Which year

bone-shaker

You have probably seen my posts about choosing a first MTB. Ideally I wanted to spend arounf £300 but have learnt a lot through the forums. However, now there is a tough choice - the Giant XTC 4.5 seems to tick all the boxes for me. I can get the 2007 XTC 4.5 for £349 on the internet or wait and save up and go for the 2008 XTC 4.5 for £500 from my LBS. I would love to support my LBS but I find it hard to find 150 reasons. What would you do?

The Spiderman

Not much difference on spec and a £150 saving.Thats a lot of money with which to buy some riding kit,like helmet and bike clothing......

If you want to support,your LBS,have you tried seeing if they would do a discount or throw in any extras?

If you are a newbie,the LBS route may appeal,if you want to take advantage of the free first service,but this only involves adjustment of the gears,which you would only pay £10-20,for anyway.

I however,bought my XTC on line,for a considerable saving.

Just one thing to be aware of however.Some of the discounted XTCs were intended for the rest of Europe,and the brakes are set up the wrong way round.Mine was.Check before you buy.

dirtbiker100

Ha I was going to post in your other thread - I see your dilemma now. I'd go along to the LBS and see if they can do a bit of a deal if not then I'd probably go for the internet one as its a pretty good price there. :oops:

Underscore

I've voted for the 2007 out of those two... but, if you're considering the internet instead of your LBS, how much is the 2008 available for on-line?

_

dav1

you can do a lot with £150, get yourself some nice kit for the winter.

LBS is a good option though, factor in the free service and perice of mind for the warranty and its a good place to go, espically for a first MTB. See if you can get the price down or have some bits thrown in before you make your mind up. You may be able to get the 08 for a nicer price to make it worth while and have the advantages. If not id probably go for the saving and spend the extra £150 on some other bits.

clanton

Having a good relationship with a GOOD LBS is worthwhile, especially if you're not going to be maintaining the bike yourself. Be aware though that not all lbs are created equal!