Help please - bike enthusiasts

If you're mainly going to be on the road, why not buy a road bike or hybrid instead? The added weight of a heavy duty mountain bike with suspension and off-road geometry will just slow you down on road. Most importantly, have you determined your proper bike size?

If you're set on buying a mountain bike, ask the seller:
1) the frame size
2) the actual model (Giant is the manufacturer and "XPD" appears to be some add-on stickers)
3) the components on the bike (names and details printed on shifters, derailleurs, crank arms, wheels, hubs, etc.)
4) the age of the bike and components

Tell us the model, components, age, and we'll tell you if $300 is a fair price.

Maybe write down the serial number and check with the local PD?

BikerBobby86 said:

Hey guys, i have some pictures of a bike that someone wants to sell to me for $300. He doesnt know much about the bike, can someone (by looking at the pics) tell me if this bike is good for uphill/downhill riding (riding to work, mainly on the road) is it worth its money? and can i get some opinions on the bike.

FWIW. I agree with Scotty_Dog that you should probably get a ROAD bike or HYBRID bike -- the latter (with "solid" forks) are often a good choice for commuting because they can be fitted with fenders and/or larger tires than most ROAD bikes.

I could be wrong, but based on the matching cosmetics on the fork & the low end crankset, I reckon its fair value is less than $200 as a "used" bike ... rather low end ... probably in the $450 range, retail, at the LBS when it was new.

Being a "low end" bike doesn't mean it isn't a suitable bike for some riding conditions. However, at the very least, you would probably be replacing the tires & tubes to "slicks" after the first couple of weeks/rides.

garage sale GT said:

Maybe write down the serial number and check with the local PD?

Where is the serial number located?

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mtb maintenance must be perfect, so that the bike is in excellent condition

Squall said:

Where is the serial number located?

Oh, there are several options. Used to be that the ugly numbers were tucked away out of sight on the underside of the frame bit for the bottom bracket, but I've also seen them on the BB just inside the chain wheel. Eventually (maybe due to prompting from insurance companies?) more visible positions started being used. On different bikes I've seen serial numbers on head tubes, seat tubes and on seat stays crossbraces.