve it indefinitely (it's one of a handful of things from when I was young that I still have). I picked up an early 00's Cannondale road bike for $150 and a new bottom feeder Cannondale mountain bike so that I can better explore riding on the road and mountains. The cheap road bike is easily one of the best purchases I've ever made. The new mountain bike has been great, I can thrash it as much as I want on the trails without worrying about destroying something that means a lot to me.
I bought my bike for 20 dollars at a junkyard, it was unusable and I patched it up into a single speed to ride. 3 years later it is a 3*8 with new everything and paint except the frame. I had to learn the mechanics of it by necessity and never had to make that a big payment at once. It is one of a kind and I love it
At age 62 I decided to try mountain biking. (Audience laughter). I found exactly the bike I was looking for in an early 2000’s Rockhopper hardtail. Lightly used, sat in a barn for at least 10 years. I got the brakes and shifting working beautifully. It has an LX drivetrain and just needed to be cleaned up. It looks nearly new. $245 plus a chain and new cables. If I love it, I’ll keep it. If not I’ll flip it. I like this series you’re doing -it speaks my language!
Still riding my 2007 Kona Hoss and loving it. Only changed the chain and brake pads, ridden through sand, mud, rain etc. crashed many times and it’s still going. The thing is bulletproof.
I’ve bought one new mtb in my entire life……all others have been used. Sure there have been times I’ve been made fun of because of my old bike but I don’t care. I have loads of fun and they do what I need them to do. I currently ride a 2007 Yeti 575 and love it. Going to build a 1999 Cannondale Super V2000 this winter. Going to turn it into a Uber V. Not going to consider spending 5k on any bike. Not going to say the new bikes aren’t amazing and better but cost is prohibitive……for me.
That being said, make sure you thoroughly inspect the bike and don't let the seller pressure you or cut your testing short. I got screwed over by a $50 Trek bike that appeared to only need an easy repair, but it had many other issues and cost $150 in parts to repair it. $200 in and the bike's only worth $130.
Same here. Sellers will use every trick in the book to disguise problems. Bike I bought, seller said just needs brakes. Buy brakes, they don't fit. Seller had removed them to hide he had switched out to a too small rim. Also discovered the minor tune up he claimed was really a broken derailleur. Plus it had a broken axel, and worn out bottom bracket. It's been sitting for months while I figure out what to do with it. Buyer beware!
Hey Seth i have 26 dj flow Rocky Mountain bike from 2007 the brakes were shot and we done some replacements on it and get new tires it’s pretty good and it has a 2 cassette the price was free A lot of the stuff was kind of working and it has the same fork as ur filp bike from the kona I even have more stories to it if anyone wants to ask!
I ride a 94 Mongoose Sycamore with alivio components, cantilever brakes and 26" wheels. It rides absolutely supple and IT GOES FAST! The geometry is perfect for me, it performs great and I can repair anything on the go with just a simple toolkit that goes in my saddle bag. It's the ultimate comfort, cost-benefit ride I've ever got.
I actually had a old specialized hardrock, with scraches all over the frame, it was just to get around. It got stolen couple days ago outside a store, i don't feel too bad but it was a nice bike. i paid $160 for it and new they go for $450
1996 Specialized Hardrock. Purchased in 2002 for $250, rebuilt drivetrain and wheels in 2008, rebuilt front end (new fork, handlebars, and stem) and switched to v-brakes in 2020. I've been ripping trails all over the Southeast on it for close to 20 years, and having a blast. Most mountain bikers around Asheville scorn these old bikes as antiques only good for gravel riding, but if you have the desire to ride and learn, you can ride any trail you want.
i still ride a 90's specialized hardrock, only recently did i turn it into a hardtail from full rigid, downside was when i did the headset swap (yes it was threaded forks originally) that i was able to confirm the cracks in the paintwork is actually a fractured headtube, but it still gets ridden for basic excercise down a gravel cycle path and another bike build venture is under way
I too have a collection of bikes and may have an addiction but I'm perfectly fine riding a 1993 Dyno Blue and silver with a steel frame. All good and not that big of a worry.
I rode a 15 year old Raleigh with broken shifters Covered in rust and scrapes. Used it all through college in a sketchy city. As parts were stolen I learned how to replace them. Once the whole back wheel and cassette was stolen I learned how to find compatible replacements. That rusty pile of junk forced me to learn about bike maintenance. Which led me to your channel. Couple years later I finally rode that thing into the ground and wanted a new bike. Thanks for teaching me to take care of that old thing, Seth haha
Seriously, you never know what you might find. Probably would've ended up sitting in an eternal queue for a Commencal or YT, but I turned to the used market and now I'm riding my dream bike which I bought for a great price.
Loved this video. New bikes are getting to be such a large entry barrier when the general population isnt getting more earnings. The average mtb for Joe or Jane do was appx £500 under 20 years ago. Wages havent gone up to compensate. Bike companies are becoming very elitist in the target market.
A 1989 Marin Muirwoods (white with purple splatter paintjob), found in dumpster a few years ago. Build it up with a 1x9 11-46t advent, a large front rack, Billy Bonker tires, some purple parts matching the paintjob and a used test Brooks C15. A perfect grocery, cargo, commuter and pub bike. One of my most loved bikes I have.
Great video as always! I picked up a nicely maintained 2014 Salsa Spearfish 1 that the original owner had added an xx1 rear mech, a nice set of Sram rail 40 rims, XTR brakes, and a Thompson dropper. The bike needed a good tune up and fork service, but overall is in great condition. I honestly could not have afforded a similar build in a new bike. I did have to service the bike, but still came out at half the price as new and didn’t have the “first scratch anxiety” that goes along with it.
I come to this channel for the mix that includes this stuff. The "best" about the neighborhood bike I ever had was one that revealed itself after a snowdrift melted, it was put out to the curb by the previous house owner. Rusty and all, it ran great, had an internal gears and I never had to worry about someone stealing it.
I've got a 2006 Raleigh Mojave 8.0. I bought it from a bike shop when it was a year old (and not ridden) I spent 500 bucks to buy it (and got a new helmet and hydrapack from the shop for buying it making the bike closer to 425 than 500 bucks out the door) at a discount because it was last years model. I've put a few thousand miles on it, the first few years of its life with me going at least 10 miles a day. I have saved tons not replacing it. I've replaced the wheels, cassette, chain, one shifter, brake pads and have had 2 sets of pedals on it. I have run through 2 sets of slicks (I use slicks for road riding) and 2 sets of knobbies. I'm pondering what a new bike would ride like, but I love this one. It does everything I need, nothing I don't. I may convert it to a 1by but Honestly I use my 32t and 44t rings all the time and never my 22t... so I'd miss the higher gearing if I were to go to a 34 or eve 36t ring... That said it is time to replace the rings and cranks as the rings are worn and causing premature chain wear and finding parts is getting harder. That said I look at craigslist and have sticker shock because similar bikes are still around 500 bucks and don't have any 'modern' features like bigger than 26" wheels or nicer derailleur or shifters
I love the devil's advocate approach; any way to consider and weight out other perspectives is just a better way to make a judgement call. You made this arbitrary topic into a thought provoking video. Still needed something to stare at... but admirable. Thank you, looking forward to the next one. ... you look hilarious on that white topanga, but you're doing it for the right reasons. I've been there, we're laughing together.
I found your channel a while into my new addiction into watching trail rides. I just bought a used bike from Facebook for $300 and am excited to get the safety gear and start practicing on it! I’m trying to figure out what things I need to upgrade (or replace) but don’t want to just go frivolously spending money. I’m going to be watching more of your flip bike videos now to see if there’s any similarities to mine. (My bike is a giant talon I believe 3) . Until I know for sure I am going to be riding it until anything major is apparent up front! Appreciate your passion and willingness to take the time to make content for anyone willing to watch! Am looking forward to seeing what other ways you’re able to spread values to others! Also would be amazing to someday try one of your Patreon trails. Have a great one, and best of luck in life.
Bought my commuter brand new like six years ago. Really enjoy riding it through town to that day. It has a planetary 8speed hub, closed chain box, Magura HS11 brakes, so it's super reliable and low maintenance. I also got two waterproof Ortlieb bags for carrying my weekly groceries, etc. Yesterday I changed the bottom bracket on my own, which was fun and worked out quite great. Also installed some new grips cause the old ones were pretty done. The hub might not be the most sporty thing to ride but within those six years I never had any problems with it. Just flushed it myself with new oil once so far. Also still running the first chainrings and chain on it, pretty worn out, but the single speed chains are tough. Might take another six years until I need to replace the whole drivetrain.
Bought and rebuilt a 2002 norco Sasquatch, bought for 200$ and have put about that into modernizing and fixing it, that bike is one of my pride and joys as I learned how to work on bikes directly because of that bike. Fell in love when I worked on it :)
I’m still riding my 15 year old GIANT Sedona that I bought new. I recently began using my bike for errands within a two mile radius of my house. I’m loving being back on my bike.
I wanted an old mtb to convert to flat bar gravel, found a Miyata Valley Runner from 1987 and after some minor welding and a lot of new parts it’s turned into my favorite casual rider. I paid $80 for it and spent another $200 in parts and often grab this over my current year $1400.00 hard tail. This is my longtime hobby and get so much satisfaction from these retro-mod bikes. Love the Chanel and the balance of information and entertainment.
I've got a 2006 Scott scale 70. I was given the frame for free back in 2016 and have built it up over the years plus upgrading it along the way and completely love it.
Love this! I ride a 4 year old Framed Marquette and have done a few sensible up grades (cassette, shocks, pedals) and it rides great in the white mountains.
I just got back into mountain biking after about 8 years with a 2015 27.5 giant trance 2. It has some less desirable parts but allowed me to rip some trails up this summer before the snow starts to fly, and has motivated me to get in better shape (CLIMBING IS HARD!)
Plot twist, Seth is trying to artificially inflate the market on used bikes to make his flip bike series more popular!!!
Nah I'm just messin with you Seth... Love your videos and glad to see you playing devil's advocate
The used market is already incredibly inflated
@@jacksonmclean704 That's because new bikes get more expensive, so you find older bikes priced as when they were new.
@@scratchy996 ummm.. no. It's 100% covid
@@pinchpeak5203 New bikes have been getting more expensive during the last 15 years at an alarming rate. I guess they knew Covid was coming...
That’s low key a smart move though hahaha
The cool thing about old mountain bikes is that they basically are modern day gravel grinders. My 20 year old Scott is modern again! :D
Hell yea. I had a 2005 one that would today be considered a red-blooded graveller. I used it as a commuter for a good few years, but changed it to a hardtail by putting a very basic coil fork on it. When you live in the third world, not every road is paved, those that are tend to be more patchwork than asphalt, and sometimes you have no choice but to hop onto the sidewalk because of insane traffic. A little bit of suspension goes a long way in these cases.
Absolutely...
It's all marketing. A good bike is a good bike, regardless of age!
I've seen a trend on RUclips of people converting old MTBs to modern gravel bikes, because originally they were build for the trails
Facts!
Yup. "They may be old, but not obsolete" - ... now who said that again?
I’m an old dude who likes some of those old bikes. 😁👊
Seriously. Do *all* my RUclipsrs know each other?? 😊
And give those old things new life 🙌
@@Korina42 I know right!!!
Yep, your channel officially cost me three 90's MTBs already! Thanks for the constant inspiration @oldshovel!
My dad has an old BH Gazella he has been tryng to keep as original as possible, and that thing flies even though it weighs the same as a DH bike. I love to use it but the brakes make it scary to ride it at high speeds. The only accident i had wich was my fault was on that thing, it just wouldn't stop in time. Luckily no one was hurt including myself.
I was an avid road rider from the mid 1970's until the late 90's. After that my bike hardly ever left the garage. Last year at ago 60 I decided to get into riding the hundreds of miles of gravel roads in my area. After some sticker shock from looking at new bikes I started looking for a good used one. I salvaged a free Peugeot Orient Express from a scrap metal pile. All it needed was new tires and brake pads, a good cleaning and fresh grease to ride like it did 35 years ago. The list price for this bike was about $450 in the mid 1980's. It was a high end bike when it was new. Including an upgrade to clipless pedals I have $135 into it. I'm riding inactive logging roads with no plans to do anything more technical. This bike will do everything I need until they stop making 26" replacement tires.
I’ve got my old Diamondback Sorrento SE that got me into mountain biking. I did just get a new bike, but I’ve had it for over 20 years. My wife gets on it every now and then to ride. I’d love to have you do a bike flip on it!
I also had a sorrento. Black and blue. Learned to wheelie and stoppie with it
Let’s start a rally to get that bike flipped!!
Paste a link to facebook marketplace or Craigslist, so he can find it
I approve, seth!! Bike flip video?
I'd also love to see this bike flipped kinda sas you don't want to keep it though
Seth is totally right. Buying used bikes is super smart. By the way, I have a NS Majesty Dirt Jumper for sale $650 😁
how efficient is a 3x mtb going uphill
@@erechbalasabas5351 its the best, very little chain cross and no ridiculous big or small chainrings and or stretched derailers.
The downside is a bit of weight and cockpit clutter.
can i buy bike
Purchased a 2015 Diamondback Axis XE for $100 recently. Previous owner said he paid around $500 for it new and rode it only one time. It was garage kept, all it needed was a new inner tube and a good cleaning. I have $110 bucks in the bike and I love it. Thanks Seth for being down to earth and honest in all your videos!! Keep them coming.
I just bought the same thing! I paid $200, but a local guy had tuned it up already. It looks mint, and my first ride was everything I was hoping for!
You got a super good deal on that
I remember having scratch anxiety about my bike, and boy I didn't realize how much "scratches included" is actually a great thing! Being able to basically not care about the bike being damaged aesthetically makes it soooooo much more fun to ride!!!
The last time I bought a new bike, I rode it for a few hours to make sure I was really feeling it, then I intentionally took a tool and dinged the paintwork. Anxiety solved.
I hate the scratches on my 🚲.
@Dio Brando i have a friend who has ceramic coating on his bike and even though the bike is 3 years old and it has gone to the mountain multiple times it looks like it just came out of the shop every time, it's just crazy.
As a BMX guy scratches are inevitable. Not only are you gonna scratch it your gonna huck it into steel bars and concrete on the regular. Makes not worrying about scratching my MTB a lot easier 😂
@@shannonstrobel6727 Sounds like an insane thing to do, but somehow makes sense. 🤔 🙃
11 o’clock at night in Australia, have work tomorrow but Seth is worth it
I’m in tassie, lol
i feel you mate
Lol same. In Melbourne
Yep, 10:49 here in Adelaide
Still in lockdown so nothing else to do. Yay our government lol
I’ve had a 1970/80s Raleigh road bike for almost 10 years now. It ran me $5 at a liquidation centre when I was 13 years old. It was my main mode of transportation as a teenager, competed in several triathlons with it, and I now use it to commute when the weather is nice. It’s my favourite bike I’ve ever owned.
i have a 25 year old mountainbike, my dad got is when he was my age, and then i got it around 5 years ago, i have been fixing and shredding it ever since and the amount of joy that gives is so much better than a new bike
As a used bike buyer I'm looking forward for the end of the current period of bike penury.
So much people didn't buy the bike they really wanted but the one their local shop had in stocks .
It means that quite a lot of them will probably want to change as soon as the shelves are full of new shiny bikes again. I'll be glad to buy their used almost unused ones when this happened. 😁
the downside is everything is still going to be twice the price things were like 5 years ago.
Penury. Glad to have learned that word today
I still have my Father's MTB from the late 90's which have seen better days for the last 3 decades. I also learned how to break parts and tools first from it before I learn the proper building and maintenance. Older bikes has so much to offer depending on how hard or chill you ride. In conclusion to it, older bikes can help you learn the basics of bike maintenance. I really love watching your stuff seth specially when you come up with these vintage bikes.
I bought a 2018 specialized rockhopper for $200, it still had the hairs on the tires. Basically brand new, but much cheaper. It does everything I need and will hold up better than a mongoose from academy. I can't justify spending close to $1k on a bike, so to me used made sense.
How is that possible tho. Was the bike broken or needed repair or was it the lowest end rockhopper I need answers man. Or maybe you live in a place with shit weather so you get good deals on bikes
@@eugene44569 entirely possible that the seller just didn't see value or have any attachment to the bike, but really, $200???
@@eugene44569 Used bikes before the pandemic were very cheap, few people were in the market for them.
Probably stolen
I'm in OK. They guy bought it new, but it was a medium frame and on the small side for him so it sat in the shed from 2018 to 2020. Then it got listed on marketplace for $200 and I bought it.
This is a terrific video.
I’m in my 60’s and just began riding a year ago.
I had in my garage an early 1990’s MTB that I purchased when my child was younger but simply never rode the bike.
I gave it a thorough cleaning, took all of the axles apart and greased the bearings, replaced the brakes, tubes, and tires, and started riding.
I’ve now purchased an all road style bike with drop bars for pavement and am using the older MTB as a bike for casual riding around as well as for riding to some fishing spots on the beach where parking is either very expensive, non existent, or even prohibited.
Although I enjoy my newer all road bike there is something special I feel every time I ride my 30 year old steel frame bike.
Thanks for encouraging others to look for opportunities to buy older bikes, bring them to life, and into use.
BTW I only recently found your channel by accident and not only is your information extremely informative your presentation and format are very interesting.
Thanks
I have a Canadian Tire Supercycle I bought over 25 yrs ago. Its a Mountain Bike and it has 21 gears. I have been thinking about upgrading it but I most likely can not because it is just too old. It does run well as I have maintained it well over the years, I just love cycling and always will it is such a sense of freedom that you can not find anywhere else. Love the channel, keep up the great work!
I built a 26" Ellsworth Truth brand new in 2012. This bike has over 40K miles on it and I am still riding it in 2021. I love this bike and don't feel like I am losing any performance etc in any aspect to a newer, more "modern" bike.
40k miles😵💫 my legs can’t comprehend the amount of pain it takes to get to 40k miles
@@DaveedNation well the bike is nearly 10 years old. If you think about it 40K miles in nearly 10 years really isn't all that much. That's 4000 miles/year, or an avg of 333 miles per month, or 83 miles per week, which is nothing. I've done lots of rides way longer than 83 miles in a single day, lots of weeks in excess of 240-250 miles, and many months anywhere from 900-1300 miles in a single month.
Just a friendly advice: don't try a 29"er! There is a big performance gain if you're on the trails. I bought one for my girlfriend and I ride her bike if she doesn't join me.
@@guusvS Oh I've ridden plenty of 29ers. I didn't see what the big deal was.
Try a 27.5 or a 29 modern bike, and you probably won't say the same!!
My bike is a 30 something year old steel frame bike of an unknown brand that my friend found thrown in the basement of the house he bought and wanted to throw it away cause it was rusty, had no brakes, had tires so dried that could put a desert into complex mode, the gears were all crooked... well it was to be thrown away BUT! I didn't have any bike at the time and I was looking for a small project... you know, to make my life a bit harder. I changed almost everything on that bike apart from the frame and fork. It's a full stiff, no suspension what so ever, repainted the whole thing, changed every other component with cheap but respectable parts (according to amazon's reviews) and the damn thing rolls! It's still a shit show of bike cause it's also too small for me (frame of unknown size and measurements of course) and most of the time it's incredibly uncomfortable, and currently it's the only bike I own, BUT HEY, it's MY bike and I made that thing hit the road once more. That piece of rusty junk it's now my commuter, my gravel bike, my mountain bike at the same time and I love it!
don't be telling folks you have a full stiff..
@@petesmitt ahahahahaha.. my bad! I didn't see it this way. I should just just write that my bike has no suspensiom at all ahahaha
Is it possible to fit the frame size to your height by changing the stem and seat post maybe? I really dont know that much bout bikes but I heard that a smaller frame could be fitted while a bigger one cant. Have you tried any of that?
@@FFriday I can't change the stem height because it's an old bike with fixed stem and fork. I tried to change the seat tube height but since the stem is still low it's even more uncomfortable and I look like the hunchback on a bike.
Show us the restoration video
Another great video Seth, I'm still regularly riding my '92 Specialized Hard Sport, ~95% upgraded parts, and I also bought an old Trek and Specialized/Crossroads (both late 90's) for $25 combined a couple years ago, got them both back in good working order to use as friends/company bikes when people visit, good solid bikes that just needed a little love.
I bought a Huffy MegaMax 24" 18 speed MTB for $10. No idea what it was new. All steel frame no suspension. Turned it into a 2400 watt AWD ebike that topped out at about 42mph (software limit). I take it to ride around at large automotive events. Looks really cool. Thought it was funny that people stopped and took multiple angle pictures of it while I was off looking at cars. I have pictures if you're interested in having a look.
When i bought my bike back in 7 years ago, i didnt have money and even used bikes were too expensive since good ones started at around 600€. So i decited to buy a brandless new one and the only thing i was concerned with was how the welds look and if the frame looks sturdy. I upgraded my bike over the years to a 1by nx drivetrain, i bought used g2 brakes, a used 10year old rock shox reba that was never used, changed the stwm and bars, proper pedals and wider tires. i probably paid over 1200€ in total over u years for this bike, but it is perfectly setup for the type of riding i do. I do long tours, dirt park and downhill with it and it holds up to any abuse i, with my skill level, can throw at it. And i built it, which is an amazing feeling to ride what u build and setup urself :)
Dude this is something that so many people need to hear, glad to see you put it in a video Seth
I'm stil rocking my 26" 3x9 Sensa hardtail that I bought 16 years ago, actually the first bike I ever bought.
I've broken/replaced every thing but frame, handlebars and cranks:
1 brake groups
2 front forks
2 wheels sets
2 bottom brackets
Lost count on spokes, chains, pedals, sprockets and tyres.
I didn't pay for it in money, did some work over the summer in a bikeshop. Getting this bike was a better deal than getting money.
I really agree with your anxiety point: If I or somebody else would snap my bike in half today, I would care more about the story than the damage.
So glad that I found this channel, the down to earth attitude and easy going commentary is in stark contrast to a lot of ''up their asses snobbery'' common in a lot of cycling channels. I am a roadie and into mtb and I was a proud French bulldog owner. Best wee dogs in the world and I am even more motivated to get me an the wee kids another dog. Kudos and cheers. Northern Ireland
Still riding my 2007 norco Sasquatch, well kinda, over the years I upgraded every parts except the stem. Even the frame got upgraded for a larger one. My joy is to keep up on my hard tail with the others and their fancy 5k double suspension bikes. I kind of get some pride out of it
I use my 2002 Giant Boulder Rigid mountain bike with a 3x7 Gearing to go ride with my friends, they all use skinny tire road or hybrid bikes. I keep up with them and work up a sweat where if I use my skinny tire bike I just coast most of the time. All that time using the Mountain Bike exclusively build up muscles the road bike wouldn't have ;-) Different kind of riding, but same joy!
True. Love the Sasquatch and wish that they hadn’t discontinued it. I bought the last model year one, new, and still enjoy regularly
I really like how Seth (in this series) is also taking the other side, like 3x vs. 1x, and new vs. old bikes, because I feel that there are always more people rooting for the new, expensive stuff than there are people on the other side.
I mean, i don't doubt why. When i go out with my group and get to use some of their insane bikes for a little bit i just can't help it but realize how well engineered everything is. Since i have my Formula RX brakes i don't wanna change back to wires ever again, it's a completely different world, and with 10 gears on the back a single gear on the front might be enough to both get high speeds downhill and a good climbing gear. (I know i'm not using the right words for some stuff, but i don't know all the terminology in english for theese things). I usually don't hear people say old is bad, but i do hear people say the new stuff is amazing, and i can't dissagree with them.
@@Ferrari255GTO I agree, used bikes are great, and hydraulic disk brakes are a big upgrade compared to rim brakes, or even mechanical/cable disk brakes. My CO-OP DRT 1.1 came with Tektro hydraulic disks, somewhat low end compared to what Seth uses, but the stopping power was just unreal compared to rim brakes! 1x life is the bomb, my bike has a 3x7 Shimano tourney drivetrain, it's noisy, annoying, drops chains, ect. When I get my next bike I'll be sure to get one with a 1x! That said, there are merits to slightly "older" bikes, for example (not that hardtails are old!) hardtails are just so much simpler and easy to maintain than full suspension, albeit with a little more bounce and slightly less traction, but I love hardtails, I've ridden them all my life.
What a great video Seth! I purchased a second hand Cube LTD Race from 2008 a couple of months ago. I picked it up for 200 euro of the previous owner. It looked almost new. I now put on new tires on it, a new saddle, a shorter stem, wider handlebars, grips and new paddles. I had so much fun customizing it to my specific needs and preferences! It's a great ride. It opened a whole new world for me!
There is one huge downside you didn't mention: when buying a used bike you should either be or have a person with profound bike knowledge. Because examining a bike before buying it used is pretty hard and there are possible catastrophic failures a bike can have that are hard to spot.
I thought so as well, but if there is an issue with, say the frame, those are fairly easy to spot.
kinks in the tubing? spotted it. cracks? spotted those too. The only place you're really going to have to take a punt is if you're buying used online, sight unseen. You don't have to know everything to spot when something is off.
Besides, part of buying something like this is learning how things work. I bought a 1980's Peugeot randoneur and I spent nearly a year faffing about trying to get it road-worthy. Time well spent because I can look at that bike and know everything - simply EVERYthing - about it, all it's quirks and drawbacks, what works and doesn't
and, I am still riding it and getting positive feedback everywhere I ride it
yeah if you don't fix your own bike right now you'll either learn or be best friends with the LBS haha
What if I get the used bike from a bike shop?
@@ScatteredDreams120 should be fine
Failures wouldn't be nearly as catastrophic as will almost certainly happen with new department store bike.
my "old" bike is a 2008 surly 1x1. It's got really oldschool XC geometry, 26" tires and no suspension. I was working at a shop that couldn't sell the frameset so I got it for cheap. Been riding it as a MTB/commuter for the 5 years since I got it. I even won an XC race with it earlier this year (not a high level race though).
Still a win mate!
You can't recycle carbon frames. Hell you can't even fix them some times. They go right into landfill. Steel bikes can last for decades but even if they're damaged you can recycle that alloy.
Seth youre like that guy in the bond films cia agent Felix.
A carbon bike frame actually has a longer lifecycle than steel and auminum. The biggest killer of carbon bikes are crashes particularly where the frame receives high energy in a small surface area, these loads would typically kill an aluminum frame as well. That is the one place where steel has more durability as a steel frame can have a small dent and still be safe to ride. Other than that its lack of maintenance or maintenance induced failures like over torquing. Any crash without a frame impact that will kill a carbon bike will kill any bike.
@@brandonreimer184 ah yes, this is why there are so many broken carbon bikes. makes sense.
@@bananasstuff3344 Carbon frames actually would outlast aluminum and steel if you didn't crash, but carbon cannot handle crashing as well as aluminum or steel because it will crack instead of denting. Riders who crash a lot and suck at inspecting their bike should not ride carbon
GG’s carbon bikes are actually recyclable (different carbon manufacturing process)
Was going to buy a new bike this month, and my local bike shop told me not to bother - my 15 year old Raleigh Mojave 2.0 is holding up great, and it'll be much cheaper and better value to add new pieces to it instead of buying outright new. So I'm pretty excited to take the bike in tomorrow! New drivetrain and V brakes for sure, we'll see what else they recommend. I was told to expect about $350 needed in parts, which definitely beats $750 on a new Trek Marlin or Cannondale Quick CX 4, and I get to keep loving this "wise and old" bike that has accompanied me for my whole adult life!
I agree 100%. I'm on a 2002 K2 Razorback 3.0, it's had a lot of updates and still doing good, especially considering it's a 20 year old bike now.
If you're a new rider lurking in the comments, this is great advice. Been preaching to buy used before new for years and still have yet to buy new. I've seen plenty of new riders go out and buy a brand new bike right away only to lose interest or crash due to undeveloped skills and lose a ton of money repairing or replacing. Just last year I sold my old hard tail to some guy that crashed and cracked his carbon full suspension first time out on an actual trail. What a waste!
Who the hell goes trailing for the first time on a carbon bike??!! I would shit myself if i had to take care of that thing man, what a disgrace.
Another advantage of older bikes (especially in built ones) are the parts that come with it as standard. Older bikes have shimano parts as standard. Even if they are entry-level parts, they are still Shimano which depicts "quality." Since the pandemic, built bikes usually come with imitations parts that may or may not pose danger to riders due to quality issues
This might be true for drivetrain parts, but doesn't necessarily hold up for fancier old-ish bikes. Avoid anything hydraulic that says "Avid" or "Hayes" on it. There's also a time limit to the age of suspension that can be rebuilt effectively, since in many cases shops can't even get parts anymore. An older road bike with Shimano brake/shift levers is asking for an expensive repair when your ratchets wear out or your cable head breaks off in the shifter. Also, Microshift is also making some decent stuff now. I have one of their 10-speed AdventX derailleurs on my commuter, and it performs better than SRAM SX.
I sell and fix bikes for a living, so I'm definitely not saying there aren't good used bikes out there. We've been overhauling a lot of older bikes just because we don't always have new bikes in stock right now. But I have also seen some truly clapped-out bikes come in that are way more of a hazard to their rider than anything new would be. If you can, I always recommend having a shop quote you for repairs BEFORE purchase.
Entry shimano is nowhere near as good as the microshift stuff coming out. Nor the falcon stuff coming out
Heck yeah. I have Microshift advent 9speed and love it. Much better than acera or something. It shifts smoothly, it is easy to maintain, has a clutch and 9 speed are enough for me. That chain is also more thicc, so it will probably last longer
@@KujoA2 At some point it becomes hard to find parts that use older standards. And older could even mean 5 years or less. I have a ~2014 mtb that uses "26+" tires, a size that never caught on and are consequently in short supply and very expensive. I thought I'd convert the bike to 27.5 to have better tire selection but I could not find a single used, non-boost wheelset on craigslist or marketplace over several months. So I spent 160 bucks on tires.
I got my bike from my late Grandpa (linc quantum pro. not sure but that's what written on the frame), god knows how long since he bought it. he said it was a gift from a friend when he was still working. since retirement he rode the bike and cherish it until covid hit him hard and he passed away. after almost a year I finally put my hand on it, bring it to mechanic to get repair and change few parts, and now I ride it everyday. commuting feels happier than ever been. now I knew why he love that bike so much
I found a 40 year old Basso Roadbike in my parents basement. Hasn‘t had been ridden in years and was just collecting dust. It was only like 2cm shorter than my optimal frame size so I wanted to try and restore it and ride it myself. Dad said yes and I, with pretty limited knowledge about how to fix bikes started by washing it, reading and watching videos about the different parts and how to do maintenance on them and then just… tried. Now I am the proud owner of a vintage steel roadbike with matching groupset and wheels and I use it as my messenger bike. I really learned to enjoy maintaining it and riding every day. Gotta admit tho, new bikes that weigh like half or even less are looking hella tempting too
How come no one is talking about how Oscar is like the sickest trail dog ever. He needs his own channel, or at least his own episode🤙 oh and Seth is pretty good too🤣
I have a 1998 department store hard tail with a 2009 specialized front suspension. I rescued the bike from a guys basement form $30 cdn and the specialized hard rock I found in a dumpster. Took all the good parts from it and put it on the old beater, best bike I've owned
Last year I bought the 2008 Giant XTC, barely used and in great condition, for a less than +/- 250 dollars (im living in Europe...) and I'm super happy about this bike! In 2008 i bought brand new Giant Rincon cause that was the bike in my price range, but I remember checking out those XTCs in bikeshop and just dream about buying one of them.
Now, after few years i finally got it for a next to nothing! The simmilar to the one on my bike rockshox front fork costs albout 100$ alone...
Its a great bike for a further upgrades, it looks great, had a huge capibility and it's very lightweight. Every single ride is pleasure. Of course 26' wheels are really outdated but im fine with this. First when I bought it I was really into upgrading it, but all in all it needed only some new tyres, new seat, pedals and wider handlebar. I left 3x9 drivetrain cause I sometimes use this bike to commute and it spends more than 50% time on concrete roads... I use them to get to local forest trials too...
It's great that you hyped older bikes, cause there is something in their style and desing, that says "it is indestructible and really reliable".
In 1994 I bought a brand new mongoose Alta mountain bike. It was my college bike. I paid 400 dollars for it which was a lot to me back then. It is Taiwan made steel with rigid fork. Other bike brands offered suspension forks but skimped on the components. This bike had full shimano STX components. I put slicks on it and used it for commuting. I put thousands of miles on it.
I have since bought other mountain bikes including a 2010 Gary Fisher (Trek) Marlin and a a 2018 trek Xcaliber 8. I love those two bikes but the mongoose holds a special place in my heart. Years later I added a manitou fork , new handlebar and stem. I still own it and won’t part with it.
I intend to tear it down, clean everything and rebuild it this winter. Because I have a difficult time letting go of bikes, I now own 7 of them. That doesn’t include my kids bikes or fiances
You’re right about coil forks, I would often ride my old Trek 6500 hard tail with a coil sprung Rock Shox Judy over my Kona Stinky with a Marzocchi air fork because the air fork was horrible and needed maintenance before every ride; it either leaked and let the air out or was so stiff I couldn’t cycle the fork even putting all my weight on it.
I recently made a big upgrade (for me) to a 2013 Specialized Epic Carbon Expert. $1250 for a carbon full suspension XC shredder. I've given it new shift cables, new tires, and a brake bleed. That's it, that's all. I love the positivity towards used bikes (or used gear of any sort).
I picked up my 2013 Giant Talon in 2015, it was abandoned on a pier and rusting away, saved it from the trash. I commuted on it for years, now I'm riding it around trails, new tires, PNW bars/pedals and an Eagle NX drivetrain. I know its a ton of money for a $700 bike but here in a year I'll pass it down to my wife and she'll enjoy it too.
All of my bikes came off of Facebook Marketplace, and the newest one I waited several months to find one at a price I was comfortable with. 02 Giant Boulder $120, 11 Giant Rapid $150, ?? Mongoose Beast $100, and ?? Motobecane Fantom Trail DS $320. Only the Giant Boulder is a bit rough in appearances, the other 3 have a scratch or two but still look gorgeous. The main thing is all of them were literally get on and ride, no shop visit right off the bat! I love used bikes as it's how I was financially willing to get into different kinds of biking!
This is true! I got my 5010 used and although he is still not that old he is not to hard to maintain and I love him!
I've got a 2020 Scott aspect 730 that I brought back in 2019 for around $950 and has had the whole group set changing, new bars, tires, grips and even a dropper post. Its been my first proper mountain bike and is now getting to small for me "I'm 16" and I can only get around $700 for it. Definitely going to get a used bike next, thanks Seth :)
Hi from Canada .
I bought new my bike in 2004
Still mostly stock with small upgrade as the stock parts were getting worn out / seat - brakes and pads - cables - hand grips - seat post quick release .
Accessories that have been upgraded -
Lights - cargo rack - speedometer - This year a new Pair of mongoose pedals and a phone mount
Brand - Bonelli
Limited edition .
Chromoly Frame - 22
Alloy Wheel 26 x 1.75
21 speed Shimano drive train .
Shimano V-brake brake system .
Zoom shock - Front only .
Yellow and red pain job still in awesome condition.
Zefal water bottle cage .
Zefal storage canister.
Zefal water bottle
Paid 700$ .
Keeping my bike saved me 3,962$ if I got one every 3 years roughly
Awesome videos thank you sharing them with all of us .
I haven't owned a brand new bike since 1996! I have been riding my 2005 Stumpjumper hardtail on single-track for the last 5 or 6 years. I paid $350 used. New this bike was around $2000. It is 3x9 gearing, old school 26" wheels, and had cantilever brakes. I upgraded to some used disc brakes, replaced broken parts with used items over the years, and it has treated me very well.
Last weekend I upgraded to another used bike, a 2015 Salsa Spearfish that I picked up for $850. This bike was nearly $3,000 new, and still in great shape. I wanted to step up to 29" wheels, thru axles, boost spacing and getting full suspension was a bonus. I love it so far
I also have a Fatback and Specialized Fatboy fat bikes in my stable right now, total investment was about 30% of new retail.
I have been buying and selling used bikes for years, easily over 100 of them. My mission was to keep people off department store crap and get them on something decent for much less than new. Not everyone needs a full carbon fiber race machine, and the cost is out of the question for many so buying used stuff that has depreciated for a fraction of new is a great option for a lot of us.
Back in 2019 i won a raffle of used mountain bikes and pay for $2 for the owner. Up to this day, it's still my main bike, I ride through the technical trails and long rides. And of course, I need to pay to upgrade my bike to get the experience of trail rides. So yeah I love my bike.
My whole family now have mid 00's specialised epik's, buying second hand frames and transferring components from smaller bikes is a great upgrade path for kids
Can confirm, used/flip is the best way to go! Purchased a used 2016 Specialized Stumpjumper for $500 pre-pandemic, put about $500 worth of upgrades into it (used fork, seat dropper, drivetrain, etc.) and resold the bike for $1500 recently, got lots of good riding time out of it too!
I bought a used Raleigh Tokul 1 in 2018 and have rode it for over 2000 miles, had a lot of fun and great stories, about 3 months ago with the suggestion of a new friend, we made a few upgrades and now is a trail bike specifically, and I love it. Great job Seth!
Finally someone said it
I bought my Scott Voltage FR30 2012 for about 600$, and it was fully stock, and in great condition, with only a few scrathces
It's an absloute freeride beast for the price of a beginner level hardtail
I got me a 2014 Scott voltage fr10 at the beginning of the summer. Love this bike!, and I agree the voltage line were some of the best freeride bikes ever made. I got mine for 1000 and it litterly looks like someone bought it road it once and put it in the garage. These bikes retailed for around 3500 new, so I fully agree on shopping used if your on a budget or lol you cant see spending motorcycle or car money on a bicycle like me.
man, old bikes totally deserve the love, a lot of people's need could be met with old bikes and they just don't know it yet
I bought a Nashbar AL1 road bike with Shimano Sora and Gatorskin tires for $200 which was three years old at that time. Upgraded the pedals to SPD, rear cassette to 11-34 and bike works like a charm for all my rides. Longest ride I have done is 45 miles with 2400 ft of elevation. Planning to do my first century on this same bike. I got 600+ miles on it so far in past 6 months. I love upgrading and taking care of the bike myself. Always nice watching your videos Seth!
I shred an old Bridgestone “Wild West” from the 90s and the bike company as an entirety stopped making bikes back in the mid late 90s. Sent my first black diamond on it and almost died :). It held up though!
I just recently got a new bike. I had been riding my entry level hardtail (Trek Wahoo) for 7.5 years though. That bike is a tank. Yes I've had to replace parts but the frame is a tank. However, my skills have surpassed its capabilities and since I ride mostly downhills I meeded something more aggressive. So I finally broke down and bought a full suspension with a lot slacker head angle. So far I'm in love. However, my Trek will always be with me. It still will be used as XC bike.
I bought an Ibis Szazbo new in 1997 for $2700 in Colorado at the end of the summer bike season with the full XTR component group. It was the display model and was originally priced at $3600. I’m still riding it 24 years later! I completely rebuilt it in 2019 with new tires, cables, stem, front fork, rear shock and 1x11 XT drivetrain. I get more attention on the trails than folks riding new bikes and it still goes everywhere I want it to.
Had an 05 Specialized Rock Hopper I got for $20 - single speed, cable disk brakes didn't work, trashy rattle can job but had Marzochi forks on it. Stripped everything off it, cleaned it, installed new tires, bars, grips, seat post and saddle while refreshing everything else. Was just a fun bike to bum around on being a single speed hard tail with a plus fork. Then it got stolen within 5 days of moving to Baltimore. Fast forward 2 years, living in OR now and finally able to get an MTB again and got a 2018 Trek Roscoe 7 and have done some minor upgrades to it. While I like it a lot and know it is a far more capable bike, it just does not have the same spark of enjoyment that old rockhopper had. Especially when just cruising around town and on gravel paths (single bike gang where you at?)
Anyone in Oregon have an old 05 Rockhopper they want to sell for $20 lol
Bought my Mountainbike "newish", it was a last years model and since I wanted something more aggressive they upgraded me with a minimal used fork and saint hubs + wider rims (although now I wish i wouldn't have those saint hubs with the stupid oversize centerlock).
But I bought my street/race bike used for about 280€ (that thing is the same age as me), old Bianchi with frame shifters, worked great right from the start and just had to replace tires+brakes. Upgrading it over the years made a lot of fun and until now I replaced almost every Part, but that old violet sleeve weld frame (hope it is called like that in englisch) surely is a eye catcher with new parts.
Unfortunately with Covid rotors are even harder to find for those hubs now. This right here is one of the biggest reasons/thing to look for when buying a used bikes. Old standards that are difficult or impossible to source parts for.
@@william1286
God help you if the old bike still has a threaded headset. I had to get a new one because all the stores in my city had were threadless.
@@william1286 When I bought them in 2009 it was a new standard but now its really hard to get them like you say. Wanted to change the size to 180/160 but good luck finding those now (for a normal price). Also there is no adapter like for normal Centerlock.
@@DinnerForkTongue thats one reason why I switched to a new carbon fork on that bike. Still was cheaper than buying an threaded one because all I could get were from chris king (~200$)
@@lensineer
Ouchie.
Seth love the old bikes they are the sickest thing ever
Mine isn’t ancient or anything but in January 2020 I bought a used 2017 diamondback Edgewood LX. A gentleman in his 60s said he rode it once and decided it wasn’t for him and sat in his garage until I bought it. He made sure the tires were fine and the chain was oiled. I’ve been using it as my commuter and recreational rides with my daughter. I have done zero maintenance and on my way home from groceries this morning my chain started skipping. I’m an all weather rider in the north east, so for 80USD on a 270USD (Dicks sporting goods sticker was still on it) I am very happy.
It isn’t my dream Kona Dr Dew, but it gets me from A to B just fine :)
I have a hand me down from my older brother, a Trek Y11 OCLV. Really gotten me into mountain biking and was the main reason I came across your channel. All I did was replace the fork with a new one, got new shifter and brake cables, and got a new chain. Recently have been hitting blue square trails, but kinda scared to bring it to anything tougher, afraid the bike would break. Was considering selling this off to get a Marin SQ3 but after watching this video I think I'll keep it for a bit longer and make more memories with it :)
Ive been watching for about 3 years now however I haven't owned a bike in near 15 years. That changed this week when I finally bought a bike I've been eyeing for about a year. A brand new TREK Marlin 6. I love it. Thanks to you and a few other mtb youtubers for the I spiraling to spend all of my Money and time on this therapy that is biking again.
A marlin 6 is a great starter bike I had it for long but sold it to buy a better used bike
@@ceoofshanghaicorn3096 I did another of research before I bought it. It has everything I wanted, mainly the 1x and "juice" brakes. And so much lighter than the department store bike my gf just picked up off marketplace lol
I am riding a 26" since 2010 when I bought it brand new, replaced big part of the part due to usage but it holds a lot of fun, and prefer it since I am used to the geometry.
Reliving my past through your channel! In my 50’s now and haven’t ridden a bike in 25 yrs. Getting a hip replacement soon and hope to be back on a bike soon!
I bought my 92 Cannondale m700 used for a couple hundred bucks after high school. 20+ years later, it's been a great bike that I intend on keeping forever. Since it has more sentimental value to me than value as a bike at this point, I bought two bikes to take over regular riding so I can preserve it indefinitely (it's one of a handful of things from when I was young that I still have). I picked up an early 00's Cannondale road bike for $150 and a new bottom feeder Cannondale mountain bike so that I can better explore riding on the road and mountains. The cheap road bike is easily one of the best purchases I've ever made. The new mountain bike has been great, I can thrash it as much as I want on the trails without worrying about destroying something that means a lot to me.
I bought my bike for 20 dollars at a junkyard, it was unusable and I patched it up into a single speed to ride. 3 years later it is a 3*8 with new everything and paint except the frame.
I had to learn the mechanics of it by necessity and never had to make that a big payment at once. It is one of a kind and I love it
At age 62 I decided to try mountain biking. (Audience laughter). I found exactly the bike I was looking for in an early 2000’s Rockhopper hardtail. Lightly used, sat in a barn for at least 10 years. I got the brakes and shifting working beautifully. It has an LX drivetrain and just needed to be cleaned up. It looks nearly new. $245 plus a chain and new cables. If I love it, I’ll keep it. If not I’ll flip it. I like this series you’re doing -it speaks my language!
Still riding my 2007 Kona Hoss and loving it. Only changed the chain and brake pads, ridden through sand, mud, rain etc. crashed many times and it’s still going. The thing is bulletproof.
I’ve bought one new mtb in my entire life……all others have been used. Sure there have been times I’ve been made fun of because of my old bike but I don’t care. I have loads of fun and they do what I need them to do. I currently ride a 2007 Yeti 575 and love it. Going to build a 1999 Cannondale Super V2000 this winter. Going to turn it into a Uber V. Not going to consider spending 5k on any bike. Not going to say the new bikes aren’t amazing and better but cost is prohibitive……for me.
That being said, make sure you thoroughly inspect the bike and don't let the seller pressure you or cut your testing short. I got screwed over by a $50 Trek bike that appeared to only need an easy repair, but it had many other issues and cost $150 in parts to repair it. $200 in and the bike's only worth $130.
Same here. Sellers will use every trick in the book to disguise problems. Bike I bought, seller said just needs brakes. Buy brakes, they don't fit. Seller had removed them to hide he had switched out to a too small rim. Also discovered the minor tune up he claimed was really a broken derailleur. Plus it had a broken axel, and worn out bottom bracket. It's been sitting for months while I figure out what to do with it. Buyer beware!
Hey Seth i have 26 dj flow Rocky Mountain bike from 2007 the brakes were shot and we done some replacements on it and get new tires it’s pretty good and it has a 2 cassette the price was free A lot of the stuff was kind of working and it has the same fork as ur filp bike from the kona
I even have more stories to it if anyone wants to ask!
I ride a 94 Mongoose Sycamore with alivio components, cantilever brakes and 26" wheels. It rides absolutely supple and IT GOES FAST! The geometry is perfect for me, it performs great and I can repair anything on the go with just a simple toolkit that goes in my saddle bag. It's the ultimate comfort, cost-benefit ride I've ever got.
I was looking for a used bike lol perfect timing!
I actually had a old specialized hardrock, with scraches all over the frame, it was just to get around. It got stolen couple days ago outside a store, i don't feel too bad but it was a nice bike. i paid $160 for it and new they go for $450
1996 Specialized Hardrock. Purchased in 2002 for $250, rebuilt drivetrain and wheels in 2008, rebuilt front end (new fork, handlebars, and stem) and switched to v-brakes in 2020. I've been ripping trails all over the Southeast on it for close to 20 years, and having a blast. Most mountain bikers around Asheville scorn these old bikes as antiques only good for gravel riding, but if you have the desire to ride and learn, you can ride any trail you want.
I like that integrity and honesty, brother. That’s why I keep watching. Peace.
i still ride a 90's specialized hardrock, only recently did i turn it into a hardtail from full rigid, downside was when i did the headset swap (yes it was threaded forks originally) that i was able to confirm the cracks in the paintwork is actually a fractured headtube, but it still gets ridden for basic excercise down a gravel cycle path and another bike build venture is under way
Specialized have a lifetime guarantee on their frames, contact them and they will replace it for FREE!!
Love what you do!
I too have a collection of bikes and may have an addiction but I'm perfectly fine riding a 1993 Dyno Blue and silver with a steel frame. All good and not that big of a worry.
I rode a 15 year old Raleigh with broken shifters Covered in rust and scrapes. Used it all through college in a sketchy city. As parts were stolen I learned how to replace them. Once the whole back wheel and cassette was stolen I learned how to find compatible replacements.
That rusty pile of junk forced me to learn about bike maintenance. Which led me to your channel. Couple years later I finally rode that thing into the ground and wanted a new bike. Thanks for teaching me to take care of that old thing, Seth haha
Used bikes are always fun to look at, never know what you might find! Great vid as always Seth!
Seriously, you never know what you might find. Probably would've ended up sitting in an eternal queue for a Commencal or YT, but I turned to the used market and now I'm riding my dream bike which I bought for a great price.
Loved this video. New bikes are getting to be such a large entry barrier when the general population isnt getting more earnings. The average mtb for Joe or Jane do was appx £500 under 20 years ago. Wages havent gone up to compensate. Bike companies are becoming very elitist in the target market.
I agree wholeheartedly. It is such a shame.
A 1989 Marin Muirwoods (white with purple splatter paintjob), found in dumpster a few years ago. Build it up with a 1x9 11-46t advent,
a large front rack, Billy Bonker tires, some purple parts matching the paintjob and a used test Brooks C15. A perfect grocery, cargo, commuter and pub bike. One of my most loved bikes I have.
Great video as always! I picked up a nicely maintained 2014 Salsa Spearfish 1 that the original owner had added an xx1 rear mech, a nice set of Sram rail 40 rims, XTR brakes, and a Thompson dropper. The bike needed a good tune up and fork service, but overall is in great condition. I honestly could not have afforded a similar build in a new bike. I did have to service the bike, but still came out at half the price as new and didn’t have the “first scratch anxiety” that goes along with it.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how much of a goober Oscar looks? Especially when he runs in slow mo 🤣
I come for the bikes. I stay for doge 😍
Oscar can jump like a frog!
I come to this channel for the mix that includes this stuff.
The "best" about the neighborhood bike I ever had was one that revealed itself after a snowdrift melted, it was put out to the curb by the previous house owner. Rusty and all, it ran great, had an internal gears and I never had to worry about someone stealing it.
I've got a 2006 Raleigh Mojave 8.0. I bought it from a bike shop when it was a year old (and not ridden) I spent 500 bucks to buy it (and got a new helmet and hydrapack from the shop for buying it making the bike closer to 425 than 500 bucks out the door) at a discount because it was last years model. I've put a few thousand miles on it, the first few years of its life with me going at least 10 miles a day. I have saved tons not replacing it. I've replaced the wheels, cassette, chain, one shifter, brake pads and have had 2 sets of pedals on it.
I have run through 2 sets of slicks (I use slicks for road riding) and 2 sets of knobbies.
I'm pondering what a new bike would ride like, but I love this one. It does everything I need, nothing I don't. I may convert it to a 1by but Honestly I use my 32t and 44t rings all the time and never my 22t... so I'd miss the higher gearing if I were to go to a 34 or eve 36t ring...
That said it is time to replace the rings and cranks as the rings are worn and causing premature chain wear and finding parts is getting harder.
That said I look at craigslist and have sticker shock because similar bikes are still around 500 bucks and don't have any 'modern' features like bigger than 26" wheels or nicer derailleur or shifters
I love the devil's advocate approach; any way to consider and weight out other perspectives is just a better way to make a judgement call. You made this arbitrary topic into a thought provoking video. Still needed something to stare at... but admirable. Thank you, looking forward to the next one.
... you look hilarious on that white topanga, but you're doing it for the right reasons. I've been there, we're laughing together.
I found your channel a while into my new addiction into watching trail rides. I just bought a used bike from Facebook for $300 and am excited to get the safety gear and start practicing on it! I’m trying to figure out what things I need to upgrade (or replace) but don’t want to just go frivolously spending money. I’m going to be watching more of your flip bike videos now to see if there’s any similarities to mine. (My bike is a giant talon I believe 3) . Until I know for sure I am going to be riding it until anything major is apparent up front!
Appreciate your passion and willingness to take the time to make content for anyone willing to watch! Am looking forward to seeing what other ways you’re able to spread values to others! Also would be amazing to someday try one of your Patreon trails. Have a great one, and best of luck in life.
Bought my commuter brand new like six years ago. Really enjoy riding it through town to that day. It has a planetary 8speed hub, closed chain box, Magura HS11 brakes, so it's super reliable and low maintenance. I also got two waterproof Ortlieb bags for carrying my weekly groceries, etc. Yesterday I changed the bottom bracket on my own, which was fun and worked out quite great. Also installed some new grips cause the old ones were pretty done. The hub might not be the most sporty thing to ride but within those six years I never had any problems with it. Just flushed it myself with new oil once so far. Also still running the first chainrings and chain on it, pretty worn out, but the single speed chains are tough. Might take another six years until I need to replace the whole drivetrain.
Bought and rebuilt a 2002 norco Sasquatch, bought for 200$ and have put about that into modernizing and fixing it, that bike is one of my pride and joys as I learned how to work on bikes directly because of that bike. Fell in love when I worked on it :)
I’m still riding my 15 year old GIANT Sedona that I bought new. I recently began using my bike for errands within a two mile radius of my house. I’m loving being back on my bike.
Luv ya Seth, haven't had a new bike since 2003...but that old bike has been upgraded lovingly thanx to your expert advice! Keep it up!
I wanted an old mtb to convert to flat bar gravel, found a Miyata Valley Runner from 1987 and after some minor welding and a lot of new parts it’s turned into my favorite casual rider. I paid $80 for it and spent another $200 in parts and often grab this over my current year $1400.00 hard tail. This is my longtime hobby and get so much satisfaction from these retro-mod bikes. Love the Chanel and the balance of information and entertainment.
I've got a 2006 Scott scale 70. I was given the frame for free back in 2016 and have built it up over the years plus upgrading it along the way and completely love it.
Love this! I ride a 4 year old Framed Marquette and have done a few sensible up grades (cassette, shocks, pedals) and it rides great in the white mountains.
I just got back into mountain biking after about 8 years with a 2015 27.5 giant trance 2. It has some less desirable parts but allowed me to rip some trails up this summer before the snow starts to fly, and has motivated me to get in better shape (CLIMBING IS HARD!)