Which front suss hardtail for under £400??

mentalpatient123

hi, can somebody help me,

I have a 2004/5 edition GT Avalanche 3,0 v-brake

i have found that it is great, but the front susspension is not great and makes bumps worse on occasion. the v-brakes are being a pain and are not the best in wet weather.
but now i have grown out of it and have a saturday job so i can afford up to £400 or £450 at a push for a hardtail with front suspension

on my list of possibilities are the avalanche 3.0 disc, avalanche 2.0 disc and iff i wait a while the 1.0 disc

another is the giant terrago

basically I want a bike that will last a fair amount of time with an alloy frame and preferably disc brakes (hydraulic if poss)


am i asking too much at this price range??

should i look at older '06 and '05 models??

also is it worth buying second hand or is it too risky??

any help would be great, thanks

Will

dirtbiker100

can't borrow 50quid and get the next avalanche up? the mbuk reviewers were going crazy for it.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-08-24827

SO GOOD
- Superb, subtle feeling, beautifully balanced frame
- The most complete £500 bike we've ever ridden


NO GOOD
- At this price, nothing

papasmurf.

if you can cope with halfords, then the fury is a good bike and theres deals on it for 430 ish.
The mongoose tyax super seems to be a well recommended bike also.

and you should be able to get some 07 GT Avalanche 1s for cheap, or drive a bargin on the 08

mentalpatient123

cheers for the input,

just bought What MTB and MBUK, they seem to like the avalanche 2.0 and 1.0 aswell as you guys.

but the 1.0 avalanche, is it worth the extra £50?? or should i save £50 to spend on other upgrades

also is the Mongoose Amasa '08 range ok?? the amasa comp (cheapest one) looks ok, but is it ok??

Basically what i am now asking is GT Mongoose or which company should i look at??


Cheers will

dirtbiker100

personally I'd just spend the £50 on the avalanche 1 there really aren't many bikes that get a review like that.

The Spiderman

Avalanche 1.0 disc for £450:http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b1s2p677

easyg

My pal has a GT Avalanche 1.0 disc and its superb. GT have a heritage in making higher quality frames and its light ish. I have a Mongoose Tyax Super funnily enough and to be honest that has been outstanding as well - very well built for an entry level bike; we ride light All Mountain and aggressive XC nowadays and even though we're in the process of upgrading and building up new rigs, neither of us have a bad word to say about both of these bikes. Faultless.

So I would say try and test them and then go with the one that suits you. If you don't feel a great difference, think about weight (GT prob. bit lighter but not sure) for those uphills and/ or simply how they look.

Other bikes to check out are the Carrera Fury (Halfords on make), Specialised Hardrock, Genesis Core and Trek 4300/ 4500.

Bottom line - test these bikes, just ring your LBS (or two) and you will know which you prefer I'm sure.

jacktheoc

get the avalanche 1.0 for £450, you wont get anything else better for that money

mentalpatient123

well, had a re-read through mags and reviews and you guys are right

Avalanche 1.0 and Mongoose Tyax are good!!

just wondering whether the mongoose otero elite is any good??

I mean is full suss better if you go over some nasty bumps or is a more rigid frame going to be better as it will last longer???

Well gonna look in my LBS's on monday (half-term)!!


Cheers,

Will

dirtbiker100

No to a full sus at that price. bad all round i'd say. much better to get a hardtail, you'll become a better rider, you'd get a much better frame, better parts.
can't advise on mongoose sorry!