Hi all,
I’m Looking to start riding and have these two bikes available, but both need some TLC. Having a hard time deciding which bike I should put some money into and if so what to spend it on. I’ve attached a bunch of pictures showing what’s currently on each bike. The first picture in the series showing the suntour fork is start of the pictures for the second bike
First bike is a Gary Fisher Joshua x0.
The brakes need to be fixed and it needs a new crank on one side
The second bike is a genesis stealth 1.0.
The rims are bent, needs a seat (could steal from other bike) and the brakes need to be fixed as well.
Thoughts and opinions would be much appreciated!
Thanks
by Prize-Attorney
9 Comments
Both are ancient and not worth your effort to get rideable
Are you getting these for free? I don’t think in this condition they are worth more than just metal by weight 😁 Ancient stuff
Anyway if you are asking which one is better: you probably have an idea or expectation on what these should be good for. What are your expectations?
Both are gonna be a lot of work, but those XTR cantilevers are about the best rim brakes to ever exist. With good pads, they’ll give discs a run for their money everywhere but in the rain. You can probably get things together cheaply, but you’re going to have to use a lot of elbow grease and judicious use of Amazon parts. In fact, I’d get both bikes and pick and choose what’s good from each. Overall though, you’ll probably do better to get a $300 entry level bike. It’ll work out of the box and likely be more reliable.
I’d recommend looking on Facebook for a nice used hard tail it would probably cost anywhere from 2-400$ to get one of those bikes serviced and running again and at that price your better off getting a newer bike
What are your intentions? The one with XTR would be fine to get around town, streets and gravel but not much more. They aren’t trash, but will need work if you put money into them, though it might not be cheap. If you can’t do the work yourself might be worth it.
Don’t put any money into the Genesis.
That Gary is fucking siiiicccccck just watch a video on YouTube and get it to shift/working and spend MINIMAL money. Figure out what you like about the sport and then move accordingly. Don’t go blowing a billion dollars yet! I got so caught up in buying the latest and greatest when I first started and it didn’t help anything.
It’s a right of passage to have your first few rides on an old death trap and I wish i didn’t blow all that money I didn’t need to.
Go get yourself a nice ozark trail. Those aren’t worth refurbishing.
Gary Fisher was a legit bike brand back in the day. Genesis is a Walmart brand.
Of the two bikes, you only have one actual mountain bike. The other (the Genesis) is a BSO, or Bike Shaped Object. It was trash when it was made, and time has not been kind to it.
Then again, the GF is also ancient and in really bad shape. I can pretty much guarantee that the shock and fork are completely shot and would need to be rebuilt. As you said it needs a new crank arm. Who knows if the drivetrain is any good, there’s a fair chance it’s also needing replacement.
The problem is, the moment you buy a single component for that bike, you’ve instantly spent more than the bike is even worth.