Which mountain bike? Trek 4700 or boardman comp

[carolinepritchard99]

Hi all

I have done a bit of mountain biking over the years but never that regularly and have always just bought the cheapest second hand mountain bikes I can find and kept them until I have had moved and had to sell them or they have been stolen. I am now trying to make a bit more of an informed choice and buy something which I can use a lot and improve on. Because I would like to get into it. I have found the following two bikes second hand both for £250. A trek 4700 and a boardman comp c5. Anyone got any views on which would be better?

I have read that the latter has a better fork but beyond that don't know much about boardman mountain bikes.

Any thoughts much appreciated,
Caroline

[peetee]

Impossible to tell what's right for you. Best advice I can give is if they were comparably priced when new the best bike is the one that is in best condition. A good, comprehensive service these days is around £100 and it's imperative you establish the condition of the bike properly. Boardman bikes are good but they are sold by Halfords which is the first port of call for many, many parents of teenagers who don't look after their bikes one little bit.

[thelawnet]

I suspect neither of them will get you particularly into it in terms of spec level.

This is brand new £520 when you 'trade-in' a helmet

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/ ... -22-frames

That's more of a 'better bike' spec.

If you are looking at used mtbs, then factor in a good chunk of change for servicing, if you haven't got the skills yourself.

and look at the suspension and tyres. Anything with a Fox fork, specific Suntour models (Raidon, XCR Air (not XCM, XCT or XCR other than air), Axon, Epicon/Epixon) and specific Rockshox (Reba, Recon (not Recon TK) typically). As well as other models. Note that the specs say you should service front shocks very regularly and this could cost you £85 on its own (though you can do it yourself).

So it might be better just buying a new bike.

I found a picture of a Boardman C5 on google images





It doesn't look very loved despite the decent enough spec.

Some things that could be wrong

fork could require almost complete overhaul (new epicon fork is around £200 and you could spend close to that)
brakes could need bleeding (£50), calipers could be shot and need replacement - this would cost £100ish
rear hub could be knackered, this would need a new wheel, you are looking £60
good chance the chain and cassette both need replacing. About £60 with labour Possibly also chain rings.
rear derailleur certainly needs stripping and lubricating
tyres are not off-road tyres, so you'd need £60 or so for new tyres