An off roader for occasional use

[Dunckel]

Virtually all my riding is on tarmac or commuting so my small collection of bikes have skinny wheels and a hard ride.

I cycle with a group at weekends and there is talk of us doing more gravel and mud riding, nothing too radical, and certainly nothing that involves getting both wheels in the air at the same time.

So are there any suggestions for a decent low cost off roader that might only be ridden 6-10 times a year, or am I best looking for something second hand?

[Rocky]

I believe Reg has a gravel bike.....he might be able to help. The roads round here are awful and I'm thinking of getting a Surly Straggler which takes 40c tyres - hopefully it'll cope with the potholes and allow me to do a few miles off road as well. I'm not sure what your budget is, but the Straggler comes in at £1,700. I suspect you could get a second hand one on Ebay for £500.

Of course there's always Potsy's blue MTB - only been ridden once and I'm sure he'd be open to a reasonable offer (a couple of kebabs should do it)

[Dunckel]

A couple of kebabs was about the budget I was thinking.

[Regulator]

[quote="Dunckel"]
A couple of kebabs was about the budget I was thinking.
[/quote]

Are those Potsy kebabs?

I'd recommend the Pinnacle Arkose range.  Not cheap but good quality.