Guidance on a hardtail under £500

princebishop
princebishop Posts: 2
edited January 2009 in MTB buying advice
Decided the time has come to finally buy mountain bike and get out there. Got a budget of approx £450 and have looked at Trek 4500, GT Avalanche 2.0 2009 and a 1.0 2008.

Been advised that I need a 21/22'' frame and have looked for buyers guidance in the magazines but most generally test bikes which are outside my budget. Can anybody give some advice on the bikes I have already looked at, or perhaps anything different?

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Our What Hardtail threads lists popular chocies for XC and trail riding.

    The bikes you mention are all very good, the 2008 being better value, and the Trek a liitle more XC based with its higher spec gears and V brakes.

    As for size, best to try them out. Have a read too of the What Size sticky for reasons why.
  • OwenB
    OwenB Posts: 606
    I'd recommend that you try the bikes first, I've got an Avalanche 1(08) in large, think it's a 20" and it's a little on the tall side for me and I'm 6'3" (short legs and long body).
    So even if you're tall you might fit a standard large frame.
    Other than that I can't find fault with it and it's been a great introductory bike for me. There's a what hardtail thread in the stickies which is worth looking at, but I think the majority of people will tell you to try before you buy to find the best fit.
  • A merlin bike, eg http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... goryId=100 would be a good choice for the price range :) It'd obviously help if you can get to preston however to try it out :)
    Start Weight 18st 13lbs March 2009
    17st 10lbs August 2009
    17st 4lbs October 2009
    15st 12lbs December 2010

    Final planned weight 12st 7lbs
  • By shopping around you can get a GT Avalanche 1.0 for under £450 (2008 model I think). I have one and highly recommend it. I believe it's got the same frame as the 2.0 but with some better components. Hope that helps.