Best Mountain Bike under £300?

[luckyfives]

Hi All

I've recently moved to Staines (no jokes please) and it has some lovely bike rides along the river Thames, you can go for miles, so I thought it was high time to buy a bike again. Obviously I haven't got a clue what to look for hence the post, but my budget is around £300 and I wouldn't mind getting a second hand one either.

I intend to use it on cycle paths etc a lot, but also would like to take it on trails e.g lake district or devon and get it really muddy I thought a mountain bike would be best rather than a hybrid.

Can anyone recommend a good brand name or product that would fit the bill please? I'd prefer it to be easy to use (lightweight) and comfortable (saddle, suspension), those are the main two factors.

Any help most appreciated, thanks in advance!

PS suggestions for a ladies bike same application also grateful

[jimborae]

Secondhand Orange P7 or Clockwork. For £300 you aren't going to get anything great unless you go secondhand.

[luckyfives]

Thanks for your reply jimborae - can I ask why you recommended these two and what price 2nd hand should I be aiming for?

There is an orange P7 classic on ebay atm currently under 90 quid which seems good value, its a 2000 model but would need a new seat. A 2009 model is going for 160 quid currently.

Also if I was to look at hybrids (maybe I'm wrong in my OP) what would you recommend?

[jimborae]

I recommend those two Orange models purely because the frame on them is so bloody good and you can pick them up cheap these days. I doubt the 2009 model will stay at that price though. They are traditional steel hard tail frames, light, strong and have the tradtional spring feel that you only get from a steel frame.

Also Orange are a uk company so help is easy to get should anything go wrong plus Orange's customer support is good to.

Cant make any recommendation on high bred as I never ridden or owned one. However I've fitted skinny tyres to my Orange before and it make a very rapid and light type of hybred.

As a guide I'll be selling my Clockwork, which is about 10yrs old for about £250, which when you look at the gear that it has on it, I think is a steal. i.e. Pace RC36 supension forks which cost £499 alone when new, the frame was 200 etc.

Trouble with bikes is that they are like pc bits and their value drops off quite quickly, I think my bike cost me near on £1200 when I built it up but I'll be lucky to see £250.

[Konan555]

Looking at buying new, bikes will be in much the same area dictated by price. You won't be getting super lightweight (a lot of that being down to the forks) but you will be getting aluminium.

Hybrid wise, again, it's budget. £300 and you CAN mix it with the mountainbikes so long as you're not trying to ride stright over 6" logs (you can cross such a log, you'd just have to slow down and lift the front wheel a little). Pick the right type of hybrid and you'll have the same frame technology and rims as an MTB just in 700c format with taller gears.

[luckyfives]

Thanks Konan - what does 700c mean, is the narrower profile tyres? Any particular brand of hybrid you would recommend? I was thinking of going along to Evans Cycles at the weekend to have a look around.

[luckyfives]

Well I'm going to head down to evans cycles in woking to have a look at hybrids.

These are the bikes in my price range (mens) - if anyone could give me an idea on the better ones to focus on that would be most appreciated!

http://www.evanscycles.com/categorie...=300&x=25&y=11

[Konan555]

Thanks Konan - what does 700c mean, is the narrower profile tyres?

700c is wheel diameter. MTB wheels tend to be 26" (610 I think) although 29" (which is 700c but mountain bikes stick to inches) is gaining some popularity.

Tyre width is the number afterwards, so 700x28 would be a 700c tyre with a 28mm width. A more offroad based hybrid will easily accommodate 40mm tyres and above without fouling the frame.

[GavinS]

Konan - would you suggest a hybrid with suspension or without? Also what sort of frame size? I'm looking for something comfortable.

I've got a hardtail MTB at the moment, but am finding it hard work for commuting, partly to do with the frame size which if I have the seat positioned to my legs are almost fully extended on the downstroke, I have to hunch forward/down a fair bit, with the result that I find I'm carrying alot of weight on my wrists which gets pretty tiring.

[Konan555]

Suspension if you're hitting potholes or planning to use forest trails. Rigid if not.

You can alter your riding position with a change to the length and / or angle of the stem. Bringing your bars upward and closer. You could also use riser bars if you're on flats.

[Rambo]

Mate buy a TREK I have had mine from new for 7 yrs! and it is still Fresh 2 Death I love it and ride it pretty much every day, only cost me 350 or something all that time ago.

[Rambo]

Does any1 run kevlar tyres on their MTB?

[SammEl]

GT Avalanche 4tw

Seriously good bikes for the money, always getting 9/10 - 10/10 etc in Magazines, and I own one.

[Gazmondo]

I recommend those two Orange models purely because the frame on them is so bloody good and you can pick them up cheap these days. I doubt the 2009 model will stay at that price though. They are traditional steel hard tail frames, light, strong and have the tradtional spring feel that you only get from a steel frame.

Also Orange are a uk company so help is easy to get should anything go wrong plus Orange's customer support is good to.

Cant make any recommendation on high bred as I never ridden or owned one. However I've fitted skinny tyres to my Orange before and it make a very rapid and light type of hybred.

As a guide I'll be selling my Clockwork, which is about 10yrs old for about £250, which when you look at the gear that it has on it, I think is a steal. i.e. Pace RC36 supension forks which cost £499 alone when new, the frame was 200 etc.

Trouble with bikes is that they are like pc bits and their value drops off quite quickly, I think my bike cost me near on £1200 when I built it up but I'll be lucky to see £250.

PM Me when you sell yours

[Tumble]

Does any1 run kevlar tyres on their MTB?

I used to run a pair of Kevlar folding Tiogas, but then I aquired a pair of Panaracer Cinders (steel bead) for free... and they're betterer