Confused Newby

Jay dubbleU

Its about 20 years since I last rode a bike but I want to get back into it via the Cycle2Work scheme - I've got a budget of around 350.00 - I'm looking for a bike that I can use as a regular commute - about 10 miles but which I can also use on trails at the weekend - I seem to have looked at hundreds over the last couple of weeks but have now got thoroughly confused by the whole thing - probably the age.

So far the Giant Yukon seems to be my best bet but I'd welcome suggestions

Thanks

chrismarkham1982

hi mate have you looked at the carrera kraken yet? i used to have one and there pretty good
the frame is light and very responsive and they normally come with a pretty decent spec plus i think this years model comes with hydraulic disc brakes
good luck in your search

Jay dubbleU

Thanks Chris - I was a bit wary of the Carrera range because its tied to Halfords and they seem to have some bad press on setting up new bikes - my local Halfords has a Carrera Vulcan special edition with RocShox forks - any good ?

chrismarkham1982

yeah there pretty good as-well
unfortunately carrera have a bit of bad name because of the halfords link but to be honest most people who have bought on a low budget or as a first bike dont really have any problems plus the frames are good enough to keep and just upgrade the parts over time if needed check this review out
http://www.bikeradar.com/beginners/gear ... n-07-27707
have a look at chain reaction cycles as-well theyve got a gt avalanche 2.0 dropped down to £300 there probably about the best budget bike you'll get

sc999cs

Nothing wrong with the Carrera bikes. Depending on the store you buy one from it may be worthwhile getting it looked over by a LBS.

Jay dubbleU

The spec on the Vulcan seems good - probably better than anything else they had in stock - unfortunately our Cycle2Work scheme ties me to Halfords although they do have a Bike Hut branch in store so the build might be OK - I'll take a look at the GT Avalanche - thanks for that

jmillen

I've had a Carrera Kraken, and now have a Carrera Fury....I can understand peoples slight concern with buying from Halfords, but if you're worried....you can always purchase it from Halfords and have your LBS put it together for you

The new Carrera Kraken also has a Ltd edition version (which i wasnt aware of until having a chat with someone in the shop)

Jay dubbleU

Might have to go and take a second look at Carrera - they certainly seem to have a better spec than most bikes in the 300-350 range - trip to Bike Hut tomorrow I think

deadliest

has it

Jay dubbleU

Oh yeah!!

biggstevie

Halfords can order any bike you like well thats what they told me when i had my old zaskar but that was about 4 years ago. I miss that bike so much.

Jay dubbleU

I didn't realise but we have an in store Bike Hut at my local Halfords - went down on Saturday and they were really helpful - answered newby questions very patiently and did say that they could order any current model for me - thinking of going for the Giant Yukon or the Giant Escape M2 as they would both suit my needs - ie commuting/trails - seem to be good beginners bikes and will leave room in my budget for locks,crudcatcher etc - just had confirmation that my C2W has been approved - now all I need to do is sort out my FCN !! 8)