Need help choosing new hardtail bike - £650 max budget

crusoe85

Hi,

Im looing to pick up a new mountain bike in the coming weeks and after endless hours looking online, in store im still undecided as to what bike to get.

There are a few bikes at the moment that have caught my eye including:
1. Genesis Core 10
2. Carrera Fury Mountain Bike 09
3. Decathlon Rock Rider 8.1

Im not fully clued up on what parts are better than others - although a guy at the store gave me a good explanation of the order of quality rox shox forks go in. Out of those bikes which one has the better spec? Or are they other bies i should be looking at? (£650 is realistically my upper limit)

Thanks for any help guys.

weeksy59

we need a link to the bikes, i'm not sure we'll spend our day searching for links to check the specs..

post them up so we can see

crusoe85

Sorry heres the links:

Carrera Fury
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65499#dtab

Gensis Core 10
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/mou ... e-10/specs

Decathlon Rockrider 8.1
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/8-1-2010- ... #INFO-TECH

weeksy59

Tough one for me. The Fury has nice air forks, with lockout... but i hate Juicy 3 brakes personally.

I'd stil probably go for the fury but sell the brakes...

heavy_rat

Nothin wrong with Juicy 3 brakes IMO, got 'em both my bikes

heavy_rat

what about this?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/ ... gn=froogle

crusoe85

looks nice. a little of the expensive side - what parts of this bike warrant the extra cost? Sorry to ask the noobish questions but its been a good 8 years since i was last into biking.

richardabulmer

im personally in favour of the rockrider 8.1 which has handlebar remote lockout trigger. the last model rockrider won god knows how many awards too.

personally speaking i dont think the carrera fury should still be the bike of choice winner in Which Mountain Bike. its 09, where's the 11 model and the price of it goes up & down like a yoyo.

SpeedWeasel

In my (biased) opinion it would be the Fury. I've had mine for over 12 months in which time it has done well over 1500 miles of pretty hard riding. Nothing has broken other than wear and tear items. It has had a set of brake pads, a saddle, a cassette, a chain, 1 granny ring ( :oops: ), a set of tyres and it's about to get a new bottom bracket. It has successfully tackled the best trails in the dark peak on a regular basis, it works well in trail centres and I've done a couple of races on it including up at Grizedale. I don't use the lockout on the fork so I don't miss a remote and I have no complaints about the brakes.

However, you do need to go and sit on them and see what you think size wise and for reach etc.

It is true that the price fluctuates - mine was £440 last February.

Mine is in my signature. I will do an update at some point as it was helpful advice from this forum that lead me to buy it and I've not regretted getting it.

thegiantbiker

I've got a Giant Talon 1. The frame handles well, and the spec isn't too bad for a beginner.

I've recently put better forks on it and it handles 120mm forks quite well.

The wheels are pretty crap, but everything on there's good and it's a great frame for upgrading.


Mine's the 2010 one, and I got it for 550 pounds (150 off). Now it's 2011, you can probably get the 2010 one dirt cheap.

solsurf

this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499
has got to be the bargain of the year! (if it fits you)

Jawa

solsurf wrote:

this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499
has got to be the bargain of the year! (if it fits you)

Yep, I bought one last Monday...

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12774774

alan_sherman

Alternatively I recently bought last years specialized rockhopper comp SL from cycle surgery. £599. I did have a QC issue with the back wheel and saddle but they swapped them straight over and I'm very impressed with the bike.

Liam1611

There are quite a few decent rides that will suit your budget,

Starting off with some good Steel Hardtails

Kona Blink

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/kona-bli ... 58314.html

Decent travel forks, good Hydro brakes and speced out with a Deore groupset, and available in various sizes,

Genesis Altitude

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genesis-Altitude- ... 19c3ca7ff0

19" only but for this price I'd make it fit.

You've also got the Voodoo Wanga as mentioned previously,

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

Only in 17" but it isn't available for home delivery or in any of Halfords stores.

If you don't fancy Steel and want to go for Aluminium you could go for,

Decathlon Rockrider 8.1

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/8-1-2011-172069577/

Boardmans Comp

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

Carrera Fury

Link already posted

Genesis Core 20

http://www.harryhallcycles.co.uk/directory.asp

Giant Talon 0

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p2783

GT Avalanche 1.0

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p2458

Marin Hawk in 19" & 20.5"

http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/p ... ts_id=9368

Pretty Felt Q720

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/felt-q72 ... 62405.html

Cube Attention also a nice looking bike

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/cube-att ... 59722.html

There are a few to go at there and all of them decent bikes.

Regards

Liam

solsurf

Liam1611 wrote:

There are quite a few decent rides that will suit your budget,

Starting off with some good Steel Hardtails

Kona Blink

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/kona-bli ... 58314.html

Decent travel forks, good Hydro brakes and speced out with a Deore groupset, and available in various sizes,

Genesis Altitude

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genesis-Altitude- ... 19c3ca7ff0

19" only but for this price I'd make it fit.

You've also got the Voodoo Wanga as mentioned previously,

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

Only in 17" but it isn't available for home delivery or in any of Halfords stores.

If you don't fancy Steel and want to go for Aluminium you could go for,

Decathlon Rockrider 8.1

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/8-1-2011-172069577/

Boardmans Comp

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

Carrera Fury

Link already posted

Genesis Core 20

http://www.harryhallcycles.co.uk/directory.asp

Giant Talon 0

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p2783

GT Avalanche 1.0

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p2458

Marin Hawk in 19" & 20.5"

http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/p ... ts_id=9368

Pretty Felt Q720

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/felt-q72 ... 62405.html

Cube Attention also a nice looking bike

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/cube-att ... 59722.html

There are a few to go at there and all of them decent bikes.

Regards

Liam

Hey that is one great list, the op has a good selection there!

crusoe85

thanks the input guys. much appreciated. got some reading to do now

d_a_n1979

FYI Crusoe I've gone an ordered the Genesis Core 10 today.

Had a look at the Carrera Fury & the Boardman mountain bikes but neither rang the bells like the Genesis did (the fact that it's fully Shimano loaded is a plus for me)

It'd be interesting to hear how you've got on as well

shoplando

What about the rockhopper SL on here?

http://www.harryhallcycles.co.uk/directory.asp

Liam1611

Genesis are very nice bikes and are designed in the UK for the UK, for the money I would either buy last years Core 20 or the Altitude, but thats dependant on your size as the Core 20 from Harry Halls is only available in 17.5" which fits me 5' 10" 30" inside leg, or the Altitude which is 19" only, failing that then it would be the Kona Blink.

Regards

Liam

naefearjustbeer

I have a genesis core 20 and I find it fantastic machine, More than enough bike for everything I do with it. The other day swapped bikes for sections of a run with my mates and I can tell you I was glad when I got my bike back. Even compared to a lightweight bike higher spec machine. I keep seeing mentions in all the magazines about how good value it is. If I snapped it in half I would be pretty sure I would buy another genesis core to replace it.

naefearjustbeer

I am about 5foot 8 and I have 17.5 inch frame and it suits me fine, I tried the bigger size and although it was quite comfortable I am happy with a slightly smaller frame as I can move around it easier.

crusoe85

Decisions decisions...

Im now torn between getting the Giant Talon 0 (http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s2p2783)
Really like the look of this bike - the frame is meant to be excellent. Dont think the forks are the best and neither are the brakes apprently.

My other choice is the Kona Blink (http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/ProductDe ... 10_K-BLINK)
can get this for £540 ish so saving £60 comapred to the Giant. The forks are better i think but im a little concerned with a steel frame and it getting rusty.

Both of these bikes have a much hight RRP so they are both good value. I just cant decide and my local bike shops dont have these exact models in for me to try. What do you reckon guys?

Liam1611

I think you are mad to consider turning down a Steel Hardtail especially for the price that you can get the Blink for, Steel has a far better lifespan in comparison to Aluminium and if you do end up damaging the frame Steel is far easier to repair, not forgetting the nostalgia that a Steel ride brings, but the money and choice are yours. Have a look into the differences between the two metals and take it from there.

http://www.whycycle.co.uk/bike_jargon_b ... materials/

Regards

Liam