Steel framed bike for £1000 - £1200

Leodhasach

Usual cycle2work related gubbins I'm afraid.

I've trawled through the forum and it seems the Orange P7 and Genesis Altitude are pretty well thought of. Obviously it comes down to what feels right in the shop but I wondered if anyone had any other suggestions steel framed HT's for that price bracket?

I'm willing to entertain the idea of an Alu frame but I feel a need for steel!
(And no, I'm not going to Halfords, I don't care how good a review the Boardmans get, my last experience with that crowd of numpties was a painful experience that I don't care to repeat!)

barnyb

Hi leod, I own a genesis altitude 20 (2009) and my mate owns a p7 with fox vanilla fork.
Ride wise, the p7 is a more comfortable ride definatley inspired confidance gonig down hill. My genesis however feels a tad bit faster, but I get nervous on drops and rocks, the fork is a bit soft in comparison. But it could be down to my dodgy riding, or maybe I need to set my fork up better. both good bikes though.

Airienteer

Both great bikes, if I wanted a steel ride those are the two I'd narrow it down to. I don't think there's a huge difference in terms of performance, perhaps the Altitidue is a tad more racy. The Cotic Soul might also be worth a look. In other words, get a demo ride on them and see which you prefer.

Northwind

The spec on the P7 is pretty poor for a £1000 bike. Tora 302, 317 rims, Juicy 3s are all kit that belongs on a £500, £600 bike. They do ride nicely but they're pretty poor value.

Leodhasach

I have to admit I was a bit surprised by the spec on the bike. I would have expected a slightly better fork for that money and forking out an extra £200 for a Fox fork seems a bit daft. A case of paying for the name perhaps?

CycloRos

Charge Duster, but then I would say that Always loved the Cotic Soul too, the P7 is a classic but quite a stiff ride I found. Get a demo on a few and see what you think...

Northwind

Leodhasach wrote:

A case of paying for the name perhaps?

Always, with Orange. But still, it's a nice bike. Being on Cycle2work does restrict you a bit, doesn't it. I mean, if I wanted a £1000 steel hardtail I'd probably buy a Carrera Fury and a Cotic Soul frame and use the Fury as a donor but that doesn't work on c2w...

passout

Rock Lobster (Merlin) or One One 456 maybe? Both do cyclescheme and will allow you to pay the difference if you go over the 1k limit?

The Spiderman

Shame you have ruled out Halfords as the Voodoo Wanga is a nice steel framed bike well within your budget that actually has a very good spec.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10001&partNumber=945428&langId=-1&cm_mmc=Sitename-_-Adult+Bikes%2FMountain+Bikes-_-Na-_-Voodoo+Wanga+Chromoly+Mountain+Bike+19%22&source=shopping&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=liilmx&istBid=t

You could always buy it and build it it yourself/or find a good local LBS to do the PDI with the money saved?

The Mickster

Hi. Judging by your selection I'm guessing you're looking for a 'do it all' bike. I've had a go on a mate's Genesis and it's a decent bike for the money. Had a 456 with a Rev fork and that was a better bike than the Genesis in my opinion. As mentioned earlier, On One will do custom builds for a grand on a 456. If you actually contact them regarding the spec they will probably sort you a deal so you get a better spec than on the framebuilder page. Unfortunately there will probably be a bit of a component or fork compromise on a £1,000 bike!!

supersonic

I'd be looking at 853 steel as a minimum at that budget.

Northwind

Or a heck of a speclist.

passout

The Spiderman wrote:

Shame you have ruled out Halfords as the Voodoo Wanga is a nice steel framed bike well within your budget that actually has a very good spec.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10001&partNumber=945428&langId=-1&cm_mmc=Sitename-_-Adult+Bikes%2FMountain+Bikes-_-Na-_-Voodoo+Wanga+Chromoly+Mountain+Bike+19%22&source=shopping&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=liilmx&istBid=t

You could always buy it and build it it yourself/or find a good local LBS to do the PDI with the money saved?

It is a nice frame.