Buying a new bike... help me choose....

mac_man

Hi all

My first post on here folks.

Just been out on some new trails up in East Lancs. First time I'v been out in ages. My old bike is well past it so am looking to get something better.

Question is... what budget? The bike is likely to get some proper use, rather than just riding around on fire trails or parks. There's plenty of real off-road where I live so I want somehing that'll stand up to some wear.

Had originally thought of a Carrera Vulcan from Halfords at £249 which seemed a good deal. But would it be up to the job?

Also considered 2nd hand as there some real bargains to be had... but my problem is I don't know what issues to look out for, so am worried about buying a lemon.

Anyhoo... finally decided on something heavily discounted (not fussed on what brand).
These are some that I've seen online:

SARACEN MANTRA: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Sarac ... 360045208/

GIANT YUKON FX 3: http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s1p1746

GIANT YUKON FX2: http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s1p1747

Anyone else any other suggestions as to where to look. The Saracen looks good value and has had decent reviews... but are they any good? I always thought they were a superstore special from the likes of halfords.

llamafarmer

Try to find something that suits your riding style, fits you properly and that you like riding, then find the best deal, rather than just buying something that has a big discount on it.

Realistically, what's your budget?

mac_man

Thanks

Max budget is £450.

Appreciate the comments about try before you buy.... but will a few minutes in a shop really tell me whether I'll be happy spending the next X years riding it? I don't think I have a riding style yet ;-).

I'm 5' 10" so am guessing that a 18-19" frame will be about the right size.

I guess It will be possible to try some bikes in local stores and then buy cheaper online. But I don't really like doing that - doesn't feel right using local knowledge and then buying cheaper elsewhere..

My thinking is that I'll get a better bike if I can find one that's heavily discounted... won't a £700 bike for £375 be better than a standard £375 bike?

Sorry to be asking dumb questions... but it's a big purchase for me and I don't want to cock it up :-)

CycloRos

As you're just starting out its probably best off to avoid the secondhand market.

Sounds like you want a regular XC hard tail to me, and your first choice of a Carerra Vulcan is a good option. It's a pretty good bike to develop a riding style on.

mac_man

CycloRos wrote:

As you're just starting out its probably best off to avoid the secondhand market.

Sounds like you want a regular XC hard tail to me, and your first choice of a Carerra Vulcan is a good option. It's a pretty good bike to develop a riding style on.

what about teh Saracen option

SARACEN MANTRA: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Sarac ... 360045208/

Wouldn't this £650 bike (reduced to £375) be a better bet?

Or am I missing something?

Am still trying to catch up at the moment

supersonic

A burly, but heavy bike. Will take more abuse. A very good deal.

mac_man

supersonic wrote:

A burly, but heavy bike. Will take more abuse. A very good deal.

Am guessing it might be a good idea to get something sturdy first time out... chances are it's going to spend some time on it's side to begin with :oops:

Reviews suggest it's good downhill and very stable.

mac_man

OK peeps.... Should I go the Saracen (above)

Or the Giant

http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s1p1747

Saracen only available as 17" frame and the Giant as a 19".

I'm 5'10"... so any ideas on which is likely to be the better fit?

I've read that a good front fork is the most important part of the bike... which (supposedly) the Saracen has. I don't think there is much between the 2 in terms if weight (they are both fair hefty)

mr_eddy

Saracen is as Supersonic said is a heavy bike so bear that in mind if you go uphill alot, However it would take a good pounding before anything broke. Have you considered something like the Merlin Malt. These are usually a little more expensive but I have seen them in your price range. Also GT do some good Hardtails.

For your budget of £450 I would expect to see hydraulic disc brakes and a upgradeable frame. You should also expect decent gearing like Shimano Deore or SRAM X3/X5 etc.

Definately ride if you can before you buy as a 17" bike from one company could handle completely differently to a 17" bike from another.

You may wish to consider a viper TR 3.5. YOu can get these for around £400 and come with Shimano SLX gearing, Hayes hydro brakes and a half decent suntour fork. Also it comes in at just over 12kg which is pretty good for the cash.

stanfree

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 155c002909

This might be a good bet as the forks seem really good for the price range also Avid Juicy 3 disc brakes ....

bails87

Carerra Kraken With some change left over for other bits amd peices.

mac_man

Thanks guys.

Ended up going for the Saracen in the end. Only £20 more than the Kraken but a better front fork.

The edinburgh bikes spec looks very similar to the saracen, with a 2.5lb lighter frame.

Will that extra bag of sugar be that noticeable? . And my max budget was £400 so am well pleased to get such a good spec at this price. Most other bikes I've specced up are running cheapo Suntour forks and cable disks at this price.

From what I've read I believe the wheels are pretty heavy on the Saracen... so they might be the first thing to upgrade.

MattC59

Hi,
If you're reasonably new to all this, get a hard tail. Then you'll learn how to ride a bike properly. Plus, you'll get more for your money.

A full sus bike will just mask any mistakes, as it's easy to just blast through the trails with out really pickling your line or riding well. I used to be amazed (now I just expect it !!) at the number of people on full sus bikes who can't ride properly.

I was watching some guys jumping at Cwm Carn the other week, and 90% of them were cr*p. They'd all got monster dh/freeride rigs and were just using the suspension to get them through bad landings. Landings of the like I witnessed, would result in serious crashes on a hardtail. As I mentioned, they were using the suspension to hide poor tecnique.

Get a hardtail, learn on that, then get a full sus. I bought my first full sus in 2007 (been mtbing since '88 ) and technically, I'm a lot better than a lot of the guys I see out there. Perhaps not fitter though :?

Cheers............ M

Yukon Lad

i got a yukon fx2 and they are fairly good bikes, all of the kit is budget and basic but works and lasts good for the money of the bike. The brakes are a bit shit but for a budget full-sus they are on the money. I changed the bars and the stem when i bent them in a crash but looking back on the advantages they gave i would change the bars and the stem, for a wider bars and a shorter stem, the kit works and i used the bike for everything, from starting DH, to XC and a bit of freeride at glentress.

Yukon Lad