Steel Frame MTB

[Muddyfox]

Over the last year i have put some slick tyres ~ mudguards & a rack on my MTB (Giant Terrago Disc) but today i was offered a Muddy Fox Ranger for £100, its in great condition and it has a steel frame

My thoughts are to buy it and turn that into a tourer/long day ride bike and return my MTB back to being an MTB for my son to use ?

Would you buy the Muddy Fox @ £100 ?

Simon

 

[andym]

For a £100 you probably can't go too far wrong - after all you could probably sell it on if it doesn't work out, or you decide to trade-up.

 

[chris667]

It could be great, but I would say condition is everything. It needs to be good for £100.
Also, remember just because it's steel, doesn't mean it's going to be good for touring.

 

[Steve Austin]

i would look around click me

its a lot of money for what could be a very old bike

 

[chris667]

Does it look like that one? If so, I'm not sure I'd start from here.
How tall are you? I might have something better than that if you're 5'10"ish.

 

[Muddyfox]

The bike is 9 years old but it is in very good condition ... it does'nt look like the one in the e-bay ad ?

Some good news today ... because i have'nt phoned the seller he called me and said that if i want it and can pick it up before wednesday he'l let it go for £80

Simon

 

[chris667]

People say mountain bikes are good to convert as tourers, but generally earlier ones are better for the task as they tend to be a bit more relaxed and stable.
Now, obviously, I haven't seen it, but I reckon you might be better going for something else if you've got touring on your mind.

 

[andym]

Lots of people, me included, happily tour (on and off-road) with mountain bikes. A purpose-built tourer would probably have a lower BB and so might be marginally more stable but unless you have balance issues then this shouldn't present any problems.

As someone said, it all comes down to condition: if, as you say it's in great condition, I'd go for it.

 

[jack the lad]

As a putative tourer you need to check the obvious things like whether the frame has rack and mudguard mounts. The other main issue is the length of the chainstays - if they are too short your heels will snag on panniers.

I use a 501 steel MTB of this vintage as a tourer. When I measured up the frame all the dimensions were exactly the same as Thorn use on their tourers, which many reckon are the bees knees. So, basically Thorns are just obsolete MTBs! Why pay £1000+ when you can get one for £80 or less! For £80 I would expect it to be pristine, otherwise find one for a fiver and do it up for less than £80.

 

[Muddyfox]

Thank you for all of the advice Gents ... and going on what you've al said i've decided to give this one a miss

Simon