Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

buying 90's F-series bikes

966 views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  enfield 
#1 · (Edited)
There's a bunch of '97 to '99ish F series bikes on Craig's List. I think at least an F400, F500, and F700. The prices are all over the map, from $300 to $800. Here's my question: I'm interested in these for the aesthetics, light aluminum frames, geometry that matches my torso and limb length, and that made in USA je ne sais quoi. My goal is easy trail riding and ride-with-kids duty. I love buying older bikes (and cars and houses...) that are way down on the depreciation curve and giving them a new lease on life. $300 for a 15 year old bike with outdated, well, everything seems steep to me.

What's a fair price range for this type of bike? I know the Headshok forks can be problematic, and the Coda components from that era don't have the best rep for durability, but I'm pretty certain that my use of the bike will be pretty light duty until the kids get a little bigger and want to try more aggressive trails.
 
#5 ·
800$ is waaaaaay too much IMO, a 2011 800$ bikes will be a better buy in most cases, a lot has changed since 1997/99... I wouldn't pay much more than 300$ unless it's been upgraded with modern parts or something.

Note that CAAD4 or less have a bit harsher ride, not an issue unless you actually ride these in rough trails for longer rides though. CAAD5 and up are much better frames.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top