looking for a new bike circa £400-£500.

pianoman1980

Hi all.

This is a great site by the way, loads of info on here.

I'm looking for a new hardtail mountain bike for approx £400-£500. The absolute key thing I want is hydraulic disc brakes. Id prefer not to buy mail order really (like to test the fit first as i'm sometimes between sizes).

There seem to be loads of choice around in this price range, these are some of the ones ive found:

Voodoo Hoodoo: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_786847_langId_-1_categoryId_165499
Carerra Kracken: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_810647_langId_-1_categoryId_165499
Commencal Premier Disc: http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/commencalpremierdischardtailcrosscountrybike2011-sale.aspx?&id=16339

Would really like to get some advice on these and any others. I really can't pay more than £500.

Many thanks

supersonic

The best bike on paper there is the Hoodoo - for the money a great fork and some nice parts.

pianoman1980

Just been browsing the forums, alot of recommendations for the decathlon rockrider 8.1. It doesn't look as nice though although I appreciate its the spec thats important.

Is the air fork on the voodoo better than the hydraulic fork on the 8.1? And how do the other components compare?

leaflite

The overall spec of the rockrider is slightly better. Hydraulic refers to the damping, not the spring type. Both forks are hydraulically damped. The rockrider's forks appear to be coil sprung rather than air(generally heavier and less adjustable, but smoother)

Because of the extra 20mm of travel and grippier tyres, I would say that the voodoo will be better for harder riding. However, because of the lighter weight and long stem/ narrow bar etc, the rockrider will be better for xc.
They are both good bikes- which one is best will probably be down to your riding style.

passout

Vodoo looks good to me.

pianoman1980

Just been to look at both bikes.

The rockrider 8.1 has an external bottom bracket, which I understand to be a good thing, but the standard tyres look terrible, and the killer for me, the gear cables run bare across the top of the top tube, which I think is a silly place to put them.

The Voodoo Hoodoo looks a nice spec, no external bottom bracket. Also it doesn't have a quick release seatpost, and I find im changing my seat height quite alot on the trail. Also, I know this is superficial of me, but to be honest I don't like the colour! I wanted a good spec but also something that looks sporty and sharp. The maroon red doesn't do it for me.

So now i'm not sure whether either of these are for me.

cooldad

Can't see what the problem is with where the cables run, tyres are generally rubbish on cheaper bikes and it's best to replace them anyway.
QR seatpost clamps are cheap - like £5, and colour makes no difference at all.
To miss out on a good ride for any of these reasons is short sighted.

pianoman1980

Well I dont really know, but they just look wrong. They just look vulnerable where they are, could catch them with your feet getting on and off the bike etc. They are more protected if they were under the top tube like most bikes.

I know colour makes no difference really, I just wanted it to look the part as well as have the spec. Expensive bikes (not that I can afford one), all have really mean looking colour schemes and graphics, and some cheaper bikes have nicer more modern colour schemes and styles. I did say it was superficial didn't I!

cooldad

How on earth do you get off a bike - your feet are nowhere near the crossbar.
But your choice obviously if you want something pretty that rides rubbish.

pianoman1980

I don't want something pretty that rides rubbish, I want something that looks sharp and rides well for the same money.

I can see i've annoyed you now...its just that no other bikes i've seen put the cables along the top of the top tube, and imo it just doesn't look right.

I was thinking if I got a bike on the cylce to work scheme I would save 30 ish %, which means I could maybe stretch above £500, would it be worth it, would I get much more for £600, £650?

Just looked at the TREK 4500 disc http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/trek4500dischardtailmountainbike2012.aspx?&id=17851 but its only a 100mm coil spring fork as opposed to the 120mm air fork on the hoodoo. Why oh why can't the Trek frame be on the hoodoo spec!!!

snowjho

You need to check which shops your scheme use as halfords only accept their own scheme so that may mean the voodoo is a no go or the rockrider. My hardrock has cables along the top and its never been an issue. Ive honestly never considered it as a factor. If colour bugs you the budget in a respray. Its not that expensive. I wasnt that fond of my rockrider 9.1 colour scheme but ive grown to like it similarly its far from the best looking bike around but once im out on it i dont give it a second thought. Going to fast and having too much fun.

cooldad

I'm not annoyed at all, it's your money.
But you'd be hard pressed to match the Rockrider or Hoodoo spec on any name brand bike costing a few hundred more.

Ryan Jones

The "issues" you raise are very minor and boil down to personal taste, having a properly damped fork isn't down to taste it's a necessity for a decent performing bike.

pianoman1980

But you'd be hard pressed to match the Rockrider or Hoodoo spec on any name brand bike costing a few hundred more.

Yeah definately seeing that from looking around. Even £650 - £700 bikes are not having a 120mm air sprung fork.

With the rockrider I'd have to buy some normal flat pedals and some new tyres so that would add £70.

Going to look at leisure lakes tomorrow, heard they sometimes have good 2nd hand bikes.

pianoman1980

Spent the last hour surfing the net, really can't find better bikes than either of these and the reviews the rockrider 8.1 gets are amazing.

So I suppose the key question is, which of the two bikes is the best?

Suntour Raidon X1 120mm air vs the Rockshox Recon 100mm coil on the 8.1.
Tektro Auriga Comp brakes vs Avid Elixir 3 (?)
14.1kg vs 12.85 kg
Shimano Alivo vs SRAM X7 (?)
Standard bottom bracket vs external bottom bracket
Shimano FC-M430 crankset vs Shimano Diore Crankset
£450 with discount vs £500 plus new tires and flat pedals
7005 aluminium frame vs 6061 aluminium frame

Thanks


And maybe I should wait a couple months - like this better. Any way of finding out the release date?

cooldad

Fork - the Suntour, air is more adjustable. The RS is a decent fork though.
Brakes - not a lot in it but Juicy 3's do seem to be a bit random.
Weight - the Voodoo is a chunkier bike so...
Shim vs Sram - probably the Sram, but I like Shimano so...
BB - internal ones are probably better in terms of durability.
But the Deore crankset is better than the Alivio.
Money - I have hacked your bank account but can't publish the balance in the forum. I have bought myself some new shiny stuff though - thanks.
Aluminium grade - makes no difference.

So on balance the Hoodoo, especially at the price.
Better decide before I clean out the rest of your account.
The new Rockrider does look a bit more tasteful than the current one though.

chez_m356

cooldad wrote:

Brakes - not a lot in it but Juicy 3's do seem to be a bit random.

juicy 3's ?

chez_m356

thats 12.85kg in size S according to the Btwin site http://www.btwincycle.com/EN/8-1-2011-1 ... le-coloris

cooldad

chez_m356 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Brakes - not a lot in it but Juicy 3's do seem to be a bit random.

juicy 3's ?

Time for bed maybe. Elixers are good.

chez_m356

pianoman1980 wrote:

And maybe I should wait a couple months - like this better. Any way of finding out the release date?

July apparently, theres a thread about it here viewtopic.php?f=10002&t=12848484

supersonic

The Rockrider is the better bike. It is lighter, has the better fork, superior spec: if it fits, go for it.

You are shooting yourself in the foor if cable routing or paint jobs bother you.

The Rookie

£70 for tyres and pedals???? They don't need to be gold plated you know, I have new pedals and tyres on my retro for less than £30....

C2W, you won't save 30% unless you have a scheme that allows an extended rental paymenet in lieu of the FMV.

pianoman1980

supersonic wrote:

The Rockrider is the better bike. It is lighter, has the better fork, superior spec: if it fits, go for it.

Is the rockrider fork definately better? 120mm air fork should be better than 100mm coil shouldn't it? In what way is it better if you don't mind my asking?

supersonic

I have tested both forks - the Recon is the better fork. It is smoother and stiffer with a better range of rebound damping.

The Raidon is decent enough, but suffers from quite a bit of flutter and vibration.

pianoman1980

Appreciate your reply supersonic, and I know you are an expert in these things, but its confusing when your saying one thing on here and yet the hoodoo review on this very site says this:

Suspension performance can make or break an entry-level bike, and the Hoodoo's SR Suntour Raidon X1 is probably the best fork we’ve seen on a £500 bike. It’s air-sprung (rather than coil-sprung), with beefy stanchions that stop its 120mm of compression from fluttering under hard braking, and it offers the sort of control we’d usually associate with a bike costing nearly twice as much.

The best fork on a £500 bike....the rockrider 8.1 is £500.

supersonic

As I said, it is not a bad fork, in fact one of the best for this money: it's just that the Recon is better and would be the one that I would have. I found it to be quite a bit more competent off road, especially when the going gets tough - it handles mid and large hits better.

The magazine has not tested the Rockrider for 2 years now (and it had a different fork) the Voodoo review is very new.

pianoman1980

Appreciate your comments everyone. Its alot of money to spend I just want to make sure i'm getting the best I can, don't want to make an expensive mistake and buy the wrong thing.

supersonic

Either would be a good buy, I can't think of many better bikes. But you asked the question ;-)

Fit is very important too.

pianoman1980

supersonic wrote:

Fit is very important too.

I hear that alot on here, dont really know what it means. I read that standover clearance isn't how to judge, leg length isn't how to judge, so not really sure what to look for. I think that my current bike is a little big, struggle to wrangle it round on the trails. I'm fairly skinny, so a lighter bike would probably help me maneuver it better.

Went to leisure lakes today, not much for £500 and the ones they had, even I could tell they were fairly low spec.

supersonic

Only way to find out for sure is to try a few models and sizes. See what feels best.

pianoman1980

This may be a stupid question, but how come I cant see the rockrider 8.1 fork on the rockshox website?

http://www.sram.com/rockshox/family/recon

I was trying to look it up.