£600 to spend

Coolnick

Looking to upgrade from my 2004 Rockhopper and have £600 to spend. Looking for a hardtail thats a step up from what I have, general singletrack use but capable of more rocky technical riding such found at Peaks.

This is my shortlist;

Boardman Comp - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499
Decent fork (more travel than Rockrider), brakes, wheelset

Rockrider 8.1 - http://www.btwincycle.com/EN/8-1-2011-170473852/
Decent Fork, drivetrain, brakes not sure on wheels etc.

Genesis Core 20 - http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m15b7s2p507 ... S_GB/13571
MBUK test winner, decent fork, not so good drivetrain and quite heavy

Thoughts and alternatives welcome. Cheers, Nick

CFS

They are all good bikes from what I have heard, don't think you'd go wrong with any of them.

I'd go for the Core, I love my Core 30, great fun to ride.

Got to say I didn't like the looks of the Rockrider much when I saw one in my local Decathlon, but you can't see it when you're sat on it!

drtobiasfunke

I have also been looking at bikes in and around that price range heres a couple more i like the look of so far.

Ghost se6000
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=55695

Commencal premiere pro
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=66723

I think its a toss up between the rockrider and commencal for me with the rockrider having slightly better kit, cranks, x7 front derailleur and maybe the elixir 3 being better than the juicy 3.
But the graphics and look of the rockrider :shock: minor gripe though.

Coolnick

The Rockrider does look a bit 'my first mountain bike' which is a shame as the 9.1 looks quite decent up close

Burnz0

I'm looking to spend roughly the same amount and so far have been steered towards the Rockrider as from what everyone says, it is better spec'd than anything in it's price range. I'm glad you feel the same amount the dodgy looks though. I know it shouldn't really count but it bugs me that they've bothered to change the looks from the 2010 model to this as it looks pretty bad.
I've sent Decathlon an email to see if they still have any of the 2010 range in stock as I've heard sometimes the people in store will sell the older models but with any new parts added. Failing that, it may be possible to get hold of some of the older decals and make some changes myself - but I'm not sure if its going to be worth the effort!

Burnz0

"The Rockrider does look a bit 'my first mountain bike'"

I couldn't agree more, it looks like something out of Toys R Us

styxd

£600 would get you a nicely specced 2nd hand bike - if it was my money thats how I'd spend it.

Coolnick

I'm v cautious about buying second hand having seen a friend of mine have a bad experience. I would also like the feeling of something new having had my bike 8 years now. I'm leaning towards the Boardman right now.

styxd

A new bike is always nice, till after the first couple of rides, then everything beds in/loosens off.

If you know what you're doing then theres not really much of a risk buying 2nd hand, however, if you dont know what to look out for then I agree, buying new is the safer option.

Coolnick

I'm sure buying second hand is fine if you take care. With new your on a clean slate so nothing will need replacing immediately which on a second hand may not be the case e.g. drivetrain

mattrgee

One thing to bear in mind about the Rockrider is the length of its top tube. At 595mm (Large) I'm finding it a bit short and had to put a 110mm stem on it to stretch me out (I'm 6' 1") The Boardman on the other hand has a top tube of 615mm (Large) which would better suit taller rider or allow a shorter stem.

phil_pompey

Stretch your budget by £94.95 and get one of these;

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b4s2p3483

This place is worth having a look at to see what they have in stock. A few of my mates have had bikes from them and couldn't be happier with the service.

phil_pompey

Or this one;

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b1s2p2231

Rucks

Defo go for a second hander, picked mine up for £££
Had to be patient tho, took about 3month of lookin everywhere for a good deal,



I will say though, narrow your search as there are that many different second hand bikes to choose from..

Good luck

supersonic

You have no warranty with 2nd hand stuff, is always a risk. Sure, can hit the jackpot sometimes, but if the frame is cracked, or breaks, you lose a lot of money. Sometimes the backup of a local shop is worth it.

bamboy74

I was in the same boat a few months ago and looked at the Boardman, a Fury and the Core. I ended up buying the Core (see sig) and haven't regretted it. Go sit on the bikes though if you can, that will help you make your mind up.

drtobiasfunke

Seems halfords have some decent discount on voodoo bikes at the moment.
If you want something a bit harder hitting

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_786809_langId_-1_categoryId_165499
I looked at them a few months back and they are good.

Dont forget the discount code for an extra 10% off NUSJAN12
Works whether you're a student or not if you order online.

Mark77

http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/produc ... ain%20Bike

or if you want/need a 16"
http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/produc ... ain%20Bike

Going to be a higher spec than a 2012 bike for the money.

I picked up a ltd pro yesterday, really like it !

No affiliation with hargroves, just saw the thread and thought those bikes fitted..

Coolnick

A mate of mine just bought the Boardman HT Comp so went over last night for a test ride. I was generally v impressed with the spec, ride, handling and how plush the Epicon fork was for a bike of this price.

There was a couple of small negatives -

1 - It looks impossible to fit a mudguard on to the bottom tube due to all the cabling being run under it. Seems a bit of a design flaw but guess there is a reason for it. Any owners here shed some light on what they use?

2 - The Sram X5 gears didn't seem as smooth as the Deore on my current bike and were a little clunky in comparison? I assume they get smoother as they bed in?

I'm leaning towards this over the Cube Ltd and Fury as cheaper and longer fork will be useful for more technical use.

cooldad

Most people I ride with don't use mudguards (except for Neoguard/Bender Fender type things).
Sram are apparently 'clunkier' than Shimano, although I've only ever used Shimano. Doesn't really seem to make any difference in the long run though - guys who've bought bikes with different shifters seem to get used to them quick enough.
Nice bike.

handful

A bit over budget but what about one of these?


http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=59240&PartnerID=9502

3.09% off if you buy through Topcashback

frazman

Hi the most recent post for the Beone - is this bike head and shoulders above the others in terms of spec for the money as I notice it was originally £1150! Also does anyone have experience of the Beone and size of frames in particular the toptube etc I'm 6ft 1 so don't want to be crouched over the frame! assume i'd need a 20" frame? cheers

Coolnick

Well I went for it and bought the Boardman HT Comp for £540 after discounts. So far v impressed, pretty light, good handling thanks partly to wider bar and shorter stem than my 'hopper and a decent air fork that appears well controlled and better than I first gave credit for. Also looks MINT!

MountainMonster

Sell your rock hopper, bump the price bracket up to 1k, and find a very nice spec hardtail for that price.

roverthehill

I went for a Sunn Prim S2 2011 model for a about 570 from chain reaction. Nice and light and pretty quick.

Coolnick

MountainMonster wrote:

Sell your rock hopper, bump the price bracket up to 1k, and find a very nice spec hardtail for that price.

I used the rockhopper to fund the Boardman HT comp

hainman

i had the core 20 2009 i think it was and it was a great bike.think the core 30 is going for around 650 on winstanley...

jakestanworth

i looked and looked and this is the best spec and best looking bike for £600 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=55695

supersonic

jakestanworth wrote:

i looked and looked and this is the best spec and best looking bike for £600 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=55695

Is no better than the Rockrider 8.1 really, which is 100 quid cheaper.

Coolnick

Have to say I'm more than impressed with my new Boardman HT Comp so far, bargain for £540

Tyres will prob be my first upgrade though!