Hi Guys..Someone make the decision for me! lol!

jayuk72

Hi People,

Only came across bikeradar a few days ago but have to say it is an awesome resource!

Ok, so after reading many of the threads and researching ie test rides etc i have to choose between 3 bikes which i really like! But i am finding it really hard to make the choice!

The choices:(all brand new)

GT Tempest 3.0 disc - £277
GT Avalanche 2.0 08 - £279
Carrera Vulcan disc 08 - £249

I used to ride trails on a BMX alot when i was younger, but having taken a break for uni i am now looking at some MTB action, im obviously not going to be hitting 25ft doubles but hoping to get into more offroad/ downhilling with the occasional street blast!

What would you guys go for?

Twisterboy

welcome to the forum

cee

jay...

welcome.

the first thing is that you need to sling a leg over each of these bikes and then buy the one that feels the best.

Although the size of the bikes might look the same on paper, little differences in the frame designs can make a big difference in terms of comfort.

The good news is that there is not really a bad one in those 3...

Good luck with the choosing!

jayuk72

hi..

Yeah i did have a brief 5 mins with each bike! Spent all day sunday driving round bike shops to find the models! :-)

I really liked the feel of the tempest, but i kinda think this is because i am used to riding BMX and this felt closest to it! Although i was put off by the twistshift gears!

Although; this is a good reason to start customizing i suppose :-)

I wish i wasnt so indecisive! haha

thanks for your feedback

Jay

Daz555

Tempest is a jump bike and probably feels good because of your BMX experience.

If you want to get the best out of mountain bike trails then it is probably not the best choice.

Hayze Dayz

A friend of mine bought a Vulcan Disc, good bike, but the forks seemed a little soft. This is ok but as there is no lock out when you put your foot down to get going you get a lot of bobbing, so you are using energy there rather than pedaling in a forwad motion. The GT Avalanche is a good option, are you stuck with a patricular shop? Have you considered GIANT, they do some OK bikes for similar money.


:shock:

jadamson

ide steer away from the tempest! it seems a alright bike to ride but prone to breaks! there was 2 in my local bike shop the other day both with broken forks by the lowers and i know someone who gets other problems.

i personally have a carrera fury and a mate with a Vulcan so can recommend that but with no knowledge of the GT ide have to say vulcan.

jayuk72

hi guys,

Thanks for your suggestions, in reply to some questions: I havnt decided on a bike shop yet i have just been looking around for best prices. I havnt looked into Giant bikes, but there are so many different bikes available i could spend weeks looking!!

To be honest every bike has its ups and downs but i think, after reading more about them today, that I am 95% sure il go for the Carrera Vulcan :-) unless someone throws a spanner in the works with a great suggestion! haha.

My plan is to ride the bike till it breaks, that way i know im improving and outgroing the 'budget' range of mtb's!

Although a loockout on the suspension sounds good to me, after years on a non sus BMX!!

Any one ever thought about building a bike from the ground up with parts sourced from ebay etc..?? I built two high spec BMX's when i was younger and really enjoyed it but I think this may be a more expensive route??

Cheers

jay

jadamson

to be honest when i first brought a bike i spent ages looking around and to be honest there isnt much difference between those bikes so ether one would be great we all have our preferences.

building a bike from scratch especially a mountain bike is costly and needs knowledge! i know you have done bmx before but there more simple. prob looking at £500 bare minimum.

anyway just go buy the vulcan and have fun riding as thats what its all about really.

fourcrossjohn

hey , i had a bdget of £300 when i bought my bike in the summer and i hav to say i whitled it down to 2 gt's.

last minute i saw this giant in the bike shop just sat there in the dark corner like a beat beckoning me forward

it was a giant stp2 in black and silver i got it for £265 and with the spare cash i got sum new tyres and seat.

its a street/four cross/dirt and downhill mix, its the hardtail chris smith uses when he has comps or does shoots for MBUK

it worth it

if you want more info mail me at:
commandojohn@live.com

jayuk72

cool, i will definetely check out the giant!

Just popped into halfords and they have a limited edition vulcan disc, for £22 cheaper than the regular vulcan disc! It has uprated forks, brakes, gears but i really dont like the frame shape or colour!

I am thinking i would be stupid for not taking advantage of this purely cos i dont like the colour or shape of the frame, but i am a designer and love things to look pretty! haha!

Cant wait for this weekend to finally roll around!

iajo

Hey bet you cant wait to get a bike now. I got my new one last week and was just relieved not to have to keep doing research all the time. Every time i looked i found something new. I dont know if you have come accross paulcycles.co.uk yet but this was the cheapest place i found any bikes. They say not to order online for a first bike but the savings were just too good to ignore especially if your on a tight budget. The best looking bikes imo were kona's. Dont know if they got one in your price range but worth a look. Good luck

shin0r

Not a bad bike in there, you can't go wrong.

dunker

if you're a large or xlarge crc have a gt avalance 1.0 on offer,
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=29071
£260 for the xlarge and £320 for the large.

nearly £200 off the beone aspire 1.0,
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=25443
£300 15,17,21 sizes.