need help buying a bike please

chuckbiker

hi guys/gals im fairly new to this whole site as ive just recently started to get into bikes. i know a adequate amount about them and fixing and maintaing and all that, but, ive recently decided to go for a new bike and im stuck on what to get, my maximum amount to spend is around the £300 mark. so, i was wondering wether there are any mountain bikes that you could recomend, prefferably a hardtail mountain bike. id be using it as a bike for taking me everywhere such as roads, dirt tracks and hills (uphills, downhills, round hills and pretty much anywhere i see) so i was just wandering if could you lot help me out,

thanks for your time

charlie

nwmlarge

first thing i would suggest is having a good search through the forum there are loads of topics similar to this
i found quite a lot of info tucked away

chuckbiker

i think im going to get a mongoose tyax elite, but still not sure. thanks for the quick reply by the way

supersonic

Can you try one out?

Also look at the What Hardtail thread in the buying section.

Helen-mtb

same as supersonic... can you not take a bike out for a day? i know my LBS lets people take out bikes for about 4 hours, if you leave them like, a card/wallet or something? It changed my mind from a Gary Fisher to a Specialized... i didn't know till i rode it properly

chuckbiker

thanks again for replies, my friend has a mongoose tyax and he often lets me ride it, i like it, but now ive come to another bike that i like and it seems to have good reviews most places i look (user reviews and just general reviews) its called the gary fisher wahoo disk (2008 model) the bike store i have seen selling it lets you take it for a quick spin (i think) so ill see what its like. thanks

Helen-mtb

yeah thats cool do that ask them if they'll let you take it for a few hours, my local LBS did, dont know if thats the "done thing" though lol!

hope you settle on a bike you like!

chuckbiker

just found out that the gary fisher is unavailable at the bike stores i can get to , so do any of you have any bike suggestion, thanks
charlie

chuckbiker

ive been looking now for a couple of days and i think ive finally come to a conclusion, i think the bike i am going to get is a Scott aspect 50 (the 2009 model) as it would suit my preferences. there is only one small problem for me and that is that i cant find any user reviews, so ... you guessed it, could any of you guys give me your opinion as it would be a great help in my decision,
thanks

GHill

I wouldn't want to do any serious dirt jumping on it (seeing as though you listed it first at the top).

Wayne2k

The bike i recently got was about 300pound the cluad butler stoneriver, so that be worth a look, http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... r-08-31976

chuckbiker

GHill wrote:

I wouldn't want to do any serious dirt jumping on it (seeing as though you listed it first at the top).

thanks for the advice it has been taken into consideration and now i have devised a cunning plan are you ready to hear the genius of the plan ... ... i am going to use a bmx for the jumping part! :roll: (just messing, about the genius part ) so now i have edited the original post, thanks for the caution its much appreciated
thanks

GHill

Using a BMX for dirt jumping sounds like a good plan to me! 8)

JoeMontana

This depends on your employment circumstances but:

Have you looked into the govt cycle scheme? If your employer is registered you can save 40-50% on the cost of a new bike and peripherals. I just got a Giant Talon 2.5 with decent lock and helmet for only just over £300. Done about 250 miles on it in 3 weeks and love it!

gregmorris234

Ever considered a Carrerra bike?

chuckbiker

thanks for the responses

Ever considered a Carrerra bike?

ive had a look but i still stick with the scott aspect 50, but thanks anyway as it was a great way to spend time
thanks

mugs

I bought a Scott Aspect 45 last week, it's the first bike I've owned in about 20 years (yes, really) and so far I'm loving it. Not sure what the differences are between the 45 and 50 (I think it's mostly brakes/forks and a few other spec differences like rims) but it's doing everything I need it to. It's not the lightest, but it seems very well built and with a decent spec for the price. At the moment I'm still feeling rather 'perched on top of' the bike, rather than being at one with it, but no doubt that familiarity will come with time.

If there's anything specific you need to know then just ask away, but as it stands I'd have no qualms about recommending a Scott Aspect as an entry level bike, the frame seems good, so it's a decent enough base to build on.

chuckbiker

thanks for the post, thats what i was hoping for, so now i think ill definitely be getting the scott aspect can't wait!
thanks