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Hey guys,

I'm new to London, from NZ and into XC and downhill. I'm pretty keen to get back into it so will buy a MTB soon.
I'd appreciate any suggestions on where to look form a second hand MTB.

Also, I live in Clapham North and I know you're not allowed to take bikes on tubes and a few overground trains. I don't have a car so is there anyway around this?
Can I wear the frame on my back and carry the wheels?

Thanks, look forward to getting out and doing some biking!

Dave

Welcome . Your paragraph about wearing frame on your back n carrying wheels about made me giggle for some reason, a bit drastic.

I think in theory you can take a bike on non underground bits of the tube so could get to Epping maybe if you rode to Liverpool street. or otherwise you can take it on one of the overground routes or many of the spots are accessible by the various train lines out of London, Aston hill is a few miles from station for example as are some of the local spots in the south east Essex area such as Hadleigh Olympic track, Danbury and Warley.

When I lived in london I took the wheels off and carried them with the bike. It's a bit awkward but think you get away with it as 'luggage' like that - avoid rush hour though you wont make any friends!

Aston Hill is great for DH near to London, might be short (round about 1-2 min runs) compared to NZ mountains but a few nice runs.

Swinley Forest is not far from a station, I haven't been for a few years as I'm in Essex now. It's good for XC and has a few sections with a more DH/freeride vibe most people on bikes over there will be able to point you in the right direction (I assume it's all still there) some of it was flattened at one point about 6 years ago but I think "Jump Gully" and a few DH(ish) trails in the "Labyrinth" will still be there. Plenty on the web about Swinley...

Also, try PORC - great for DH and Dirt Jumps. Agian web search will provide info / vids.

No real mountains here in the South East but enough places to get out and have a blast... Have fun!

Also, for second hand bikes, check ebay, pinkbike, gumtree, or on here sometimes.

Also there are now quite a few Facebook secondhand bike bits pages, sold a few items on there recently, some good deals, although a few frauds recently so make sure you check how long they've been on FB, etc

I've dragged my bike in CRC bag onto busy tubes, they sure love that