£800 hardtail

lofty102

I'm looking to get myself a new bike in the very near future but there are sooo many to choose from!! I've been looking at the Orange EV08 which looks on paper a decent bike but i cant find any reviews or tests on it, does anybody know what its like to ride?? Also does anyone have any more info on the Boardman Bikes yet? any suggestions of a good £800 hardtail mainly to be used for XC would be really helpful!!

Scubar

Heres a nicely specced bike for the money

http://chainreactioncycles.com/Models.a ... elID=20574

Panhandling Prince

Just purchased a Merlin Malt 4.

20% discount if you order by tomorrow. £1000 of bike for £800.

Nice

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/

Red Panda

Panhandling Prince wrote:

Just purchased a Merlin Malt 4.

20% discount if you order by tomorrow. £1000 of bike for £800.

Nice

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/

An excellent choice if I may say so :)

lofty102

thanks for that, 2 bikes that i hadn't even considered! i can see a lot of head scratching ahead!!

Panhandling Prince

The Cube does look the biz though.. dont know much about it.

Does anyone else?

adamskib

Could I direct you towards the Decathlon 8.2?
£699 and some awesome components.... two year warranty on ALL parts and they really stand by this.... ANYTHING breaks you will not have any issue with replacement
PLUS a 5 year warranty on the frame!

I have had mine a few months now and it has been amazing fun, has improved my riding enjoyment immensely and has withstood being crashed bashed and generally spanked in amazing style!
The ONLY downside I can find is that the frame paint marks quite easily.... thats it... nothing else.

Fantastic value for money and very light, relliable and fun

Panhandling Prince

Where did you purchase your Decathlon?

lofty102

Cheers Adam I'l definatly have a look. The Cube does look nice, but i don't know much about it. And the Merlin seems to be a very good choice. Anybody got any info/ experiance on the Orange EV08??

Scubar

The Cubes have all got very good reviews, thats one of the reasons why i recommended it .

lofty102

thanks, being german they are bound to be well built!!

Panhandling Prince

Scott Scale 50?

royboy11

Canadian made Norco Rampage - http://www.norco.com/2007bikes/Mountain ... =1&deets=1

lofty102

thanks royboy but i think the Norco is a bit too freeride for the riding a do. the scott looks like being a contender, cheers Mr Prince. As does the Cube. Still undecided about the decathlon. Ive jst been reading another forum about the boardmans and i think i'll give them a miss until they are a bit more proven and have got a good track record. Any others I should be thinking about??! I can't get it till after 8th August as I'm at work (offshore) till then so any other bike suggestion to add to my confusion would be great!!

teacherman

I'm a big Kona fan - '08 Caldera will be well worth a look. I think it's going to retail at £750 so within budget.

lofty102

when will 08 bikes be out??

Panhandling Prince

I was dead set on the Merlin Malt 4 and am poised to complete the order, but the looks on the Scott Scale 50 is really making the final decision hard.

I will have the funds this weekend so a final choice will have to be made.

I was in the same boat, looking for an £800 XC hardtail. My top contenders were/ are:

Merlin Malt 4
Focus Killer Bee (Wiggle)
Scott Scale 50
Trek 6700 Disc
Giant XTC 2.5

I then nailed it down via reviews and comparisons to the Merlin, but the Scott just looks sooooooooo good!!

I will have to decide by the weekend.

What are you leaning towards.

PP

lofty102

Looked at the Focus but sold out of my size, scott does look good and got good spec and i like the look of the cube. still trying to find a couple more reviews on them both, so i would say at the moment its between the scott and the cube!! but then again the merlin looks a good buy!!!haha

You'll have to let me know which you decide to splash the cash on

Panhandling Prince

Snap then. I was looking at the large killer bee also. Was perfect.

I will buy this weekend probably so will let you know asap.

I think it will be the Scott just coz it looks fast and is very light, and has room for upgrades later on.

Am looking for something to race so light and fast are my main criteria.

Let me know how you get on.

lofty102

will do!

adamskib

Light?

8.2 is 11.7kg
Firex chain doings, Shimano lx/xt gear changey bits, LX discs, Mavic wheels and rock shox rebas with the pop lock.
Not too shabby for £699.... plus £40 worth of vouchers if you get a store loyalty card!

Get a try of one before you totally write it off.... whenever the Decathlon bikes are tested by the mags they love them... it IS hard to overcome the brand recognition thing though.

lofty102

can't fault the spec of the decathlon, i didnt realise it was that light tho! I'll try n find a dealer some where near me, up ere in the north east, Thanks Adam

tom_j

before you make a decision check out this bargain (which is what i recently bought)

marin eldridge grade 2006

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... b58s2p1107

fantastic bike and available in 17" which is a pretty decent size

tom_j

oh, the marin weighs 25lbs if you're interested

Panhandling Prince

Considering my old Carrera is about 16+ kg, the Scott Scale is light enough.

lofty102

sounds like the scott has won you over Mr Prince!! i've jst been looking at the trek 6700 found it for £700, http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/trek_6700_disc.html
just in case you were interested!

stanny

I would go for a Saracen Zen 2 (£720) or Zen 3 (£900)

http://www.carandcycle.net/www.carandcy ... h=&sought=

lofty102

I looked long and hard at the saracen Zen 3 before i posted this forum topic and was very tempted by it especially with the fork it has! thnks for bringing it back to my attention!!

lofty102

Stanny,
Do you have a saracen??

passout

Merlins certainly fit the bill - nice ride. I got one last year. They used to have Magura forks, avoid these., but Magura brakes are great. Otherwise all of the Merlins are good. I had the Team SL - very nice - cost me £800. Very light weight for the money. The shop in Leyland is good - very helpful.

Oranges are nice but too expensive for what you get.

The focus range at www.wiggle.co.uk are good too.

Panhandling Prince

Hey Lofty,

Yeah was temped by the 07 Trek 6700. Have had a few test rides and liked it. Main issue was that lots of people have a trek, and the Scott is a little different, but at £700, thats £99 cheaper than in my LBS. Maybe worth a rethink.

I feel like I am never gonna get a bike bought.

What you leaning to atm?