Used bike for a newbie

I am looking to purchase a used
2018 Cannondale Trail 7
29" WTB Ranger Comp tires
- 2x9 Shimano drivetrain
- SR Suntour XCT fork w/ 100mm Travel
- RaceFace Chester Pedals
- Shimano M315 Hydro Disc Brakes
- WTB Speed Gel Saddle
- Ergon GA3 Grips
- Lightweight SmartForm C2 Frame
For $430.
Would this be a good starter bike.
Thanks in advance for your input.

 

Smells like fish.

 

Not sure what that means. Is the price to low? Is it not a good bike?

 

The community here is skeptical when a new user’s first post is about buying/selling gear. Especially when there is very little info in the post.

too many people have joined, asked this kind of question, gotten answers, then posted up that item for sale. See what I mean.



Now down to the meat and potatoes....

1. where do you ride?
2. How do you ride?
3. How much do you ride?
4. Why this bike in particular?

 

Oh. I understand. I’m an ex triathlete (did an Ironman in my late 30’s). Looking to start doing Xterra triathlons. I currently do a lot of extreme hikes.
1) I would be riding mostly at Crystal Cove, Newport Beach
Not currently riding
This looks like a good starter bike for the money
Thanks,
Mark

 

I think we should take everyone at face value and let them prove they are phishing.
@Wellby who is offering you the bike? Is this on Craigslist or from a friend?

I "think" @mike is stating that the price is too good to be true...

Update:
A quick search tells me that the price is not really that unreasonable.

 

I guess I’m looking more for advice from the community as to whether this might be a good starter bike for someone who is in their early 60s, average weight, height 5’7”, in pretty good health and stamina. I plan on training for some off-road triathlons and didn’t want to get into something too expensive before I see if I like it.

 

I see the bike on Craigslist... And for that price, I'd say it's a good starter bike as long as you understand the shortcomings. The fork is the biggest. It's a wet noodle.

I started on a bike very similar in specs to that one and it got me hooked...

 

It’s an entry level bike....so the bike will be heavy, the parts are disposable and like @Faust29 said, the fork is not really a fork....it’s a suspension imitation apparatus.

Since you are looking used, go a few years older....’14-16. You’ll get more bike for you money. Most importantly, better suspension, better drivetrain. You are looking at hardtails, so they don’t tend to get as used and abused by like a full suspension rig will.

 

MntbkJ, Mikie & Faust,
Thanks for the feedback.
I try to buy second hand whenever possible but any other specific bikes I should look out for, new or old, for a beginner my size, fitness and (lack of) experience? I’d like to keep it <$500
Thanks again,
Mark

 

At that price point, it's more the components bolted to the bike... The frame is the same all through the Trail models, but the prices rise quickly with component selection. If you go look at it in person, take a "bike" friend. You're looking more for wear and tear on the consumable parts- brake pads, cassette, tires...

If you spend $400, but then have to immediately replace the pads ($10-$20), cassette ($50?), tires ($100), and chain ($20), then it can turn into a "not so good" buy pretty quickly. At that point, you would have been better off going into a local shop and picking up an entry level bike with support behind it...

 

Welcome Wellby! Good luck on your search, these guys/gals will steer you in the right direction.

 

I think we all would Wellby
Starter bikes are a gateway drug. Most of us have been there.

 

I rode my first MTB towards the end of '89. I was hooked. I spent $800 on a brand new '90 Raleigh Chill. I wonder how much I would spend today if I had to do it over again.

Good luck on your search and welcome @Wellby!

 

Hey, @Wellby, welcome. @mtnbikej pretty much nailed it – enough said there.

RE the bike: Good advice upthread, as always from this crowd.

I say spend more and get a better bike, even if you have to get more of a cosmetic beater. When you start wiring the trails at Aliso and LCWP, you'll be glad you have something you can ride hard for awhile without needing to replace it. A fork with 35mm stanchions and 130mm or more of travel, 65-67° head angle and 2.4" 29er tire in front will be a confidence builder as you try harder trails. If you just want to tool around on dirt roads, forget all that. If you want your riding to include descending rough, steep, narrow trails rapidly, get tooled up appropriately now rather than after you ditch your entry-level bike.

Many shops have decent financing if cash on hand is at issue. I'm hip to living on cash, though.

Spill with your size and riding aspirations – you never know what might show up...

 

Thank you all for the great input and recommendations, I’ll take it all into consideration. I’m not accustomed to visiting forums, as you may have detected. You seem like a great community that is very knowledgeable. It’s always hard and at the same time exciting, starting something new........you all have made me feel more than welcome.
Thanks,
Mark

 

Don't be a stranger, Mark. You can save yourself a bunch of hassle and money by getting the straight dope from enthusiasts. The crowd here is small enough that most/many members know one another personally and have ridden together. It's too tight a community for any BS to go down – shysters would get called out without reservation here. As you can probably tell...?

Get stoked on bikes, get outside, be safe.

 

what no color? You did not even mention tires, front and rear (nobody rides the same on both ends) (nobody I ride with) (I ride alone), chains, chain rings and cables. Since this is an Xmas list be sure to say you were a good boy this year. Nobody rides a hard tail with 100 mm, well nobody I ride with
Good luck, not a big market for hardtails
Happy hard tail trails with happy badass hard tail riders.
My Franken bike is a hard tail so I do venture to the dark side sometimes

 

ah I remember the hard tail rigid fork days. Watching my arm muscles expose my bones back and forth as I danced high speed down pitted trails. Those were the days, then they invented urethane spring forks, later sprung rears, disk brakes. Now I would only hurt myself on such a beast. Hopefully it is with rat traps so I can give blood on my shin bones
happy high speed full suspension trails