What bike? Starting offroad/trails.

[Dooms]

Hey guys.

Now I'm back in the UK, working and soon to have somewhere to live for the next 12 months I want to pick up a new bike to go explore off road & trails and also get around town.

Budget of around £400 and as its been so long since I've owned a bike (and never a very good one) I don't even know where to start.

Also recommendations on something to stop it being nicked

I'm back and forth between Hatfield & Hitchin at the moment if you are recommending local stores.

Cheers,
Leon

[Dooms]

After an hour or so googling around while bored after work I'm tempted to up the budget and go for something like the Cube Aim Disc 29er... It's just too pretty lol.

[flearider]

Voodoo Hoodoo you can get them for £450-500...
or a Rockrider 8.1
the rr is prob better but you may pay over £500

[Macman]

Just bought myself a bike last month, fair enough I got it from Halfrauds for £250.00.



Quite like the looks, not bad for my first bike but need to get it in for its 6-week inspection as part of Halfrauds Service. Just recently done a 70 mile cycle; Glasgow to Luss [carrying 28kg of gear lol] -> Camped Overnight -> Luss to Glasgow. Very happy with the bike, gear changes are fluid.

[Agent]

or a Rockrider 8.1

Fantastic bike. Value for money is through the roof with it and the after service from Decathlon is excellent. Love mine

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Quadbike.

[Dooms]

Quadbike.

I'll stick to the KTM690 and working towards a Husky TE310 for that sort of off-road

[Sarahbay]

Just a quick tip to stop at least parts of the bike getting nicked. Opt for non-quick release wheels. Get ones that you have to alan-key on and off. That helps with keeping your wheels haha. That looks like a fantastic bike though. You will have to clean it nice and good to keep it shiny white!

[Dooms]

I'm still not sure what to get, even though there are better options than the Cube Aim I'm still drawn to it

@Sarahbay I was defiantly planning on that, I don't need quick release but I do need my seat & wheels after popping into the pub

[DeludedGuy]

SuperDuke all the way

[Tumble]

Just a quick tip to stop at least parts of the bike getting nicked. Opt for non-quick release wheels. Get ones that you have to alan-key on and off. That helps with keeping your wheels haha. That looks like a fantastic bike though. You will have to clean it nice and good to keep it shiny white!

Sadly, unless you get something for £100 that'll wet itself at the mere sight of a raked gravel drive, you're going to get QR wheels. All you have to do is make sure the lock(s) go through the wheel & the frame - bearing in mind that if a tea-leaf is determined enough, he'll have the thing away anyway, it's really not worth the hassle of not having QR wheels.

The Cube looks decent - you're not going to get a super fork at that price, but that one is among the better ones in that bracket. Brakes will be bomb-proof, and the cranks, gears & the rest of the finishing kit looks robust enough. Should be quite a nice bike, although I would recommend, if you go for a 29er, ditch the triple chain rings at the front - you'll hardly ever use the big one as the gearing will be stupid because of the bigger wheels. Stick a double chain ring on there with a bash guard in place of the big ring - most high end 29ers these days are specced with a 2x10 setup.

[jimborae]

Buy secondhand off ebay or mtb forum etc. get a lot more for your money.

[magnetobob]

Try chain reaction cycles online and look at there Vitus line of bikes (chain reactions brand) they have some of the best value for money bikes ive ever seen and currently own a 29er single speed made them.would really suggest a look.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/S...&BrandIDs=1191

[Dooms]

Ah forgot about this thread

In the end I went for a Cube Analog 29er 2013, been using for about 6 weeks now and love it. Currently commuting 21 miles a day on mainly canal/rail dirt paths and then running off into the woods at the weekend.