Concerns on purchasing used Specialized XC comp
09-30-18, 12:56 PM
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Concerns on purchasing used Specialized XC comp
Hi,
I have a line on a 2008 Specialized XC comp, asking price $550. Haven't seen it in person yet, but the pics look good. The bike is described as 'under 500 miles' and 'barely used', but the the seller says in has a new chain, cassette, cables and shifters. This is what concerns me.
The only reason I could see to replace those items on a low-mileage bike is either long-term exposure to weather or physical damage from a bad wreck, etc.. When asked, the seller said bike never wrecked and stored indoors always, but did not elaborate further. If true, then the bike probably has a boatload more miles and usage on it than the seller claims.
I'm an ex-roadie, this is my first mountain bike purchase. I'd be interested to hear what others more experienced with this type of bike think based on what I've described?
Thanks,
-Bob
I have a line on a 2008 Specialized XC comp, asking price $550. Haven't seen it in person yet, but the pics look good. The bike is described as 'under 500 miles' and 'barely used', but the the seller says in has a new chain, cassette, cables and shifters. This is what concerns me.
The only reason I could see to replace those items on a low-mileage bike is either long-term exposure to weather or physical damage from a bad wreck, etc.. When asked, the seller said bike never wrecked and stored indoors always, but did not elaborate further. If true, then the bike probably has a boatload more miles and usage on it than the seller claims.
I'm an ex-roadie, this is my first mountain bike purchase. I'd be interested to hear what others more experienced with this type of bike think based on what I've described?
Thanks,
-Bob
09-30-18, 01:51 PM
#2
Senior Member
Every used car advertised as "all highway miles, driven by old grandma and stored in heated garage". For bikes without a reliable odometer it seems "only ridden twice".
New chain after 500 miles would be very short, and a new cassette even shorter life than one expects unless it was 500 miles in mud without cleaning once. since it has new shifters, i wonder if the owner upgraded to more speeds and hence the new cassette?
You always can look at it and decide. You always can offer less to make up for wear... but if the seller is dishonest, there may be more to it. Seems you already have a bad feeling and that may be founded.
New chain after 500 miles would be very short, and a new cassette even shorter life than one expects unless it was 500 miles in mud without cleaning once. since it has new shifters, i wonder if the owner upgraded to more speeds and hence the new cassette?
You always can look at it and decide. You always can offer less to make up for wear... but if the seller is dishonest, there may be more to it. Seems you already have a bad feeling and that may be founded.
09-30-18, 11:06 PM
#3
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I just put a new chain on my new bike after 500 miles going by my strava records. I don't think I did anything funky, it just wore quicker than normal this time. The things you need to be more concerned about is the fork and rear shock. Find out what has been done to those. Even if that 500 miles thing is 100% accurate they are still 10 years old and at the very least the fork will need an oil change and the rear shock a basic service. One easy thing you can do if you go to look at it is push the rear wheel side to side and look for play in the rear suspension pivots. If there is noticeable play in them it has some miles on it. Just make sure the play is in the pivots and not the rear hub, easy fix with an old cup and cone style hub which this bike might have.
and never been wrecked lol. It is a mountain bike of coarse it has been wrecked.
and never been wrecked lol. It is a mountain bike of coarse it has been wrecked.
10-01-18, 12:31 PM
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Hi,
I have a line on a 2008 Specialized XC comp, asking price $550. Haven't seen it in person yet, but the pics look good. The bike is described as 'under 500 miles' and 'barely used', but the the seller says in has a new chain, cassette, cables and shifters. This is what concerns me.
The only reason I could see to replace those items on a low-mileage bike is either long-term exposure to weather or physical damage from a bad wreck, etc.. When asked, the seller said bike never wrecked and stored indoors always, but did not elaborate further. If true, then the bike probably has a boatload more miles and usage on it than the seller claims.
I'm an ex-roadie, this is my first mountain bike purchase. I'd be interested to hear what others more experienced with this type of bike think based on what I've described?
Thanks,
-Bob
I have a line on a 2008 Specialized XC comp, asking price $550. Haven't seen it in person yet, but the pics look good. The bike is described as 'under 500 miles' and 'barely used', but the the seller says in has a new chain, cassette, cables and shifters. This is what concerns me.
The only reason I could see to replace those items on a low-mileage bike is either long-term exposure to weather or physical damage from a bad wreck, etc.. When asked, the seller said bike never wrecked and stored indoors always, but did not elaborate further. If true, then the bike probably has a boatload more miles and usage on it than the seller claims.
I'm an ex-roadie, this is my first mountain bike purchase. I'd be interested to hear what others more experienced with this type of bike think based on what I've described?
Thanks,
-Bob
10-01-18, 02:51 PM
#5
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+1 for something newer as this is your first mountain bike. Things have changed quite significantly in the last ten years and a few more dollars will get you something vastly better than anything from ten years ago in the entry level arena.
10-03-18, 10:02 PM
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Thanks for the responses. Budget is a concern on this one; while I do have the means to purchase something new and modern, I've kept the budget intentionally low just in case I decide mountain biking isn't for me. The idea is/was that if I'm still doing it six month from now and still enjoying it, then I would commit to something newer and more capable. If not, I can sell whatever it is I end up with without taking the depreciation hit. My criteria is, full suspension, Deore-or-better/comparable shift components, from a well-established, quality manufacturer. Within the limitations of my budget, that pretty much puts me into bikes of this type and vintage. A few more dollars - say, $700 or so, starts to put the 2008-2009 26" Stumpys in range, but otherwise anything newer w/27.5 or 29s & full suspension in my area, at least at the present, seems to start around the $1k mark.
I guess the question I'm left with....would you say that the difference between a ten-year-old fs bike w/26s vs a newer bike is enough to keep a newbie from enjoying it, or are we just talking the difference between something functional vs the latest and greatest?
Thanks,
-Bob
I guess the question I'm left with....would you say that the difference between a ten-year-old fs bike w/26s vs a newer bike is enough to keep a newbie from enjoying it, or are we just talking the difference between something functional vs the latest and greatest?
Thanks,
-Bob
10-24-18, 07:03 PM
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10-24-18, 08:07 PM
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Things have changed a lot in the past 20 years, but the biggest changes (and vast improvements) IMO happened before 2008. I don't think it would be a stretch to say that things DID make a quantum leap in the ten years PRIOR to 2008.
The changes since then are refinements and improvements, but not game changers IMO. The most significant ones are wheel size and geometry. In terms of wheel size, 27.5 basically replaced 26. (29" was already making inroads in 2008). It is an improvement, but it is not a huge difference... not like going to 29. And as far as the geo goes, again it is a refinement (longer, lower, slacker) but even in 2008 things had come a long way from the 90s. A few upgrades like a wider bar and a shorter stem will help a lot, or go up a size to get the longer top tube so you can run the really short stem.
Unless something has happened in the past 2 years that I missed, I don't think rear suspension has really come all that far since 2008. Again, just tweaks and refinements. Mostly it has been more companies going with more anti-squat. IMO a little too much. There were at least half a dozen mini-link designs out by 2008 (e.g., DW-Link, VPP...). Those really did make a big difference. To this day the best performing suspension design (for my preferences) was a 2008 DW-Link design. Specialized FSR had been around for years, but it worked, they were constantly tweaking it, and it is still a viable option.
Forks at the highest level have gotten quite a bit better, but the RS Tora fork that comes on the 2008 FRS Comp is a solid fork. Nothing fancy, but comparable in performance to new forks that would come on a $1500 FS bike today. And that fork is incredibly easy to work on. It is easily rebuilt to a like new state for $40 in parts, is easily upgradable to the MC damper that came in the more expensive forks, or the current damper can be tweaked.
So honestly, I don't think a 2008 FSR is going to hold you or back at all.
The issue is simply that it is a ten year old FS, and may be nearing the end of its low-maintenance days. You could be looking at an overhaul of the fork, shock, and suspension bearinings. If you are not really familiar with these things it can be hard to tell when looking at the bike.
IF the bike is really truly not ridden much and is in EXCELLENT condition, and it fits you well, I think that this will serve your purposes very well, and honestly you may end up riding it for a while before upgrading to something newer for $3K (which is where the really nice new stuff starts, IMO)
Last edited by Kapusta; 10-25-18 at 07:47 AM.
10-25-18, 10:24 AM
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Oofta Kapusta...so much incorrect info that you laid out there.
I'll just leave these here...
https://enduro-mtb.com/en/revolution...sixteen-years/
https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/15...untain-biking/
I'll just leave these here...
https://enduro-mtb.com/en/revolution...sixteen-years/
https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/15...untain-biking/
10-25-18, 11:18 AM
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If you actually read my post, I was talking about what has changed since 2008, not 1988.
Both of the links you just shared are talking about what has changed long before 2008. The first was comparing a bike from 2000, and the other covered developments all the way back to the early 90s (aheadset).
Other than wheel sizes and the geometry tweaks (that I already mentioned), almost everything on that list in that post had happened BEFORE 2008:
Disc brakes? Check
Aheadset? Check
Modern suspension? Check
Modern rubber compounds? Check
Riser bars? Check
Dropper posts? Check
Tubeless tires? Check
Angleset headset? Check
Chain retention devices? Check
Lock on grips? Check
Carbon? Check
Thru axles? Check
29er wheels? Check
(other than an angleset and chain retention device, I personally owned every one of these things in 2008)
What we did not have in 2008:
Clutch RD's
Stock 1x drivetrains
So, please tell me specifically what I was inaccurate about.
Both of the links you just shared are talking about what has changed long before 2008. The first was comparing a bike from 2000, and the other covered developments all the way back to the early 90s (aheadset).
Disc brakes? Check
Aheadset? Check
Modern suspension? Check
Modern rubber compounds? Check
Riser bars? Check
Dropper posts? Check
Tubeless tires? Check
Angleset headset? Check
Chain retention devices? Check
Lock on grips? Check
Carbon? Check
Thru axles? Check
29er wheels? Check
(other than an angleset and chain retention device, I personally owned every one of these things in 2008)
What we did not have in 2008:
Clutch RD's
Stock 1x drivetrains
So, please tell me specifically what I was inaccurate about.
Last edited by Kapusta; 10-25-18 at 01:54 PM.
10-25-18, 11:51 AM
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The suspension. There have been great changes in not only the pedaling efficiency of rear suspension to counter pedal bob but just the suspension itself is light years ahead of what was available in 2008
10-25-18, 12:22 PM
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What do DW-Link, Santa Cruz's VPP, Giant's Maestro, and Niner's CVA, all have in common?
----They were all around in 2008. And they all worked well.
And linkage driven single pivots and Horst Link designs are still used by many companies today.
As I said (if you read it) there has been a move towards more anti-squat, but that is really a small tweak, and I doubt your average rider will even have much of an opinion as to whether it feels better ridden back to back. If they do, they will probably prefer it on a smoother climbs, less so on rockier ones.
And in terms of forks, in 2008 you had the Rock Shox Lyrik and the Fox 36 line. Hardly the dark ages of suspension forks. But more to the point, the Tora on that bike was a lower-mid level fork that totally holds its own against comparable current offerings. Just a tad heavier.
I hate to be condescending, but I think your grasp of the timeline of MTB development is a bit fuzzy. Your link to those articles shows that pretty clearly.
Last edited by Kapusta; 10-25-18 at 12:45 PM.
10-28-18, 10:05 PM
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I am going to go against the grain here and suggest that while MTBs have changed a bit over the ten years since 2008, it is not the quantum leap some are making it out to be, and I would definitely NOT rule out an FSR from 2008. It will definitely NOT hinder a newbie or really any rider from fully enjoying the sport or from riding at a pretty high level.
Things have changed a lot in the past 20 years, but the biggest changes (and vast improvements) IMO happened before 2008. I don't think it would be a stretch to say that things DID make a quantum leap in the ten years PRIOR to 2008.
The changes since then are refinements and improvements, but not game changers IMO. The most significant ones are wheel size and geometry. In terms of wheel size, 27.5 basically replaced 26. (29" was already making inroads in 2008). It is an improvement, but it is not a huge difference... not like going to 29. And as far as the geo goes, again it is a refinement (longer, lower, slacker) but even in 2008 things had come a long way from the 90s. A few upgrades like a wider bar and a shorter stem will help a lot, or go up a size to get the longer top tube so you can run the really short stem.
Unless something has happened in the past 2 years that I missed, I don't think rear suspension has really come all that far since 2008. Again, just tweaks and refinements. Mostly it has been more companies going with more anti-squat. IMO a little too much. There were at least half a dozen mini-link designs out by 2008 (e.g., DW-Link, VPP...). Those really did make a big difference. To this day the best performing suspension design (for my preferences) was a 2008 DW-Link design. Specialized FSR had been around for years, but it worked, they were constantly tweaking it, and it is still a viable option.
Forks at the highest level have gotten quite a bit better, but the RS Tora fork that comes on the 2008 FRS Comp is a solid fork. Nothing fancy, but comparable in performance to new forks that would come on a $1500 FS bike today. And that fork is incredibly easy to work on. It is easily rebuilt to a like new state for $40 in parts, is easily upgradable to the MC damper that came in the more expensive forks, or the current damper can be tweaked.
So honestly, I don't think a 2008 FSR is going to hold you or back at all.
The issue is simply that it is a ten year old FS, and may be nearing the end of its low-maintenance days. You could be looking at an overhaul of the fork, shock, and suspension bearinings. If you are not really familiar with these things it can be hard to tell when looking at the bike.
IF the bike is really truly not ridden much and is in EXCELLENT condition, and it fits you well, I think that this will serve your purposes very well, and honestly you may end up riding it for a while before upgrading to something newer for $3K (which is where the really nice new stuff starts, IMO)
My concern would be mostly condition and the shocks and their function
I ride a 29r (Piviot 429c 2014) now and was actually in the market in 2008 and ended up going with a hardtail at that time Stumpjumper HT Comp
I still have it and ride it and the 26 wheels are fine
If the bike is in decent shape and fits well for the cost I think it a bargain
my 2008 has been ridden crashed used abused but only like for 1 or 2 rides possibly more any scratches on the bike are from my cat
Last edited by Gallo; 10-28-18 at 10:10 PM. Reason: forgot one thing
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