Crountryside Biking

will_c

I'm looking at getting into biking. i'm going to be using it for mainly riding down Horse trails and over fields and some road use, i'm gonna have around £500-£700 to spend and the main 2 bikes i've been looking at are the ;

Gt 2008 Avalanche 1.0 Disc
and
Orange 2008 G3

I'm not sure what the differences between the 2 are, i carn't find any reviews on the orange but the Gt has some good write ups. Any advise would be appriciated. Thanks.And is a hardtail suitable for what i'm doing or do i need to spend more and maybe go for a full suspension bike ?
Also found this
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... _TRANCE_3_
Although i was looking at a 19" frame but these only come with 18" or 20"

Rich Hcp

I've just bought an Orange G3

It's a 19" frame, I love it!

It does the sorts of trails you're talking of superbly, I can't do a proper review because that's all I know!

The gear change is sweet and the forks seem very good to me.

The only problem for you is that I was told when I got it that it was the last one, there was a dealer demo day and the guy from the factory comfirmed that there were no G3s left...

here may be one or two in the back of a shop somewhere....

No doubt there will be a 2009 version out, don't know when, it may be worth emailing the factory

The other bike I considered was the Specialized Rockhopper Disc, the spec and price are similar

That full suss looks good, but I think for the trails you do a hardtail is the one for the job

Anonymous

hmm, on this forum, all you'll ever get is Orange, Orange, Orange, Orange, Orange :roll:

will_c

I've been told by a couple of mates not to go for the Giant as it has no lock out on the suspension. Think i'm going for a hard tail. My heart says go for the Orange if i can find one, but my head says go for the GT, i'm completely new to this, so am i really going to notice the difference between the 2 ? The money i save buying the GT could be spent on something else.

keith

I have a Specialized Rockhopper Pro; same frame as the Disk. I ride singletrack, I like to just go exploring around the lanes for little trails, and i ride road. I live 23 miles from Dartmoor and ride up there and over Dartmoor on bike packing trips. Rides amazing, just so comfortable. It had rack mounts if that interests you

I have gotten strange looks from bikers, looking at the bike with a "that's nice" look then seeing the rack on the back. Good stuff. Practical though. Holds an Eight Pack nicely

will_c

Rang the bike shop up today and they advised me to go for the Orange due to the better forks, so i might get one. Would anyone else say the orange is better than the GT ?

BlackSpur

Everyone will say that the G3 is better but that is because it is £150 more - it is not a fair comparison. A better comparison is the Avalanche Expert at £665 from Wiggle. Testing will be the best way of deciding.

keith

As said above, some bikes just feel 'right' and some don't. Its about different peoples different perspectives and ideas on the perfect geometry. You will find out which one that you prefer by riding them. Even if its just around a car park. Also ditto about the fair comparison bit, or not fair as it should read. Good luck on your choice!

Larok

yes not a fair comparison to the orange. These are closer GT models and others.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... ert%202008



http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... est%202008



http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... ctID=12236