I have very little knowledge in this field but I’m eager to dive in, want something unique that’ll keep me invested beyond the ride. I love to tinker/customize. This bike caught my eye, says it’s a 90s GT, dealers bike. He’s asking $400. Worth it?
Mountain biking has come a long long way since the 90s, and old full suspension bikes weren’t great and could potentially come with a lot of issues, as well as be difficult to find servicing parts for. Unless you’re specifically into restoring old bikes, I would steer clear and look for something more modern.
All bikes require regular maintenance and have opportunities for upgrading and tinkering, but modern bikes have far greater performance and customisation options.
S1r_Galahad on
That’s junk. Only realistic use is to be at an expo or bike museum. Get a modern bike.
lachyTDI7 on
Recommend heading over to r/xbiking for the “vintage” mtbs. That’s a cool bike but not really a mountain bike by today’s standards.
wood4536 on
Worth it as sort of a museum piece you can polish up. Not worth it if you actually want to ride
norecoil2012 on
If you like to tinker you can totally fix that thing up with a 1x, v-brakes, whatever saddle, seatpost, handlebar etc. you want and make it your own and get in tip-top shape. It would be fun to ride around town and on dirt paths.
However, the sport has advanced since 1990 and trails span a much broader range of difficulty than what was considered “mountain biking” in 1990. This bike would not be enjoyable or safe to ride on anything that isn’t a mostly smooth and relatively flat “beginner” trail.
Spacebar19 on
What is on the rear axle? Is that a motor? The frame is LTS. It is very old but I have never seen one with that bracket and motor mount. Was that added later is it custom or modified?
steveoa3d on
That’s a good wall hanger frame with a horrible fork. That era of MTB had small wheels, short wheelbase and high center of gravity. They are really hard to ride on modern trails. I see these old MTBs on the paved bike paths with small children in tow, that about all they are good for.
You would be far better off with a 29er hard tail from the major brands. Even the high end Walmart brand bike will run circles around that old bike.
Anything with 26 inch wheels is outdated. Only exception is the Kona Stinky and its derivatives. They were ahead of their time and if well maintained can still shred the bike park !
Thaegar_Rargaryen on
That would be a pretty nice vintage 95 or 96 GT LTS if someone hadn’t welded tabs for that atrocious Sachs Power Disc brake to the seatstay and I don’t even know what’s going on with that rear hub. Looks like he somehow managed to put a cassette on an internal gear hub.
Stay away from that bike.
Spare-Bus5314 on
There’s no way I would spend 400 bucks on that piece of crap. You could get an entry level new bike for a slightly more amount of money. Hell to the no
9 Comments
Mountain biking has come a long long way since the 90s, and old full suspension bikes weren’t great and could potentially come with a lot of issues, as well as be difficult to find servicing parts for. Unless you’re specifically into restoring old bikes, I would steer clear and look for something more modern.
All bikes require regular maintenance and have opportunities for upgrading and tinkering, but modern bikes have far greater performance and customisation options.
That’s junk. Only realistic use is to be at an expo or bike museum. Get a modern bike.
Recommend heading over to r/xbiking for the “vintage” mtbs. That’s a cool bike but not really a mountain bike by today’s standards.
Worth it as sort of a museum piece you can polish up. Not worth it if you actually want to ride
If you like to tinker you can totally fix that thing up with a 1x, v-brakes, whatever saddle, seatpost, handlebar etc. you want and make it your own and get in tip-top shape. It would be fun to ride around town and on dirt paths.
However, the sport has advanced since 1990 and trails span a much broader range of difficulty than what was considered “mountain biking” in 1990. This bike would not be enjoyable or safe to ride on anything that isn’t a mostly smooth and relatively flat “beginner” trail.
What is on the rear axle? Is that a motor? The frame is LTS. It is very old but I have never seen one with that bracket and motor mount. Was that added later is it custom or modified?
That’s a good wall hanger frame with a horrible fork. That era of MTB had small wheels, short wheelbase and high center of gravity. They are really hard to ride on modern trails. I see these old MTBs on the paved bike paths with small children in tow, that about all they are good for.
You would be far better off with a 29er hard tail from the major brands. Even the high end Walmart brand bike will run circles around that old bike.
Anything with 26 inch wheels is outdated. Only exception is the Kona Stinky and its derivatives. They were ahead of their time and if well maintained can still shred the bike park !
That would be a pretty nice vintage 95 or 96 GT LTS if someone hadn’t welded tabs for that atrocious Sachs Power Disc brake to the seatstay and I don’t even know what’s going on with that rear hub. Looks like he somehow managed to put a cassette on an internal gear hub.
Stay away from that bike.
There’s no way I would spend 400 bucks on that piece of crap. You could get an entry level new bike for a slightly more amount of money. Hell to the no