A little help.......

djlestat
djlestat Posts: 7
edited June 2012 in MTB buying advice
Hey folks,

been flicking from review to review for the past month and still not bought anything. :roll:
So thought I would ask the professionals. :lol:
Im after something that will get me to work and back, around the village and still handle being taken across country with the Mrs and her horse.
Budget is about £350ish, but may be stretched a little.
I have no problem buying used, (always after getting more for my money! lol)
I think hardtail is the way to go, and would like disc brakes.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Dj

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    I don't know of any bikes that can carry two people AND a horse.

    Welcome, hopefully more useful people will be along in due course.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

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  • bluechair84
    bluechair84 Posts: 4,352
    GT avalanche is a great starter bike. PaulsCycles usually have some on discount too. They ride really well and are good value for the money, but definatly see if you can find a reduced one to get hydraulic disc brakes in your budget, not cable discs.
  • djlestat
    djlestat Posts: 7
    Hey folks,

    I put a post in the beginners section but thought it might work better in here.
    Im after something that will get me to work and back, around the village and still handle being taken across country with the Mrs and her horse.
    Budget is about £350ish, but may be stretched a little.
    I have no problem buying used, (always after getting more for my money! lol)
    I think hardtail is the way to go, and would like disc brakes.
    Ive been looking at all sorts just have no idea what works best.
    Ive seen the RR mentioned alot and really like the look but its a bit over budget, is it worth it? Can you only buy it direct from decathlon? I cant find it anywhere else.
    Any help would be appreciated.

    Cheers

    Dj
  • RR is a Decathlon own brand, they have about 6 outlets int he UK - if you're not local to one, then its mail order or a decent road/rail journey.

    Halfords ?

    Voodoo Bantu is a decent hardtail at £350, and with Halfords buying power you do get good components for the price point. At least you can try one easily for frame sizign and fit. It shares the frame with the higher priced Hoodoo (just different components)..

    Whilst in Halfords have a look at the Carrera range - Vengeance is about £300 these days (and now ith mechanical disc brakes, not hydraulic) but with sale offers, discount codes you could probably get one for £280. Decent bike, and you can upgrade the brakes to hydraulics at a later date. I think the next bike up th Carrera range is the Krakan which is over budget.

    If you can find a £700 RRP bike at half price through one of the on-line sellers you should get hydraulic brakes and mid range components , but you're not going to end up with anythign significantly different to the Voodoo or Carrera spec wise.

    A used Boardman HT might be worth considering, especially as you can try those out for size in Halfords too ;)
  • djlestat
    djlestat Posts: 7
    Cheers, Will have a look at those...
    I think the next bike up th Carrera range is the Krakan which is over budget.

    Is the Krakan a good bike? Found a 2011/2012 used for 275
    Is that worth it for a used one?
  • Reviews here - http://www.bikeradar.com/search/?search ... era+kraken

    Not a bad bike, currently £450 new online (minus a bit of discount with vouchers etc). Typical spec for that price range, although if buying new the Hoodoo Voodoo is much better for the money

    Sold my barely used Vengeance for £175 recently (too low, all of 6 minutes on ebay), so £275 doesn't sound too bad, but £250 would be better !
  • djlestat
    djlestat Posts: 7
    Reviews here - http://www.bikeradar.com/search/?search ... era+kraken
    so £275 doesn't sound too bad, but £250 would be better !

    If £250 was better would it be worth biting his hand off for £200??
    The Ad:
    carrera kraken bike only few weeks old and only used hand full of times
    bike is 2011/2012 model with avid brakes and hydrolc forks
    Alloy Rims: Yes
    Brake Type: Hydraulic Disc
    Chainset: SRAM S600 Chainset
    Exact Frame Size: 18"
    Fork Lock-out : Yes
    Fork travel: 120mm
    Forks: Suntour XCR-D hydraulic
    Forks - Adjustable damping : Yes
    Frame Colour: Satin Ice White
    Frame Material: Aluminium
    Frame Size: 17-18
    Frame-: Lightweight 7005 T6 aluminium
    Front Brake: avid juicy 3 hydraulic disc brake
    Front Mech: Shimano FD-M430
    Gear Shifters: SRAM X5 trigger shifters
    Gender: Mens
    Handle Bars: Alloy oversize riser bars (30mm rise) (31.8mm diameter)
    Headset: Semi integrated
    Hubs: Alloy with Q/R
    Number of Gears: 27
    Pedals: Wellgo alloy platform with toe clips
    Rear Brake:avid juicy 3 hydraulic disc brake
    Rear Mech: SRAM X5 rear mech
    Rims: Double wall alloy rims
    Saddle: Carrera
    Stem: Ahead aluminium stem
    Suspension: Front
    Tyre size: 2.20"
    Tyres: Continental Mountain King
    Wheel size: 26"
    Approximate Weight (KG): 13.8

    Anything I should look out for when looking at a used bike??
  • some good mid range components ont here, and at £275 you aren't going to find anything new near that spec.

    The more you can knock off the better ;) and if its genuinely only a few weeks old then nothign should be amis. Check tyres and operation of brakes and the gears - should all be fine !
  • djlestat
    djlestat Posts: 7
    Cool, cheers bud.
    Appreciate your help.
  • djlestat
    djlestat Posts: 7
    Just to keep asking questions.....
    What do you think of this?
    The frame is an old Specialized Hardrock. I can’t tell you what year,
    Forks: Rock Shock Dart 3
    Gear set: Shimano
    Rims – Alexis
    Tyres – Schwalbe
    Carbon Fibre handle bar
    Stem upgrade

    How does that sound? And what would it be worth, its from a guy at work.

    Cheers (again)
    Dj
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    If it's £50 maybe, but who can say. I have an old Hardrock at home I rescued from a skip at the dump. '90 something or other.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

    Parktools