First new bike in 10 years on a £350 budget, help?????

Amarture_Ells

Having been out of the mtb scene for about 10 years I've got the tough decision of what to get on a budget of £350....

I've been looking at the GT Avalanche 2.0 disc 2008 purely because it's a make i recognise and from a bit of research it seems a good all-rounder.

The problem is with so many different makes and models around I dont want to go for the GT to find out my money could have been better spent on something different.

Any suggestions are welcomed as I've not got a clue these days...

Cheers all

Mr Wu

Not a bad choice, though look at ebay as you see alot of avo 1's going for the same as a new 02. Plus the spec will be better.

Daz555

Also have a look at the GT Aggressors which are very similar but exclusive to Halfords.

The hardtail sticky at the top of the Buying Advice forum is the best place to start however.

Tempestas

If you can stretch to just a little more the following is cracking value

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Sarac ... 360042003/

as long as your a medium or large that is

Ellio

I know halfrauds don't have the best reputation in the world but they do have some good offers on, Just bought the wife a new bike from them and its seems to be pretty much spot on and for the price was a very good deal. The main problem is if they have a good offer they go very quickly. We got a Carrera Karaken ltd edition for £320 with Dart 2 forks Juicy 3 brakes etc so well worth a look

geordiefreerider

Mate for what you will get I would seriously try and save a bit extra if your not in a rush I found this BeOne full susser for a extra £200 (which sounds a lot but this bike is half price on last year) within 2 mins while looking for my step-brother and have in fact reccomended the same bike to him - check this link out http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=25453 Definately pays to look around there are some cracking deals and if you dont mind having last years model or the year before even, you will find some superb deals which is what I would do , I've never bought a "brand new model" its like buying a car as soon as you get it out the shop you lose money - even if you dont go for something like the BeOne you definately should be looking for a hard tail that retailed at around 7-8 hundred pound last year !! Its the credit crunch people are desperate to shift stock - use this to your advantage and make sure you grab a bargain !! Hope this helps mate !!

Amarture_Ells

Cheers for the advice all....

jondi

I bought a GT Avalanche 1.0 from chainreaction cycles a few weeks ago, Must say i love this bike, I had a Sarracen before that and was like a tank compared to this bike.

Got it for £320, The 2.0 is on a deal there i think
mine was without disc brakes though.

cougie

For £350 - I'd go second hand. Much better value.

hannah_1984

hi there,

I agree with Cougie, go second hand - you'll get much more choice with much better components. For example on eBay i was searching for a bike for my friend at work and I fell across a Felt (brand new price £400 - not sure of the model now) going for £280.... in great condition too...it's defo worth a look . I own a Cube and it's awesome. They do a lower price range bike but I think in the £350 range you loose out in disc brakes though...

but yes do research second-hand.

hannah_1984

also the thing to remember about GT is they have recently moved their manufacturing over to the middle east and some say the build quality has suffered as a result (not my words).

also with disc brakes in this price range they will probably be cable, rather than hydraulic.

I hope you find something great and grab a bargain!

supersonic

Where it is made has little effect on quality nowadays. Middle and far east have some of the best facilities in the world.

Ellio

I think buying a 2nd hand bike is good if you know what to look for. What looks like a real bargain peach to newer people wont be worth the postage to others. I am getting into MTBing and have a new bike on order but I don't think i would know where to start with looking at a 2nd hander. I know you will probably get a better deal with going 2nd hand but at the same time you could pay well over the odds for a bike that's falling apart and you don't have a clue how to fix it.

greenphotos

If you reserve it today, I reckon the Kraken or Fury are awsome choices. 20% off this weekend!

Fury - £399 (usually 499) I just bought one!!!
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

Kraken £319 (usually 399)
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

Mark

Northwind

Yup, as Greenphotos says a Fury for £400 is pretty much unbeatable, they're better than some bikes costing nearly twice as much. The Kraken is also a good buy but if you can stretch to the Fury it's a massive difference.

parkerandrew1

I have the Avalanche 2.0 Disc.... like you I have just got back into riding after a decade off with limited funding!! It's a great bike, the hydraulic discs certainly help. The only issue I have had is the rear derailleur isn't travelling properly. It handles welll and I had far more success in the muddy forest than my sister and her fella on their expensive Cannondales!!

seataltea

This was posted on Hotukdeals today, not a bad price and the reviews are favourable.

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... UKON_FX_3_

Banned!

seataltea wrote:

This was posted on Hotukdeals today, not a bad price and the reviews are favourable.

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... UKON_FX_3_

wtf!!

OP, buy this bike. thats a total bargain. I met somebody with one of these a while ago and had a scoot about on it and its a brilliant little bike.

might buy one myself, just because its so cheap.

Specialized27

Got to share this, fell v privilaged for the oportnity.... Got a carrera fury 07' for £328, tora 318 u turn forks, SRAM sx 7 drivetrain, truvativ crankset, tektro auriga comp brakes (hydraulic!!!) .... reduced from £500. admittedly, some employees at halfords didnt know a thing about bikes and werent very helpful, but on my second visit the guys in bikehut were great. bikeradar gives it a good review aswell. components cost more than the bike! huge saving. btw the bike is not listed on the internet anymore, you have to go to your local and ask them to order one in from a branch that still has stock. too good to miss

Northwind

At that price it's a total no-brainer, the fork alone costs most of that now... It also makes for an interesting parts-bike, if you were about to buy a new frame and were short of the kit you could do a lot worse than buying that and then splitting it. All in all, silly money, everywhere else prices are rising. Yet WMB STILL don't have it in their "entry level" list.

supersonic

Hopefully will be testing a new Fury soon, Carrera haven't released a new model for well over a year.

Specialized27

I was in literally EXACTLY the same position a number of weeks ago, my descision was to go with a carrera fury 07 for the AMAZING price of only £328! Great great great value .... unfourtuantely the only way to get hold of one is to go into ur local shop and get them to order in one from a branch that still has it in stock. Best 328 I ever spent! Fork alone cost £200 seperate, the brakes cost £120 aswell .... best choice !