Best Bike for £500 or less?

j0sh123

Im wanting to do mainly trails and technical singletrack, and looking to start racing regionally, so need a bike that can do these things that costs £500 or less.
cheers.

cooldad

You might find some info in this thread
viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12847776&p=17556913#p17556913

cooldad

Although to be fair, there does seem to have been some hijacking of that thread.

GTADz

I did a fair bit of searching before buying mine..

It seemed the Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 was top dog - but the colour scheme in my opinion is awful..!
Other top choices include:
Carrera Kraken (£449.99) but 10% discount available using a code through Halfords. This is the bike I bought and I love it!
Mongoose Tyax Elite
Voodoo Hoodoo - £499.99 but again can use the 10% code.

supersonic

The Rockrider is the best for this cash. The paint scheme doesn't slow it down.

bikersdream

Anyone know the best place from where to buy a Rockrider from?

supersonic

Decathlon - the only place!

GTADz

And with that in mind; if the place isn't local to you then it could be quite some hassle come the time you need it servicing or if the bike happens to not be set up correctly with the trek back there!

felix.london

As I put in your other thread. I'd def go down the used route if it were me.

Something like this;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-Stumpjumper-Expert-HT-/280861794863?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DDLSL%252BSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BUA%26otn%3D10%26pmod%3D320884972017%252B320884972017%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7762049287370489545#ht_500wt_1202

...looks ready for XC racing to me

felix.london

GTADz wrote:

And with that in mind; if the place isn't local to you then it could be quite some hassle come the time you need it servicing or if the bike happens to not be set up correctly with the trek back there!

I drove from Bristol to Kent and back again to pick up my (2nd hand) Rockhopper. I nearly came back to the UK (from France) to collect a DH bike (but ended up finding something just around the corner )

If you find the right bike a bit of travelling shouldn't get in your way.

And also as I put in the OP's original thread; If he/she wants to start racing they're going to need to learn how to service/repair the bike themselves anyway so with a bit of help/backup from a LBS distance to a Decathlon really shouldn't be an issue (imo)

Neal_

GTADz wrote:

And with that in mind; if the place isn't local to you then it could be quite some hassle come the time you need it servicing or if the bike happens to not be set up correctly with the trek back there!

If the place wasn't local to you then you'd be in the same position as if you'd bought a mail order bike so either deal with the hassle of taking the bike back, go to a local bike shop and pay or work on the bike yourself. In my experience going back to Halfords with your bike ranks bottom of the list for sorting your bike out but that's a different can of worms...

Anyway, at the risk of déjà vu if you're buying new then get the Rockrider 8.1 from Decathlon or if you know your stuff buy second hand.

cooldad

GTADz wrote:

And with that in mind; if the place isn't local to you then it could be quite some hassle come the time you need it servicing or if the bike happens to not be set up correctly with the trek back there!

This is something you need to be able to do anyway, so not really a problem.