Down to final three

simkna

Okay, so after looking for several weeks, occasionally getting carried away and thinking about bikes up to £600, I have had a stern word with myself and will stick to budget. (up to £500).
I am now down to the final three choices:

GT Avalanche 1.0 disc
GT Aggressor XC1
Carrera Fury

All the above are the same price (£450), so that leaves me a few bob to get some extras such as hybrid tyres.

Riding will be 65% towpath/trail and 35% road.

I must admit I have reservations about buying from Halfrauds - useless build and service.

Any opinions or suggestions out there?

Si.

dcp1975

Try them all...but if your LBS is Halfords then stick with them, Fury is the one its fun to ride and for £500 one of the best in this price range.

impished

I bought a Fury from Halfords, and (touch wood) the only problem I noticed was the stem was very slightly (and I do mean SLIGHTLY) not centre. :roll:

Apart from that I found it a great bike for the money. 8)

Big n Daft

Buy a Fury,

If your that worried about the build Halfords do,

Get one in a box and build it yourself, there is nothing Halfords do that can't be done with a basic toolkit and a bit of common sense.

Or just check over what they do either in the shop or asap after.

simkna

Okay, the deed is done...

And in the end I went for this :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130137363580

So, is this the point where you tell me I'm a fool, I've bought an old nail (no pun intended), and I would have been better off with a Fury?

Si.

dcp1975

Buying off ebay can be like skating uphill backwards! Until you have seen and checked over the bike you cannot be sure, check the fork it could be bent, also wheels and everything else, but i would of bought from Halfords....if anything went wrong with the Fury you could take it back, with the bike you have bought unless you are good around a bike, you are stuck with it.

Big n Daft

A lot of bike for the money....but i think you paid a touch over the odds, the 07 is only £800.

If its in good nick, you got yourself a real bargain....nice forks, drivetrain, in fact its all decent kit.

If not, you'll kick yourself, repeatedly and very very hard.

I hope its as good as it look's.

Enjoy!

simkna

Just got back from picking her up. She's an absolute beaut. Excellent nick, very well looked after, and quite recently serviced. Rides like a dream. Just got to overcome a stiff seat stem so I can drop the seat to a more comfortable height. So far, I'm a very happy camper.

Si.

simkna

Turns out the seatpost was stiff because the guy had put an oversize post in to stop it creaking. Not too bad, just a 27.2 post in a 27.0 tube. Will take the chance to put a 27.0 USE suspension post in whilst I am at it.

Si.