hi guys, need expert advice

angryarabian

Hi guys the names sam

was wondering if anyone here could assist me, i live on the outskirts of my town so it takes me about 30 minutes to ride in for work etc. I have been using an old battered carrera mountain bike its nothing special. But i have really enjoyed riding and i think i have discovered a passion

Im looking to buy my first full suspension bike i have around £250 to spend (i know its not much but if i get alot of use ill get a better one)

What are some good choices for a begginer at that sort of price?

I was looking at the Barracuda Phoenix full suspension i have found one new for £189.99

i have also found this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EVEREST-Dual-Disc ... 286.c0.m14

any advice would be much appreciated

cheers guys

Andy B

I'll be honest

Both those bikes are crap, utter crap, I'm not being a bike snob or owt, just being honest, I worked in a bike shop that used to sell that sort of bike, they were always coming back broken every few weeks.

You will not get a full susser for £250 that will be reliable, or fun to ride, you would need to triple your budget to get a half decent full susser

Buy a hardtail for £250 and you will have a semi decent lighter more reliable bike than a £250 susser

Sorry Sam, just don't want to see you waste your hard earned cash

gregmorris234

Hes right dont by crappy makes, get a proper mountain bike or maybe a road bike. You wont be able to have a full-susser. Just get a hardtail.

angryarabian

yeah i thought that might be the case

what hardtails would you suggest, im really new to this and dont want to waste my money as i cant afford to make the mistake

cheers for the help

MrChuck

+1 to the above.

If you're just riding to work the suspension will be doing nothing for you except stealing some of your energy and slowing you down- this would be true (to a much lesser extent) even on a very expensive bike.

If you're thinking about getting into MTBing, as mentioned above you would be much better off spending your money on a hardtail.

If it's all on road then you don't need a MTB at all, unless of course you might do more off road later.

angryarabian

well it will be mostly be on road to work, but i will use it for off road just for fun

i went to my local bike shop today and the guy there tried to sell me a £1750 full suspension trek bike so i guess i need impartial advice if i want to have somewhere to live this month

supersonic

Decathlon Rockrider 5.2, Carrera Vulcan and Giant Boulder (2009) are the best buys at this price.

angryarabian

howabout the decathlon 6.3?

i can find only positive reviews about it

have been researching steadily for the last few days and have come up with a few suggestions

if anyone has ridden or owned these please leave your feed back, bare in mind i will riding fairly simple local trails and roads so im not going to be abusing it much

The rockrider 5.2

Diamondback outlook FS http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2009

Saracen mantra 1 http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2008

GT outpost (disk brake version)

supersonic

I placed your new thread here. You don't have to keep starting new ones!

The Mantra is heavy and designed for hard riding.

Why not have a read of the Beginners FAQ?

angryarabian

had a read and have done more research have learned a little more about MTB's

Know i have fallen in love with the looks of this bike, it seems to have fairly good spec and has been ruduced from around 400 pounds

Is this more likley to a bit more of a beating and not give up on me after a few weeks

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/category/336/Bikes

other than that there is a second hand orange G2 for sale on here for 375 and a GT aggressor for 100

supersonic

Your link does not go to a bike.

angryarabian

my bad wrong link


this one should work http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2009

if not its a dirty assasin

Andy B

Another pile of cack, sorry dude, but you will not get a full susser that will be good value for money or that rides well & doesn't weigh a tonne & need repairing every few weeks for your budget

rockhopper353

I reckon with the budget you have, if thats your maximum you will be better off on fleabay looking at a second hand hardtail.

angryarabian

i could probs stretch to 350 if i borrowed a little money

i have been offered a specialized rockhopper complete but with no gear set up for 300, is this good? and how much would it cost me time and money wise to fit a new gearset

supersonic

If you don't know how to do it, don't buy one in that state.

My advice is to look at what your local dealers have and try some models out. Read the FAQ in this section on what features to llok for.

If you really must go for a full susser, the Decathlon Rockrider 6.3 is the best of the bunch, or this:

http://www.bikeoutlet.co.uk/products/Ha ... 53-12.html

But I'd still get a hardtail.

angryarabian

thank you very much for your helpfull advice guys


i have come to me decision(s)

its between an orange sub 5 full susser

and the haro shift full susser

im leaning towards thr orange as it costs considerably more than the shift when new plus i can get one in good condition second hand for 300

nicklouse

I would not want to be doing any commuting on a 5.

A hard tail with a lockout fork is the way to go.

angryarabian

i know but the reason i chose it is that a friend of mine knows some really good downhill trails that are quite steep 20 minutes ride or so from where we live

i had a read of reviews and supposedly its well suited for that kind of thing and can handle being thrown about on dirt tracks with small jumps

i guess it has to be my choice and if i get it wrong then i will put it down to experience and be better of for it

meesterbond

angryarabian wrote:

i guess it has to be my choice and if i get it wrong then i will put it down to experience and be better of for it

Then why bother asking for help and then ignoring it...

mac_man

meesterbond wrote:

angryarabian wrote:

i guess it has to be my choice and if i get it wrong then i will put it down to experience and be better of for it

Then why bother asking for help and then ignoring it...

Bit harsh... the guy's only trying get some help and advice to help him make his mind up.

TBH.... and 'tis only my opinion, I'd stay away from the full suspension bikes for the moment.

As others have said they'll be a pain on a daily commute. And there is more stuff to go wrong (and be more expensive to fix!!).

I'm new to all of this, same as you, and desparately wanted a good bike. Ended up getting a Saracen Mantra 3 for a 30% discount online. Almost went for a full suspension Giant Yukon for similar money but am glad I went for the Saracen as it has better forks and finishing kit

The Carreras at Halfords are on sale with 20% off at the moment and there's some good stuff there... plus you'll actually be able to try one out.

The other benefits of buying a hardtail is that you can hone your bike skills better and it'll be an easier companion on the road.

Try not to get too obsessed with full suspension 'just cos everyone else has one'.

bradford

Don't go full suspension!Get a hardtail if your going to do comuting and off roading other wise your making life really hard for yourselve,lugging around a heavy bike that is fighting against you all the time.

ketka82

No full suss you buy for GBP300 is going to handle any sort of proper downhill riding and, as others have said, will just sap a whole load of your energy when you're riding on the road. Buying a full suss for this price is sheer madness but if your mind is made up don't say we didn't warn you...

Still, on the bright side, you'll soon get pretty fit riding one of those heffers 30 mins in and out of work every day!

angryarabian

lol i guess i cant stay defiant in the face of overwhelming odds like this

you said you have a mantra, ive been looking at the mantra one in some detail and i like the look of it

where did you get your mantra three with that discount?

boogercj

Pleeeeeeeeease don't buy a full susser! You will be able to get a decent hardtail for that price and you don't "need" a full suspension downhill bike for downhills at all, and a cheap one will only hold you back.

Decathlon Rockrider 5.2, Carrera Vulcan and Giant Boulder (2009) are the best buys at this price.

You won't get better advice than this...

angryarabian

ok lol, im getting a hardtail i have seen the light

My dad has a carrera vulcan and its a nice bike but i dont want to have the same bike as him and im having alot of trouble finding any rockriders in the uk

aside from those three though i have been reading other faq's from experienced MTBers like yourselves and i have gathered these bikes as reliable and sturdy bargains

Trek 3700 234.99 - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... gn=froogle

Would it be worth getting the Trek 4300 for 309.99 it looks essentially the same will i notice the difference or will my 60 quid be better spent elsewhere?

supersonic

The trek 3700 is abysmal compared to some of the others - did you read the beginers FAQ and the link in it?

The 4300 is much better.

angryarabian

i did but i will have another look to refresh my mind

one thing i had forgotten, im six foot and quite stocky i wiegh in at about 13 stone, what size frame do i want?

ive been riding my mums old carrera which is quite small and hurts my back after long rides

mac_man

angryarabian wrote:

lol i guess i cant stay defiant in the face of overwhelming odds like this

you said you have a mantra, ive been looking at the mantra one in some detail and i like the look of it

where did you get your mantra three with that discount?

Wiggle... but they've none left at that price :-(

Should've been £650, bought for £395

Evans have it at £449... might be worth trying to get them to price match

BTW... I'm 5'10" and 12.5 stone. The 17" Mantra seems to fit me ok.

boogercj

Depends on the bike as they all have slightly different geometry, but I ride an 18" with a long top tube and I'm 6'0 if that helps.

angryarabian

ok well i think im gonna get the Trek 4300 then, cheers for all of your help you have been very usefull, if i hadnt come on here id probably be limping home with my broken 129 quid full suspension bike from ebay right now

one last question, anyone know any good online bike stores i want the red and white one but can only find the all black one