Buying a mountain bike on a budget

[herulach]

I agree. I have a very rare Kona Koa, which I had as a present literally 10 years ago this month. I must have done somewhere in the region of 700-900 miles on the thing and it is still going strong. I haven't used it much in recent years due to me having a couple of newer bikes, but its still a fantastic little bike. I'll never get rid of it now.

It really isn't worth getting a crap bike, and for informations sake you will be hard pushed to get a good bike for less than £280.



Explains your screen name ....

Although i agree with what you guys are saying in principle, the OP wants something to ride to and from work on, hence my recommendation of a hybrid, right bike for the right purpose (I assume by light off road he meant tow paths, although rigid is fun on rocks too )

[JPreston]

Ah but any MTB + slick tyres is more versatile than a hybrid.

Too bad they took my offer down. I guess best to buy or a GT Aggressor or as close to an unused second hand bike as possible now.

But not this one

its the perfect all rounder

from getting to work or a worl cup dh corse

If you live at the top of a DH course, and work at the bottom, then yes this may be true

this bike will take a beating and never brake

i guarentee u cannot brake this bike

So...he's taken the brakes off or something?

(this is just to illustrate that buying second hand could be a bit of a minefield for a beginner)

[arbitor]

Just post up what you find and il give you a verdict as im sure other will

[stuartw101]

Thanks for the replies everyone

I am tempted to increase my budget to £250 actually. I really need to get the bike this week so a decision has to be made soon lol. I will post up some links of bikes i think look good, feel free to do the same for me.

Thanks again.

[Dorza]

Carrera Vulcan - Decent bike for £225. The price of this bike has surprised me a little since I didn't know it was as cheap as that.

[Darklink]

Oh thats a nice one, my friend has it and its a really smooth rider.

[JPreston]

If you can find one on sale, look at the Carrera Vulcan at Halfords.

*ahem*

Yes if they are down to £225 then that will take some beating, their 'real' price is £260 (not the £300 that they sneakily put the price up to just to make the sale price look cheaper). That's really the best deal. The only downsides to that bike is the fork is undamped and the shifters and integrated into the brakes so if you want to go hydraulic later you'll need new shifters as well. But it's more than enough bike for what you want it for.

A lot of people slate halfords, but having bought my bike from there I don't have a bad word to say about them. They open til 20:00 every night, don't give you the hard sell and misinformation a local shop often will, and I've had some components replaced under warranty that could have been regarded as wear and tear without a murmur of complaint from the staff there.

[stuartw101]

I have set by budget at £200. If i enjoy cycling i will buy a more expensive bike, as i think £200 for my current needs should do.

I have seen the following and was hoping you could gibve your opinions and which one i should choose.

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70218
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=87003
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=71161
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=71166

Feel free to suggest any others.

Thanks

[hitman67]

£200

http://www.motor-world.co.uk/show_pr...?prod_id=14077

Enough said, having built these myself I can say they are a truley great bike

[Clockwork_Killa]

Out of the ones youve posted, Id go for the Agressor, the frame on the GT is by far the best and will be able to support some decent upgrades if need be (ive seen a few specced as dirt jumping rigs and still holding strong). The Palomar is pretty similar,and more than likely has an identical frame, the differnece is in the forks and the drivetrain, and at that kind of price point you probably wont notice much of a difference between them.
Basically Id say go with the agressor, its a decent frame, and while the components might not be the best, if you do find yourself using it regularly enough, then you can easily upgrade.
Somebody else has already mentioned it, but you might want to consider the specialized hardrock too, Id highly recommend them, they are completely bomb proof, ive seen them built up as everything from single speed courier bikes to dirt jump, really great bike for the money, highly upgradable.
Konas are also great for the money, the new ones might be a bit out of your price range, but you could probably get one second hand for a good price.
Hope that helps

[Dorza]

The aggressor would get my vote too, if you really can't stretch for the vulcan; The Vulcan is a much better bike and a a far better valued bike at £45 more though, it really is. But if your on a budget fair enough.

[JPreston]

The aggressor would get my vote too, if you really can't stretch for the vulcan; The Vulcan is a much better bike and a a far better valued bike at £45 more though, it really is. But if your on a budget fair enough.

Yes seriously the Vulcan is a much better deal and a complete bargain at £225, otherwise the Aggressor is the next best thing and the only other one worth considering at that kind of price. Second hand would certainly be better than anything other than those two.

Evans cycles isn't a particularly good place to buy from even if you have a showroom nearby (and you will need to take it back in to have the cables adjusted etc after a couple of months since you don't sound confident of doing this yourself - or buy Zinn as recommended above). You definitely need to ride the bike before you buy it as well.

[stuartw101]

Well i am leaning towards the Vulcan as Halfords is just 10mins walk from my house

[stuartw101]

Wow turns out if i order online from halfords i can get it for £177.49

Subtotal before discounts: £224.99
Total discounts on products: -£22.50
Save £25 When you Spend £200 or More: -£25.00
Subtotal: £177.49

So 10% off the bike and then £25 off when you spend over £200

Im happy, i think im just gonna order online as it saves me £50. Just a quick question regarding size, i will prob go and check the size out in store but is there a way to work it out? Im 6ft 3 and inside leg of 33inches so would a 20" or 22" be better?

Cheers

[Tumble]

the 22" bike will be a monstrous big bugger... it'll be like riding a 5 bar gate!! Best thing to do is try both - the height of the bottom bracket off the floor isn't a standard thing - they vary between bikes, the higher the BB is, the smaller frame you want etc. The other problem with getting the 22 is that the top tube will be very long, which will make it difficult to climb effectively, as you won't be able to shift your weight over the front to stop it popping up AND be in the correct pedalling position... I'd go for the 20 unless it really is too small for you - you might find that even that's a bit big tbh.. basically the idea is to go for as small as you can comfortably get away with.

[Dorza]

I would suggest a size but I'm not going to bother....

Simply go to halfords and try the Vulcan out for size. If they don't have a range of sizes in them, then jump on few bikes that have a similar shape and size frame to that of the Vulcan. Thats the best thing to do.



Oh and if you can get it for £177 then it's and absolute steal at that sort of price. You simply won't find a better new bike at that price.