Hypothetically, if all bikes were equally sound mechanically, and anything remaining of the $400 could be used for necessarry upgrades, which bike would you choose and why?
If your answer is "none, keep looking" feel free to choose that option and explain. But keep in mind– the budget us pretty much the budget (to start with.)
I've just started browsing and these are what have caught my eye. I'm not married to any of these alone, I'm asking more as a thought experiment to help train my eye to know what I'm looking for. Thanks!
by keepinitloose
7 Comments
I’d prefer steel over aluminium for the frame, considerijg we’re all packing the whole world on it.
I’d probably go with the red cannondale. Seems like a pretty straight forward bike and looks to be in good condition for the price. I would personally avoid anything with suspension because I don’t want to learn to service some crappy suspension from 20 years ago, plus that cannondale can probably handle some pretty rough terrain. But also this depends if it actually fits you.
First of all: what do you want to do with the bike? Where? How long?
#2 mostly because cheap suspension forks are garbage so at this budget rigid is going to be the way to go. #4 would be a distant second. But whichever you choose it most importantly needs to fit you.
The cannondale
Be honest about your use case, thats how i would approach the acquisition of a new bike considering i have a few varying builds. Look for mounts for packs and racks if bikepacking for longer durations. The cannondale drop bar is cool for points, steep in price but considering its already converted there wouldnt be much more to put in besides customizing, its aluminum and older and also 26” so you’ll have to work harder to get further. Id pick this one for the fun and cool points. Trek marlin and gt mtb would be next up for me for your budget (could probably knock off another $50 of each considering age). The modern standards of wheel size would be better for more versatile terrains and suitable for upgrading without much retrofitting.
Ask your sellers about their bike’s conditions, storage environments and crash history and always test ride bikes before buying used. Make sure they shift and are not seized or loose anywhere or you will be facing tighter budget restrictions.
Have a good time !! These are good picks !
I picked up a blueberry blue cannondale M600 for a project… I should probably finish it honestly…