new or old ? help needed

[ian westmacott]

hi guys, i posted on here a few day ago asking if i should get a better bike to undertake my first 24 hour race.iIt was recommended that i got rid of my 08 carrera banshee and to get something else. now i have a budget of about £600 could prob stretch it to a new boardmam or scott scale or cube acid. I have come across (mostly on ebay ) some older but very expensive when new stuff there is a 05 s-works enduro , 06 specialized enduro expert or 05 kona stinky for about the same kind of money . which way should i go new or old?
cheers ian

 

[02GF74]

my recommendation - and I speak from experience - would to be buy nearly new off ebay - it is possible to get a bike that is 2 or 3 years for around 1/2 price so the previous owner has taken the hit on depreciation - none of the bikes I bought like this have needed any compontents replacing and at most may have a couple of tiny marks on the frame.

 

[02GF74]

..... check Chain Reaction - they have quite a few brand new bikes at 40-50% of RRP

 

[hotmetal]

I agree, 2nd hand has worked well for me. And NOS – now's maybe still a good time unless you're the cycling equivalent of a size 9 shoe.
In 1991 I bought an £800 '88 Cannondale for £350. Still got it and it was the best £350 I ever spent. Now my winter hack/shopper
In 2008 I bought a Cannondale Jekyll demo bike (never ridden but nicely blinged) for less than half price once the Jekyll was discontinued
In 2010 I bought an almost immaculate 2004ish(?) Giant TCR Composite with full Campag Record and Eurus wheels for about £900 off Ebay (probably would have cost over 2.5k new I guess)
Had no problems with any of these bikes, the only money I've had to spend was replacing things that I wore out on them.
What I would say is be sure of the size you need in any given bike, and with mountainbikes in particular you will have to look carefully at 2nd hand ones to make sure they've been looked after. 'NOS' (last year's model or older but unused) is probably safer with mountainbikes, just because of the crud they get ridden through, the hits they take and the fact that suspension needs proper maintenance.