Advice on new bike for £400

The Gladi8or

Hi. First of all, I would like to introduce myself, as I'm new to these forums. I've been out of biking for a number of years now, and even when I rode, it wasn't seriously. I currently own a 98 Marin Bolinas Ridge that I bought in 99 for £300.

I got on my bike on saturday after having carried out some maintenance on it, and found that I was really struggling compared to the people who I was cycling with. I have decided that this is a combination of my lack of cycling fitness (I'm a strong runner) and the age of my bike, which is starting to feel a little knackered.

So I'm considering a new bike for about £400. I've narrowed it down to a hardtail as it will be doing some offroading. I've also got a coast to coast 140 mile road coming up in late june over 3 days, so it's got to be able to do this fine.

I've done some research, and I'm looking at this 2007 Avalanche 1.0:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=17829
for £330
It's identical to the £450 model, but without the disc brakes, which I'm not sure I'll need.

Also, I've seen a steal of a price on a 2008 Giant Terrago Disc for £295: http://www.ashcycles.com/power/index.ph ... cts_id=816
Everywhere else has this bike at £425

Any advice on what else I can get for this amount of money would be greatly appreciated. A light bike is obviously preferential, but it will have to be able to take a bit of a pounding. I don't mind building a bike, but I understand this may be more costly.

Another thing is the size. I'm about 5'8 and my inside leg is 29/30 inches, so am I right in thinking I'll need a frame size of about 16-17 inches?

supersonic

Both are excellent value bikes: but for size it does pay to test them out, as sizes vary from brand to brand (ie reach, angles etc)

The Gladi8or

OK, I'd like peoples opinions on how these bikes stack up to eachother. The first 3 are the main ones I'm considering.

GT Avalanche 1.0 2007 (V-Brake) at £330
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=17829

Giant Terrago Disc 2008 at £295 (RRP £425)
http://www.ashcycles.com/power/index.ph ... cts_id=816

Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc 15" with upgraded sus at £385 (RRP £550)
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... egoryID=60
Too heavy?

The next two are also possibilities

Giant XtC SX 14" 2006 at £400 (RRP £750)
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p1295
Is this bike too small?

Giant XtC 4.5 2007 at £400 (RRP £500)
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p1266
Does the price justify the components over the £295 Terrago above?

Th last is a full-suspension, and I guess the components are probably not as good as the others, but with a reduction from £800 to £400, I thought it was worth including

GT I Drive 4 4.0 2006 at £400 (RRP £800)
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... m1b1s1p101


Obviously 2 of these have a size issue of being in 14" and 15" only. Will either of these likely be big enough for me? About 5'8 with inside leg 29".

The main use of the bike will be road use, and so must be light enough. Does anyone know where I can find weights of bikes? I've tried the manufacturers websites, but cannot find it. The bike will be used for limited off-road however, so a a road bike is out of the question. I will have to try the bikes out, but I'd like peoples opinions.

Sorry for all these questions, but I don't know very much about bikes and components.

Thanks in advance

supersonic

Again, with size the only way for sure is to test: they are measured in different ways, and that is only one measurement out of many (the seat tube). People can only really give a rough estimate on the size you need based on your height and inside leg.

Going on spec, I'd count the Hardrock out, as even though it is heavily reduced, its very heavy and has an undamped fork. The Terrago is superb at that price, and eclipses the GT, but you may prefer the ride position of the FT. Both have decent enough damped forks. The XTC is basically the next up from the Terrago, with a lighter frame.

The Idrive - well I love them, but has no discs, and upgarading would be expensive as has no disc wheels either. Then again you may not need discs (or full suss for that matter!).

My advice would be to try a few local shops and see some in the flesh, and have a sit on them: get a feel for the sizing and geometry.

gk141054

Can't advise much, except to say, the Terrago disc, do they even have it in your size?

I am interested in the same bike but they only have 2 left in stock....

I have just e-mailed them to find out what sizes are left and if they will have more in at that price, so will let you know!

G

The Gladi8or

gk141054 wrote:

I am interested in the same bike but they only have 2 left in stock....
G

There were 3 earlier! Looks like they're going. I emailed them this morning, but have not had a response yet. If I get a response, I'll let you know.

pilkyperky

I have just bought an XTC 4.5 07 23" and I'm loving it, but i was once in your shoes about 2 weeks ago desperately looking around on forums looking for the cheapest bike and the most features e.g hydraullic disks etc etc... I was also looking at the gt1.0 and 2.0 and I kept asking for peoples opinions with out trying it and everyone would say try it out and see, and there advice is worth its weight in gold. I am 6ft 6 and the GT with a 22" frame just doesnt compare to the giant xtc with a 23" frame for my size. Had i have ordered the GT with a 22" with out trying i would have been a bit dissapointed. So in this case SIZE DOES MATTER lol

The Gladi8or

I just thought I'd let everyone know I bought the Terrago Disc for £295 from
http://www.ashcycles.com/power/index.ph ... cts_id=816

The gears weren't set up well (Had problems shifting down on the front Chain ring) but I think I've rectified that now using the high/low adjusters.

Overall, I'm very happy with the bike and would recommend it to anybody looking at a bike in the sub £400 category.

One more thing: The spec for this bike says the Discs are Giant's MPH 3's. My bike came with Hayes Stroker Rydes on front and rear which looking on Chainreactioncycles would come to £190. So I assume I got a good deal here? I hope!