First race bike

Maco1

Hi folks,
I am going to have a go at racing and need an entry level machine to get me through my first few years. I want a hardtail with a great frame that i can upgrade components on as i need. My budget is £700 (so the Scale 30 i'd really like will have to wait!). I know all the usual suspects at this price point, but not sure which is a good starting point for racing.
Thanks for your input.

BlackSpur

Scale 50 would be a great choice, as would one of the Trek hardtail range. Rockhopper Comp is certainly worth a look too.

dunker

i vote Merlin Malt 4, very light

streako

You can race on any bike to be honest..... But..

For 700 quid I would look at either Merlin or Focus.

Also worth doing is spending more on a frame that is upgradeable, ie, good quality, light, comfortable, rather than one with the odd bling component.

Racing will wear parts out very quickly, especially wheels, drivetrain and maybe forks.
You can upgrade when they wear out and you will still have a good frame to use.

flyingelephant

Firstly above all is the frame! Then look at the wheels. Everything else comes after these two. Comfort above all with the contact points, as if you are comfortable, you can go fast, and faster for longer. Groupsets wear out quickly, but make sure it is workable under strain and not budget orientated.
Don't shop by brand and fashion, but by what fits, does the job you want and gives you riding pleasure.

BlackSpur

I would disagree with the point made about contact points above. It is very rare for new bikes to come with decent saddle, pedals and grips, often they are low range parts to keep price down. They are a very personal choice so, IMO, you are far better off choosing your own aftermarket parts.

flyingelephant

BlackSpur wrote:

I would disagree with the point made about contact points above. It is very rare for new bikes to come with decent saddle, pedals and grips, often they are low range parts to keep price down. They are a very personal choice so, IMO, you are far better off choosing your own aftermarket parts.

When buying the bike, if the shop is any good, these can easily be changed to what works for you at a cheaper rate than buying at a later date.

BlackSpur

Yeah, I agree with that. Good shout about Focus Bikes as well, I think the Black Forest is in your price range.

Maco1

Yeah, the Focus Black Forest was high on my list but i wasn't sure if the frame was any good as the components on it seem to be good for the price so they must have made savings somewhere.
I was also considering an 07 Giant Xtc 2.5 (although wasn't sure about 'only' 80mm of front bounce) wasn't sure if the forks could be upgraded without messing up geometry, but i suspect not.
Rockhopper Comp looks nice, but forks aren't as good as the above two.
Also an 07 GT Zaskar can be had for about that price, but i couldn't really work out if this was still intended as a race bike or if they just kept the name to profit from past glories.

I just want a bike that i can learn to race with, but also something that could get the results in the hands of a decent racer (which is my target).
Thanks for your replies so far.

Torres

Got a black forest.
Frames stood up to everything i've thrown at it so far.

BlackSpur

If I was going to be racing on a bike I would certainyl want to try it forst, which unfortunately rules out Focus and, depending on your location, Merlin as well.

icedmind

may be go for old xtc carbon which was top model like 2 yrs ago and still preety decent right now for race
xtc is design for 100 forks, but 80 make the bike go faster and climb better

The Spiderman

The XTC 2.5 is a very good starting point.No problems using 100mm forks,some come specced that way anyway.My XTC currently has Rebas set at 85mm and they cope fine.Not really that much different to 100mm and most xc races aren`t that demanding.
My XTC is 24lbs,and didn`t cost very much.Original bike was,£500,bought the Rebas secondhand for £150,and a better set of wheels secondhand for £80.Other bits have been ugraded as I`ve gone along,now have full XT groupset,Raceface bars,stem,Thomson post,and Gobi saddle.
Worth getting the best tyres you can afford.Schwalbe Nobby Nics and Racing Ralphs come reccoemended.
Focus is a good off the shelf package,Wiggle will refund your money if you don`t like it.Just send it back within 14 days.
Zaskar is still a good bike,but if I was you I would stretch my budget and buy this:http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=product&productId=1378&categoryId=129
Its 24lb out of the box,Reba forks,Formula K18 brakes,Raceface finishing kits,reasonable wheels,and a very nice frame.

streako

That Commencal from Merlins looks like a steal. Its pretty much race-ready.

kingderham

Cube do some nice bikes