12.10.2008

My Mountain Bikes – Cheap Rides

I have two mountain bikes that I use for my rides with my kids. At one point, I had as many as four bikes. I built up the two bikes using parts that I took off other mountain bikes. Except for a brand new Bottecchia, all Campy, road bike that I owned many years ago, all my bikes over the years have been purchased used.


Right now, I have a 1x9 drive train hardtail setup built up around a Fetish Cycles Discipline aluminum frame that I purchased on eBay, and a 1x8 drive train hardtail setup built up around a Jamis Exile steel frame.


I like the simpler one ring up front setup a lot better than the usually three rings. There is one less piece of gear to adjust since there is no front derailleur. Most of the parts on the mountain bikes are middle of the road, nothing fancy or too expansive, just parts that will take the wear and tear of off road riding and are cheap to replace.


I do have Shimano XT rear derailleur, and decent wheels and tires on both mountain bikes, a Rock Shox SID front shock on the Fetish, the Fetish Disciple frame, and a Shimano XTR cassette on the Jamis. These parts would be considered expansive if they were purchased new but I got these parts used and at great prices – at eBay. Thanks to gear heads and eBay, I will always be able to get decent replacement parts at cheap prices.


I think a responsive rear derailleur, a set of light wheels, light responsive front shock and good brakes add to my MTB riding enjoyment and I don’t mind spending a few more dollars for better quality on these parts. In future posts, I’ll go into more details about where I spend my money on parts on a mountain bike.

3 comments:

Mike Perry said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog - enjoyed your blog and the photos. Not a cyclist myself but love walking. My wife and I walk for miles, especially in the country or along the coastline.

Interesting stuff,
Mike.

Anonymous said...

Hey Eric - I need to get mountain bikes for the kids (3) next year, is it cheaper to buy parts and build them? Might be a good project for the kids, too.

Anonymous said...

Hi Roy,

Thanks for dropping by my blog. If you kids are old enough for “regular” 24” or 26” wheels bikes, the cheapest way to buy a bike is to buy it used and as a complete bike. I would look on Craig’s list for local bikes for sale and eBay auctions that are also local so that you can pick up the bike instead of paying to have it shipped to you. Don’t over pay for a bike. Buy a bike with resale in mind; spend a bit more money for a good bike that you can sell later near what you paid for it. That means no more bikes from Walmart, Target or Costco. If you know how to build up a bike, sometimes it is worth buying parts in a lot or a bike that is not whole and building a complete bike than way. If your kids will be starting with riding the BMX types of bikes (16” or 20” wheels) then look for a used one for free or for no more than $5 to $15 from a friend, neighbors or yard sale. Just check to make sure the bike is safe to ride. I try to let my kids do the simple things like bolting on the brakes or routing brake cables or just standing to watch me put a bike together and asking questions. I hope this helps a bit. Good luck to you. Let me know if I may be of help.