PSH0117

It's been a long time since I've owned a bike, but I've been wanting one for a few years now. I looked around at some local shops, but a friend of mine told to maybe look at craigslist, as many people sell fairly new and good condition bikes. I found a few that I am interested in, but I don't know much about bikes. Most of the ones I've found are still fairly newer (last 5 years or so) But i have found one that is almost 20 years old. It is a 1998 Raleigh M50 Mountain Bike. It looks to be in good condition. My question is, does the age of the bike really matter if it's in good shape? The way I have approached this is, If I an get a slightly used bike for around $150, (this one is listed at $125 or Best offer) that I can spend a little money on general maintenance (tune up etc...) and a rack for my car and still come out cheaper than buying a brand new bike for close to $400. plus, since it's been a while, i don't know that I need a brand new bike to start. Any feed back would much appreciated.

Thanks! Patrick

MRT2

It depends on what you actually want to do with it. If you want to ride single track, you need to consider the condition of the fork. Even lightly used, the forks from that many years ago won't be great. Then again, if you are actually looking to ride off road, $400 retail for a new bike won't get you much, either.

Edit. Just did a quick google search of the M50 from the mid to late 90s. Pretty entry level bikes back then. I wouldn't pay more than $50 or at most $75 for it.

PSH0117

Would mostly be for light trails (not hard off roading or anything) and in town riding for now. I'm sure I would upgrade later on after I've been riding for a while. If the fork was in bad shape, is that something that could be replaced?

MRT2

Yes, and it would cost more than such a bike is worth.

You might be better off looking only at hardtails (no suspension). or alternately, older hybrids, again, with no suspension. And, better to pay $100 for a bike that sold for, say, $500 to $1,000 15 or 20 years ago, then to pay good money for something that was barely better than a department store bike. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but only a few.

And you really need to look closely at condition. Some bikes were ridden a bit, then stored in a basement or garage for 15 years. Others were rode hard and put away wet. If the former, then maybe all you need is a little TLC, some new tires, and a light cleaning and lubing of the drivetrain. If the latter, then you start looking at repair bills that will add up. not a big deal, but if your goal is cheap transportation and recreation, then maybe pass.

sv500

Not quite as simple as that, most new shocks are for disc only, won't work on older bikes with v/cantilever. Depends on the shock but you may not even be able to get parts to repair it. There are other technial reasons that i wont bore you with.
Best bet is to buy a premium brand treck, cannondale, marin etc. These had better components & yes they can be used today even in their original set up, but as has been said it would depend on the type of riding you do.

Darth Lefty 

Looking at the spec here and comparing it to contemporary bikes...
1998 Raleigh M-50 - BikePedia

The components are pretty good, except I'm not a fan of grip shifters.

The frame is not the worst, being chromoly but not butted.

The fork is probably best donated to make new tuna cans. It looks like an early version of the "delete all internals and make it from pig iron, they won't know the difference" fork that became commonplace on entry level bikes to this very day.

Darth Lefty 

There's still a 26er, v-brake, coils-and-oil shock from Rock Shox https://www.amazon.com/RockShox-Suspe..._89%3ARockShox

MRT2

You are right. The components aren't that bad. Don't know what I was looking at earlier. Grip shifters is one thing to consider. Still, you might be surprised. I have an older hybrid from the 90s with grip shifters. A few years ago, I was going to replace them when I brought it in for a long needed tuneup. Bike shop said there was nothing wrong with the grip shifters and they were still working perfectly.

The suspension fork is the more serious problem. It just isn't worth the trouble replacing or repairing it, hence, my advice to stay from these really old mountain bikes.

PSH0117

Thanks for all the comments everyone. They've all been helpful!

Darth Lefty 

It's a matter of preference, for me. They might work fine, they are pretty simple compared to triggers, and you can dump gears much faster. I just don't like them.

MRT2

I don't love grip shifters either, but it made no sense on a bike not worth very much to dump perfectly functional shifters. If and when they wear out, I will change out to triggers.

sv500

There sure is, there are also many older recondidtioned ones that could fit.... but then we get into the boring technical stuff, such as replacing an old fork with 2" of travel, with a new fork with 4" of travel. These types of debates go back & forth & generally don't go well on the interwebs

osco53

OP,,Obviously you must work within Your budget, sounds like you got a handle on all this.

My advice is buy used ONLY if you can test ride FIRST
and Think of bike size/FIT above all else...

A four or five year old bike should still be fine to fit a new fork If needed. Sticking to a Hard Tail is smart In your case and If possible you will benefit from a fork lock out... You said you would ride pavement right ?

There should be many many used Suntour scr or XCR or sc forks out there In perfect working order that should fit your bike for I would think $50..
Just make sure It's not cut too short for your frame.....

WesternFlyer18

PSH - I live in SoCal and there are good condition older mountain bikes from prominent makers for under a hundred dollars almost any day of the week. I have bought a Trek -$35 and gorgeous, a Marin $60-my fave, Univega Alpina $65 - previous fave but it was stolen, Performance -$20. Of course , I live in a big population area, but what you describe sounds a bit high. I prefer older, steel framed bikes, and I advise you not to plan on component upgrades - it will make you crazy and be very costly. Change externals only, like tires, brake pads, seat, bars, etc. Make sure when you buy it that it fits your size, and that everything works now, not after a "minor tune-up" , and that the wheels are straight. Get out and enjoy yourself, and if you want an upgraded bike in a year from now, go on and get it

PSH0117

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I ended up not buying that bike. My dad is giving me his old bike in somewhat ok shape, and I'm just going to take the money and spend it on upgrades instead.