Help choosing my first bike £500 max

Furious7

Hey all i'm looking to get my first mountain bike very soon (as soon as i have sold my Xbox 360) and i'm looking for some advice choosing my first bike.

I will be doing some light off-road trails quite often and moving onto some harder ones as soon as my dad finds a bike for him self. Also i will be doing a few dirt jumps and stuff with some friends.

My maximum price i can afford to pay is £500

So here is what i have on my list so far:

Carrera Fury £500

GT Avalanche 1.0 £499.99

Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 £499.95

Genesis Bikes Core 1.0 ( 08 ) £450

Cube Bikes Attention Disc £449

GT Avalanche 2.0 £400

Scott Aspect 45 ( 08 ) £399

These are the ones i have been mainly looking at, from there ratings and the "WHAT BIKE?" section of the forum. So can anyone help me choose the best one for me out of all those? Or are there any others that may be better then the ones i have listed?

Thanks alot in advanced

Sam

supersonic

Nice list of good bikes. Next step is to go and see them, and try them out! Picking the best value is not always going to get you the best overall bike, and you need to get the right size. Saying that, I would dismiss the Norco - has a poor fork that will ruin the ride, and the money isn't put back elsewhere.

Furious7

Ok thanks for the advice, i will go and try them all out after i have been camping this weekend. Would it be an idea to get a size bigger then i am now because i'm 14 now and looking to keep this one for a while and i will probably end up growing while ive got it.

supersonic

Possibly, but not so it is a danger to ride. You still want to be able to clear the top tube by some amount, even a minimal amount when stood over it, feet flat on floor. I think you get the picture ;-)

Furious7

Yeah i know what you mean :P I will have to see at the time of testing all the bikes, after testing all the bikes, finding my favourite and finding the right size for me can i just say "i'll think about that one" to the shop and then go find the shop with the best deal?

supersonic

Well you could lol, but that is why the shops are usually a little more expensive than online - you get all that service from a trained member of staff, and they will build the bike for you and service it once or twice for free! And if owt goes wrong, not far to go. Worth a few extra quid, and often the prices are the same anyway. Ask them to throw in some lights or something.

Furious7

Yeah it probably is best to get it from a shop then rather then online, i cant wait to get and test them all out now lol

Thanks alot for your help

Rykard

Decathlon 8.1? I read a good review on it yesterday on BikeMagic?
If there is a decathlon close to you...

Rich

Sikora

Shops can sometimes be willing to knock a bit off the price, or like Sonic says, throw in some lights or a helmet.
As for buying buying a size up, chances are you'd be looking at a new bike in a couple of years if you really get into it - it always happens, so buy what fits your size at the moment.

Our of that list, the GT Avalanche 1.0 stands out to me - recently won MBUK's £500 bike review. If they have any left, Halfords sell the Aggressor XC 1 - same bike but better spec at the same price.
Ultimately though, choose what frame fits you the best. Components can always be upgraded.

stone-rose

If you've got £500 and can find an extra £40, this is a great deal

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... goryId=129

bullcross

yeah the commencal combi looks good from merlin

or the decathlon 8.1

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-8-1-34963132/

Furious7

Thanks for all the replies and the advice, i have added the Decathlon Rock Rider 8.1 to my list and thinking about adding the Aggressor XC 1 after ive read a bit more about it.