I am looking at picking up my first SS bike and there is a used one that fits me. I am wondering if the price is reasonable. I have not inspected the bike in person as of yet but the specs are:

19" Redline Monocog 29er with the only upgrade being mechanical disc brakes. The pedals and grips are not included. He is asking $400

Thanks!

Well, new you can get the bike for about $500. By the time you buy this bike and put pedals and grips into it, it will be close to $500. If the bike is in good shape, its not a BAD deal since you're getting the disks, but if you question the condition at all, I'd get a new one.

What area do you live in? The stock brakes work fine unless you ride alot of steep declines or in alot of water/mud. A friend of mine rides his monocog with the stock brakes on some fairly serious "black diamond" trails around here.

I am in NY and ride more intermediate type of single track trails. He said that the bike is in good condition with only a chip in the paint on the down tube. He also said there is some wear in the cog and chainring. I am thinking of offering $300ish. I dont know if I would go higher than $350. What do you guys think? Oh and the bike is a 2007.

It sounds to me like you'd be better off getting the new bike and upgrading to disks if you feel like it later.

I think the only difference between 07 and 08 is the color.

At the LBS I can get an SE 29er SS for $425. I may just go this route instead of the used Monocog because I am not getting a good feeling about it.

Go new. It isn't worth buying a bike of questionable condition when you can buy a brand new one for a hundred or so more.

The stock brakes on the Monocog are actually quite impressive (as long as you are riding in relatively dry conditions). I've been riding down some very steep/technical trails lately and have had no issues with stopping or modulating my speed. My only complaint about these brakes is the noise.

At the LBS I can get an SE 29er SS for $425. I may just go this route instead of the used Monocog because I am not getting a good feeling about it.

just an fyi, the se is aluminum. its going to be a harsher ride than steel.

I only have experience with aluminum mountain bikes and my current roadie is carbon. I dont know how much harsher aluminum is but I do see that written here more often. Can this feel be changed by swapping out the fork for Ti or CF as well as ridding a bigger tire with a lower pressure?