Good Entry-level MTBs

qwerty52

I'm looking for a bit of advice on a new bike. All these components are beginning to pickle my head! I've been looking around for while now and i'm willing to spend around £500 to £600 (at a push).

I've managed to narrow it down to these four really:
http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p38372/Specialized-Hardrock-Sport-Disc-2011.aspx
http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p39648/Cannondale-Trail-SL-5-2011.aspx
http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p39852/Kona-Fire-Mountain-2011.aspx
http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p39321/GT-Avalanche-30-Hydro-Disc-2011.aspx

Have I missed any good bikes for around this price point? I'm mostly concerned about the quality of the frames though I realise that info about them seems to be very scarce, so I was hoping people with experience of the brands could help with that. I'm also looking hard at the Hardrock Pro Disc 2011 but its a little pricey really - is the custom tuned fork the only real benefit compared to the Sport Disc?

Sorry for the essay, I'm grateful for any help,
Thanks in advance.

supersonic

In a nutshell, for the cash:

Hardrock Sport - below average. Awful fork
Cannondale SL5 - poor
Kona Fire Mountain - terrrible
GT Avalanche 3.0 - a little better, at least the fork had damping.

For this money, look at the Decathlon Rockrider 8.1, Carrera Fury (or Kraken, or Vengeance Pro).

kaytronika

Another vote for the Decathlon... It's currently branded as the B-Twin 8.1

Full X7 (apart from cranks)
Toras
Avid Juicy 3s

I've not found much that comes close as far as spec.
Come February I'm gonna be taking a trip to one of their stores I think.

FBM.BMX

If you're looking to go with a good base, the frame, go cannondale trail sl5.

The cannondale maybe 24 speed, but you really do not need 27. The wehhels accept a 9 speed cassette, so you could upgrade to 9 (or even 10) speed on the rear in the future.

The cannondale may only have cable discs, but juicy 3s are not of advantage if you're a beginner (i assume you're a beginner?), hydraulic only offer extra modulation. Juicy 3s aren't the most reliable, the cable discs will do you fine.

X7 does not work any better than alivio, if anything the alivio is a bit crisper, this from experience.

Any bikes at the price range you're looking at are not going come with parts you're not going to want to upgrade in the future. the step up in spec is only marginal at each price stage, but not THAT much better, that if you ride a lot, you won't be upgrading.

With the cannondale, it has the best base and is very upgradeable.

If you want bang for buck, go with the decathlon/halfords bike. but in reality, you're not getting anything more that is actually worth having.

Another bike to chuck in the mix is a cube analog disc, has hayes hydraulic brakes. Or if you can stretch to 750ish, go with a cube acid, you wouldn't be upgrading anything on there aprt from the rockshox dart forks.

atomic fox

was in decathlon a couple of weeks back,had a good look at the b twin rockrider 8.1,very nice bike for the money.b twin have a carbon rockrider coming this year,very promising.

PapaLazar0u

I've got the GT Avalanche 3.0 Hydro. Love it to bits for a first bike. I'm a big guy and it handles my weight really well and i've thrown it around a little!

I paid £460 a few months ago through Cyclescheme with work but if you shop around and aren't limited to a scheme you will pick it up for around £350.

Can't repeat enough though what is normally said on here - go and sit on something you like and see how comfortable it is before buying - it's what suits you that counts.

Cheers

Craig

ilovedirt

supersonic wrote:

In a nutshell, for the cash:

Hardrock Sport - below average. Awful fork
Cannondale SL5 - poor
Kona Fire Mountain - terrrible
GT Avalanche 3.0 - a little better, at least the fork had damping.

For this money, look at the Decathlon Rockrider 8.1, Carrera Fury (or Kraken, or Vengeance Pro).

I agree completely.

getonyourbike

supersonic wrote:

Carrera Fury

Get one. As your riding improves and you start riding harder stuff, you've got an advantage with a 120mm fork and a slacker headangle. I've got one and love it

fearnsy

Just make sure you try them out first, one man's dream bike may be perfect for him but to another's discomfort.

angry_bird

Boardman bikes are discounted at halfords at the moment, probably worth some consideration, seem very good value spec wise.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

qwerty52

Thanks for all the great replies. It looks like it will be the Cannondale for me. It's the one I like the look of most and is a quality brand as far as I know, plus FBM.BMX's great reply has helped ease my worries.

I'm sure the decathlons etc are nice bikes but I'd rather buy from my LBS in Wrexham for peace of mind and I can't get hold of any of those there. I'll be sure to try a few out though. I hope I don't hate the Cannondale!

Thanks again all.

delta5

FBM.BMX wrote:

The cannondale may only have cable discs, but juicy 3s are not of advantage if you're a beginner (i assume you're a beginner?), hydraulic only offer extra modulation. Juicy 3s aren't the most reliable, the cable discs will do you fine.

X7 does not work any better than alivio, if anything the alivio is a bit crisper, this from experience.

I've used both cable and hydraulic brakes and there is a world of difference. There are good reasons why hydraulic is now the norm - it works better. Much more power, and much less maintenance needed. I agree that Juicy 3's are pants, but I'd still have them rather than cables. I really can't see any advantage of cable discs for a beginner.

On the X7 vs Alivio, I also use both, and while Alivio is decent enough I actually find the X7 more consistent and crisp when set up properly.

bails87

qwerty52
I'm sorry to say it, bu tI, and a lot of others on here, would probably disagree with everything FBM.BMX said.

Cheap cable discs are terrible to the point of being dangerous, seriously avoid them. I had them and hated them. I got a new bike with Juicys on and they're fantastic. Just needed to be bled once in the 2 years since I got the bike.


Also, having a decent fork is a revelation. I had a problem with my Rockshox Rebas the other week, and it took me bakc to my first "proper" bike which had crappy, undamped forks. My hands hurt, I had very little control over the front of the bike, I was painful and tiring and just not a lot of fun. Once it was sorted I was back to flying around with a smile on my face.

Yes, it's probably got a lighter frame. But to make the most of it you'd probably have to spent another £1k. In which case you might as well just spend more money up front.

Get the Fury.

101_North

FBM.BMX wrote:

The cannondale may only have cable discs, but juicy 3s are not of advantage if you're a beginner (i assume you're a beginner?), hydraulic only offer extra modulation. Juicy 3s aren't the most reliable, the cable discs will do you fine.

Disagree. My Juicy 3's have been great performers for 2 years now. Apart from sorting a few minor issues with disc rub they have been almost faultless. They've not been bled apart from when I extended the hose on the rear. If you look after them they are decent brakes. Night and day between Juicy 3's and cheap cable discs.

101

qwerty52

Time to resurrect the thread rather than start a new one. I've come to my senses, I'm either going to buy a Fury or a Rockrider 8.1.

Question is, which one?

The Fury is £600 which is definitely more than I would like to pay.

The Rockrider is £500 which is really my budget.

As far as I can tell the spec is basically the same but the Rockrider is around half a kilo heavier. Would I regret that extra weight if I didn't spend the cash now?

What other differences are there?


Thanks all for helping me see sense!

blister pus

the only way you narrow that choice of two down is to physically go and sit and try them both and go from there, see which one feels right to you.

qwerty52

I realise that would be best but I don't live near a decathlon dealer. I'm really trying to get a feel for the signifigance of a half kilo difference in weight from others' experience.

The Northern Monkey

if it was me i'd save for another month or 2 and get the fury.

blister pus

Again, handling an added half a kilo is down to personal preference. like for me anything nudging over 30lbs starts getting a bit unnecessary. My rule of thumb - what's it like vertical lifting a bike over a fence when you are shagged - work from there.

Deputy Dawg

The Fury weight is approx 13kg (in both 18" & 20" somehow) whereas the rockrider 8.1 is 13.2kg (in size large with peddles).

That's only 200g difference between the 2 bikes & from experience you'll be wanting to replace the nasty heavy brick of a saddle on the rockrider asap anyway which'll scrub a good portion of the difference. Its quite honestly the worst perch I've ever had the misfortune to be subjected to.

Assuming your going to be seeing them in the flesh before buy them anyway (if only to make sure you get the right size) I'd pop into halfords & try a fury on the way to decathlon so you can make an informed decision.

qwerty52

What about the Boardman Comp Mountain Bike? I've just noticed that it is a bit cheaper than the Fury as it currently has £140 knocked off it.

How do these bikes compare to the Fury? I've heard a lot of good things about them too.

Mr OCD

qwerty52 wrote:

What about the Boardman Comp Mountain Bike? I've just noticed that it is a bit cheaper than the Fury as it currently has £140 knocked off it.

How do these bikes compare to the Fury? I've heard a lot of good things about them too.

A good bike for the money but remember at the price point your looking at its the forks that make the difference... the Boardman has coil Dart forks which arent very good compared to the Epicons the Fury has ...

The Boardman is also more XC based frame than the Fury which is a bit tougher being AM ...

Either bike is a good buy but the extra for the Fury is worth paying.

PXR5

+1 for the RockRider 8.1 if you can get hold of one in the UK.

I've had mine for over 2 years now, the only thing i've ever done to the Juicy 3s is to change the pads, the brakes work fine..

Read the Bike Forum report on the RR8.1 IMHO its spot on..

If you can try one to find the right frame size for you, i'm about 5'10 and have the L, this seems to be about right for me, but any smaller and you want M, don't even bother with the XL frame unless you are well over 6ft.

ilovedirt

I'd probably go for the fury, the rockrider has a better drivetrain, but the fury is more of an AM all round sort of bike with slacker angles and longer forks etc.

lexinoo

Mr OCD wrote:

qwerty52 wrote:

What about the Boardman Comp Mountain Bike? I've just noticed that it is a bit cheaper than the Fury as it currently has £140 knocked off it.

How do these bikes compare to the Fury? I've heard a lot of good things about them too.

A good bike for the money but remember at the price point your looking at its the forks that make the difference... the Boardman has coil Dart forks which arent very good compared to the Epicons the Fury has ...

The Boardman is also more XC based frame than the Fury which is a bit tougher being AM ...

Either bike is a good buy but the extra for the Fury is worth paying.

No -the boardman comp has rs recon sl air forks,plus x7 rear mech and ,firex chainset and ,juicy 3s.You are confusing it with the sport with the shitty dart forks.In my opinion the boardman has a better spec than the fury and with the discount its about £40 cheaper!

Windsor4

I dont no if this will work as it has been a long while since the last post but i saw that querty52 resurrected the discussion, I thought id try to do the same.

The Cannondale sl5 is now priced at £380 for the 2011 model. I was wondering if I should go for the Cannondale or the Carrera Vulcan? Or is there another bike to consider at this price range?