You've heard this a million times before but..........

badlander

Okay, i'm new to this forum and i appreciate just how boring these 'which one?' questions get but i've got yet another for you.I do apologise!

I'm getting a bike for thrashing around mostly coastal trails and woods etc for some winter fitness to keep me in shape for freediving/spearfishing.

Anyway, at my budget i've got three choices.I have read many reviews regarding each bike which are generally good but without any real knowledge of individual spec strengths and weakness' i'm still at loss to identify a clear winner.

They are.......

A Carrera Vulcan Disc.
A GT Aggressor XC3.
And a Saracen Mantra.

All three can be purchased at my local Halfords which will make my life easier in terms of set-up etc etc.

I believe the GT and the Carrera have Suntour forks whereas the Saracen has RST Strike forks.I read that in a budget bike,your choice of forks is pretty important so i'd like to know which forks get the nod.However,i'm prepared to upgrade as i go.

That's about it really,i'm aware about sitting on the damn things and chosing the one that feels right but i don't want to buy a great feeling shed.

My thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to help me out.

canada16

I use this, ITS OFF THE HOOK, http://www.all-about-the-home.co.uk/ekm ... parkle.jpg.

No serious, I have always likes GT, But check out Cube, or Focus bikes, they are good value for money.

badlander

Cheers for that, i've checked them out but i 'm pretty much set on getting one from a local shop, purely for after care and the like.

I'm off to have a proper look at, and sit on, all the bikes listed tomorrow so i guess i'll be able to write off one or two off based on how they feel.

stevet1992

just a heads up Northwind might still have his kraken for sale Link here bit of a shame really as i paid £350 for the vulcan which now the kraken is listed for :evil:

i have the carrera vulcan very good for its price but ive got buying fever so its soon going to be far from factory :twisted:

supersonic

Whay not try them out at halfords, see which set up you like?

The Mantra is a heavier duty bike with the weight to match. All are decently specced, with adequate forks.

badlander

Well we headed to a different halfords and after quizing the guy i decided to go for the Mantra 1, tough bike,good frame but probably not as good on parts as the GT AggressorXC3. Went to pay and found the price higher by £80 than the other store !
The prices had gone back up but the other store hadn't got their bike relabled so we flew back over there and got it for £249 as opposed to £329.
The guy at Halfords was super helpfull and clued right up.When he discovered that the prices had raised but the old price was on the bike, he still gave us a few quid discount.

Thanks for your help.

badlander

Had my mantra one for a week now.Thus far i've changed the bars for some Deity risers and changed the hideously lengthy stem for a 50mm Truvativ Holzfeller and put on some sunline grips.Got it all from Bike Chain in Redruth and was well impressed by the service.The bike instantly feels a lot more solid.Had trouble with a slipping chain and discovered it was down to a stiff link.Tried in vain to fix it so took it back to Halfords and they removed the link without replacing it.This gonna casue any problems?
Took it out for a proper thrashing today over at Poldice and was pretty impressed on the whole.Felt pretty good afterwards even though it was shitty weather and me and the dog were lagged.Removed most of my shin skin which was nice.I think some pretty extensive protective gear next!

All in all,looking forward to getting into some riding.