Best Hardtail For £500

handscombmp

As the title says i'm looking for a hardtail around the £500 mark possible stretching up to £600.

At the moment though i'm not sure on what to get. The best ones I've found so far are
GT Avalanche Disc 1.0 08 http://www.gtbicycles.com/gbr/eng/defau ... id=17#2639
Or the Claud Butler Cape Wrath D27 07 http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/CORP/cb/capewrathD27.html

I like the Claud Butler but it as a 07 model and they don't seem to be doing any 08 ones. Does anyone know if the will.

iiJonnyii

Both of them look good bikes. A friend of mine has an avalanche and his is pretty good.

BlackSpur

They are both good bikes but you need to go into a bike shop and try them out - you will probably find one more suitable for you.

Doom

iiJonnyii wrote:

A friend of mine has an avalanche and his is pretty good.

Second that and you can get it pretty cheap now from Chain Reaction Cycles!!

jimmyp1873

i think you might get an entry level specialized rockhopper for that money, look about and you will deffo get an 07 model

xcracer

I can recommend the Rockhopper. It's lots of fun to ride. Should be able to get an 07 with v brakes for £450.

handscombmp

thanks for all the help guys. I just found another bike i like the look of mainly becausce I can get it for £440. Its the Carrera Fury 07 model ( http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yrn_103669 ) from HALFORDS. that my main concern about it as i know halfords is rather crap on servicing, let alone their own bike brand. what do you reckon.

stevel

handscombmp wrote:

thanks for all the help guys. I just found another bike i like the look of mainly becausce I can get it for £440. Its the Carrera Fury 07 model ( http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yrn_103669 ) from HALFORDS. that my main concern about it as i know halfords is rather crap on servicing, let alone their own bike brand. what do you reckon.

Fury v GT. Get the GT.

OllyUK

The fury has a much better fork (tora 318) but other than that they are fairly similar spec wise just that the GT has a shimano drivetrain and the carrera has a SRAM one.

tonyrees68

GT all the way because i love mine

handscombmp

OllyUK wrote:

The fury has a much better fork (tora 318) but other than that they are fairly similar spec wise just that the GT has a shimano drivetrain and the carrera has a SRAM one.

yeah that the problem. I don't kno which is better. Some people say the SRAM doesn't need adjusting but easily breaks and others say the opposite that the Shinano doesn't break but needs adjusting loads.

tonyrees68

ok it seems your are just looking at reviews and prices and trying to get a bang for your buck and theres nothing wrong with that at all .
in this price range there are no bad bikes but as mentioned above (blackspur) try one out , all the the stuff on the bike will need looking after on a reg basis ,get to know your new bike and learn how to look after it plenty of help on this site friendly too ,SRAM and SHIMS both exelent choice , you cant go wrong with either
and id still go for GT over Fury dont know why but its a tried and tested bike
tony

marmitecp

Halfords usually have a 10% off offer on the web, its not on at the moment but do doubt will be in a week or two. If you get that offer plus the free £20 voucher they do it brings the price down to £380 which is waht I paid. Great spec for the money but usual caveats about setting up yourself apply if you don't trust the local branch.

handscombmp

I've sat on both the fury and GT and i like both of them just as much. this i were the crucnh happens. My common sense says get the Furys as its cheaper and has a better fork but everything else says to get the GT even though i fell just as comfortable on both of them. HELP. I'm getting really confused

OllyUK

what sort of riding do you do/are looking to do? Are you buying the GT from halfords?

Also consider the spec differences:

Fork: Fury has the tora 318..turnkey lockout, u turn (eg you can change the amount of travel between 80-130mm..very adjustable..ie all the features of higher range forks...just a tad heavy,
GT : not as adjustable, travel fixed at 100mm, and a preload dial...however I dont know much about suntour forks

Brakes: Both the same, dual piston hydros

Drivetrain, similar quallity derailleur, comes down to personal preference, Shimano shifters you use your forefinger and thumb, SRAM shifters, you shift both directions with the thumb..so it leaves your fingers for the brake lever..but thats just personal preference.

Tyres: Fury comes with big heavy 2.3 tyres which I replaced within the first week cos I prefer thiner tyres, I also got 3 punctures at once with them, admittadly I thiink I rode past a recently trimmed hawthorn hedge (the bane of my existance)

I dont know what the quality of the finishing kit is on the GT is, but the fury's is fairly good, its just when halfords builds it up for me they had only tightened one of the stem bolts and they didnt know how to correctly align diskbrakes, but that all depends on what your local branch is like.

handscombmp

what sort of riding do you do/are looking to do? Are you buying the GT from halfords?

I'm mainly going to be using my bike for XC and sometime a bit of road use for when i can't be bothered to get the car out. It will need to be fairly durable as I do throw my bike around a fair amount.

The SRAM gears are probaly better for my style but the FURY tyres may be a problem when i'm on road, but i can easily change them.

The GT i'd be buying from my Local bike shop (Hayballs, In salisbury if anyone knows it) which is another reason why i like the GT. I'd probaly take the Fury into them for its servicing though.

rob13

I have a similar problem but have discounted the Fury on the fact that the components are probably better while the frame is not as good.

Im torn between the GT, The Scott Aspect 20, The Spec Rockhopper as well as the Commencal Combi Disc. All felt good to ride around the car park admittedly but dont know about their behaviour on the trails. I want something which I will be happy using on fast and on rough trails.

Splasher

£550 gets you a Tora fork, X7/X9 gearing and Juicy 3 brakes http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... ite%202008

tonyrees68

yep i agree with spalsher i could not afford this bike you cant go wrong there and dont forget the giant xtc ex for £590 also on wiggle

OllyUK

handscombmp wrote:

what sort of riding do you do/are looking to do? Are you

The GT i'd be buying from my Local bike shop (Hayballs, In salisbury if anyone knows it) though.

Totally off topic but I know that area, I drive through red lynch everytime I go to see relatives who live in downton.Im planning on taking my bike down there in the summer and explore the new forest by bike.

I think you have to consider the fact that if you buy the GT it will most probably come much better set up and have a free first service from your local bike shop if they are any good, but then again some halfords branches can have really good service (only in rare cases though ) Also consider that you can get a Fury (which is essentially a £500) for £380 leaving money for upgrading (ie tyres) or clothing, accessories etc (lights, pump, hydration, saddle bags etc)

handscombmp

Also consider that you can get a Fury (which is essentially a £500) for £380 leaving money for upgrading

i probaly would the the fury as its so cheap and like above i can upgrade it. i can also take it into my local bike shop and spend the extra money on a service.
Cheers for all the help guys. This fourms a great place.

Totally off topic but I know that area, I drive through red lynch everytime I go to see relatives who live in downton.Im planning on taking my bike down there in the summer and explore the new forest by bike.

As for taking your bike to the new forest i'd totally reccommend it as it is brilliant for what ever type of cycling you do. Espically MTB.

OllyUK

handscombmp wrote:

Totally off topic but I know that area, I drive through red lynch everytime I go to see relatives who live in downton.Im planning on taking my bike down there in the summer and explore the new forest by bike.

As for taking your bike to the new forest i'd totally reccommend it as it is brilliant for what ever type of cycling you do. Espically MTB.

yea I was walking through parts just before Christmas and kept spotting nice looking singletrack and wishing I had my bike with me.

Edit: Also dont let your bike shop charge you for a full service if you want them to check over it before riding...just ask them to make sure the gears are adjusted well ie not skipping, no front deraillur rubbing, and that the brakes are set up correctly ie no rubbing and to check the stem, no play in the headset etc. When I got my fury from halfords, they had forgotten to tighten one of the stem bolts, hadn't aligned the disk brakes (when I pointed this out to them they siad it was just becuase the pads needed wearing down, but it was majorly rubbing impeding the movement of the wheel and I showed them how to adjust the position of the caliper), and also the handlebars had been put in so that the rise was facing outwards instead to vertically. But I dont really mind beacuse they arent an official bike repairs halfords (though they do have a bike hut section) and they were good ordering a Fury in my size and letting me pay the internet price for it.

handscombmp

Cheers. I'll remember that.