Buying A Used Mountain Bike? My Top Five Essential Tips

When living in price sensitive times such as these it can often be hard starting a new sport such as mountain biking when considering the myriad of bikes available and the initial cost. Buying a used mountain bike is a great way to break into this accessible sport but what type of bike do you buy? My tops five tips will help you out.

Typically Mountain bikes fall into one of the following categories: All Terrain Trail Bikes, Downhill (DH), Cross Country (XC), and Freeride. You may have already decided what kind of cyclist you aspire to be but its worth checking online forums, and going to races if you are still unsure.

A freeride bike is great for hard terrain such as indoors or pavement and perfect for tricks, skill, and hard terrain. Forget about freeride though if you plan to spend most of your time riding along flat terrain as they are fairly heavy bikes. Cross Country bikes (XC) are great for efficiency because of their lightweight construction. Avoid XC bikes though if you plan on riding over rough terrain where comfort is more of a requirement. For downhill racing look at Downhill bikes which are specifically made for this great aspect of mountain biking.

I recommend that if you are just starting out that you consider an All Terrain mountain bike so that you will be able to enjoy most aspects of the sport. It is highly probable that once you get some experience under your belt you will buy a more specialized bike such as a Freeride or XC.

Arguably one of the most common questions when starting out mountain biking is Full Suspension or Hardtail? Hardtail bikes have rear suspension only and require less maintenance and for this reason they tend to be cheaper. Full suspension bikes on the other hand have front and rear suspension which makes them far more comfortable. I recommend full suspension bikes initially as they will be much kinder to your bottom.

Consider where you love as a factor in which type of mountain bike that you buy. Buying a Downhill bike is probably not a great idea if there are no steep trails nearby. Don't be afraid to ask your local bike dealer to check what the mountain bike trails are like in your area.

Once you have decided what type of mountain bike you want consider buying a used mountain bike. Not only will you save money and be able to buy the additional safety gear such as a bike helmet and pads, but you will also be able to buy a bike that was previously out of your price range. Finally have fun, mountain bike is a fantastically accessible sport open to all and a great way to get fit.