Hamblehammer

I'm looking for advice, I'm about to retire and haven't rode a bike properly for 40 years and need to do something to keep healthy so I'm looking at a shogun grind mountain bike it's been priced at £150, but it's been fully serviced by the seller who has a 2nd hand bike business and I am
just wondering if you think its a fair price as I know nothing about 2nd hand bike prices. Many thanks

raceboy

Do you know the age of the bike? Do you know or can you find out if it is a steel frame bike? The Shoguns I have seen are 80s steel bikes. Most importantly, have you ridden it? Does it shift smoothly though all the gears and are the brakes good. Spin the wheels. Are they true? 150 is a little over $200 US and feels a bit high. But if the bike rides sweetened you put 2000 miles on it in the next year or two, whether you overpaid by 20 or 30 bucks won’t matter much.

I am assuming you don’t have an experienced bike riding friend who can help you check it out.

Hamblehammer

Thanks for your reply, I've only seen a advert but it has been fully serviced and anything that is worn will be replaced so I am assuming it to be a fair price but will seek someone to come with me.
Once again Many Thanks.

berner

I would say, go for it. My first bike was $65 from a consignment store here in town. It turned out the bike was in fine condition including the tires. I rode it over 1000 miles the same summer. The bike, though, was too big for me and uncomfortable as rides got longer with increasing fitness. Eventually I bought a new bike from a bike shop.

Hamblehammer

Thanks very much for your advice much appreciated

ironwood

Does it fit you? Read about sizing and fitting a bicycle.

Hamblehammer

I have now seen the bike and found it quite disappointing in its appearance so I have not pursued this bike.
May I take this opportunity to thank you and everybody else who has given me advice which has helped me immensely in my search.
Once again thank you all.

alcjphil

First lesson learned. The first thing to learn about second hand bikes is skepticism., which you have just found out. Second thing is that really good deals are snapped up quickly by knowledgable buyers, so it is easy to either wait too long or buy without weighing the condition of the bike properly. Patience is important as is research. You can ask for online advice that most people in a forum like this are happy to provide, but getting an answer can take more time than it would take to get to get advice before a really good bike has been sold. Don't know where you live, but where I live it is slow season for cycling which can affect the number of second hand bikes going up for sale. The second hand market isn't anything like buying new where you simply research bikes according to what you want to do with them and how much you want to pay. Second hand deals mean that you have to wait for something to come up that meets your needs knowing full well that you might take many months to find something