Budget full susp bike

Bigun6767

Can any one spare me some advice please? I'm currently running a Merida hardtail and am looking for a full suspension bike (But on a very limited budget)My old saracen Arachnid is far too small,i'm 6"1 and it's a 17" frame.I am looking at 3 bikes at the present....1,Mongoose Salvo Sport 2,Jamis Dakar XC Sport, 3, Carrera Banshee. All are roughly around the £500-£600 mark.I dont do any serious downhill or freeride but want a little more control than the hard tail offers,Can anyone recommend any of these or is there something else available?

jonnyashworth

if your not spending 1k plus then dont bother you will just be wasting your money! If i had a budget of £600 I would just stick to a hardtail

snowjho

Decathlon rockrider 9.1 is pretty much the only fs bike worth having and have a fair amount of change from £1000.

YeehaaMcgee

Keep riding the hardtail, and save up until you have roughly a grand at least.

Bigun6767

Just been to see a specialized enduro expert. It's sized as medium.Seems to fit but what's recommended size for 6"1?Plus its within my budget.

cooldad

One that fits. Make sure the forks and shock are ok though - expensive parts to sort out

Tom Barton

Keep saving. What you'll gain in control will be offset by weight (plenty of weight) and a ride that may very well feel a bit sluggish and disappointing to what yuor expecting. Could consider a second hander if you find a good looking machine on one of the forums buy/sell pages or perhaps ebay but generally speaking do your homework on buying second hand bikes online - there are risks with being sold a dressed up banger and remember if it seems to good to be true its probably stolen.


a £1000 will massively open up your choice of machines if you can wait.

YeehaaMcgee

Also...

Bigun6767 wrote:

I dont do any serious downhill or freeride

Well, yeah, that's a given, otherwise you'd be looking at £3K+

Bigun6767

Bike in question is about 6 years old and has just had rockshox pyslo's and fox float serviced,new cassette and middle chain ring.Is this a good buy for £600.The bike is in absolutely stunning condition and I think I will buy it if I'm convinced its the right size.Where can I find a size chart for tho bike?

YeehaaMcgee

er, I wouldn't buy a bike new for £600 if it came with Psylos, let alone second hand.
I'm not a specialised guru, but I'm pretty sure they all Enduros came with custom dual-crown forks.

ccfc

which bike out of these two?! is the giant worth £200 extra, i do like the colour! or are there any others to consider? Cheers

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-91 ... 0096.html# and

http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p3618

YeehaaMcgee

Well at £900, that's £300 more than your budget.

cooldad

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

er, I wouldn't buy a bike new for £600 if it came with Psylos, let alone second hand.
I'm not a specialised guru, but I'm pretty sure they all Enduros came with custom dual-crown forks.

2006 Expert came with Fox something or other (not dual crowns though). And a DHX Air.

ccfc

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Well at £900, that's £300 more than your budget.

sorry my budget was £800, the 1st time i looked at the RR it was £800, now it is £700. which one you think?

Anonymous

Sub £1k I'd look at second hand. Sure you can find something nice within budget so long as you can be sure it's in good condition. Ask around local shops if they have any second hand stuff as often they do, or they have ex-demo bikes, though likely to be a bit more expensive but they'll be serviced and should get some form of guarantee.

You can or at least could get something okay for just under £1k. The GT ID5 I had for example but then it was being pushed by Halfords (who had no idea what it was) and they could drive a good bargain. Great spec components really for £900 on a full sus (okay basic full sus but it was a tough beast for a trail bike).

But the issue is the spec. At sub £1k you're either getting a great frame and shock with really rubbish components or vice versa, unless you're really lucky.

Prices new are going nuts though and even with hard tails I'm seeing some terrible specs even on new hard tails even at £800.

cooldad

I'd take the Giant, superb spec for the money.

ccfc

cooldad wrote:

I'd take the Giant, superb spec for the money.

really for the £200 extra? the rockrider has better components in some parts

cooldad

IMO the Giant has better shock and forks, and I'd prefer the Shimano brakes. The rest of the bits are servicable.
But either would work.

snowjho

cooldad wrote:

IMO the Giant has better shock and forks, and I'd prefer the Shimano brakes. The rest of the bits are servicable.
But either would work.

only 100mm of travel though, would it make much difference? Other than the brand and style (it is a better looking bike) I'm not sure the Giant is worth £200 more than the RR but I am biased!

mrmonkfinger

For the OP I'd think about second hand - just be a bit careful, and budget a few quid for the odd drivetrain part or new tyre or other service item.

supersonic

How much do you weigh? Psylos are good enough for lighter riders, use them on my Ruckus, but as above, you have no warranty or anything.

steelie600

Buy a frame and rear shock and some new forks off the bay and transfer your drivetrain to the new one from your old one. even with new cables, BB, headset etc no reason you couldnt do it for less than £800

hainman

i ride a rockrider 9.1 and love it.spec is great for thr money,i had it at innerleithen last week and it went everywhere my mates 2.5k stumpy went.even went down the black run although my skill and confidence wasnt upto it all....
for the money its def a good first full suss.....this years is a bit better with the recons upgraded from my toras and has the lockout on the bar.its obviously not everyones cup of tea but im very happy with mine...