Which Bike: Genesis Core 30 or KHS Alite 2000

trailsam

Right,

I'm a fairly novice biker, upgrading from a pretty basic 2007/8 Giant Yukon, budgeting around £500 - £700 for something suitable for riding anything up to red routes (pretty poorly) at trail centres and general trails, singletrack, nothing too extreme or jumps etc. The likes of hopton woods, forest of dean etc

I'm wanting hardtail with a half decent fork.

Has anyone got any opinions on either of the following:

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2011

http://www.khsbikes.co.uk/bikes/khs-alite-2000

I realise they're perhaps slightly different animals, and the KHS is probably more XC orientated, but any advice/opinions would be helpful.

I have looked at Boardman's, but struggle to find any decent comment on quality, and maintenance, how the components last, what the SRAM kit is like etc, I'm not adverse to them as I'm quite capable of the maintenance, just very wary of Halfords assembly and long term ownership in terms of quality.

Cheers,

Sam

supersonic

There is nothing wrong at all with the quality of the Boardman, some of the best parts you can get for the money, and the best fork here. Would be my choice.

chez_m356

supersonic wrote:

There is nothing wrong at all with the quality of the Boardman, some of the best parts you can get for the money, and the best fork here. Would be my choice.

or even this http://www.decathlon.co.uk/81-2012-id_8168918.html

chrisw333

With the above comments said (and very valid of course Boardman & Rockrider seem excellent value) both the Genesis and KHS would be still be great bikes for your purpose and capable of much more. I personally like the Genesis, but the others may still offer a bit more bang for your buck.

chez_m356

chrisw333 wrote:

With the above comments said (and very valid of course Boardman & Rockrider seem excellent value) both the Genesis and KHS would be still be great bikes for your purpose and capable of much more. I personally like the Genesis, but the others may still offer a bit more bang for your buck.

how exactly ?

trailsam

Link to boardman: http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_comp.html

I take your point on the fork, air at this price is bound to be better, particularly as I'm a fairly heavy rider at 15 stone!?

Not too keen on the reviews Sram's X5 kit gets, is entry level Shimano likely to be a better bet?

supersonic

I do prefer entry level Shimano, but the X5 is not too bad: good cranks on the bike.

You won't go wrong with any of these bikes though!

trailsam

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated, been looking for weeks, but not many local shops with many mountain bikes to try (besides cube, which I'm not that keen on) and I've narrowed it down to these 3 online, although I have had a good look at the Boardman in the local Halfords.

Just down to personal preference in the end I guess, they're all gona be more capable than me for a long while I suspect!

chrisw333

chez_m356 wrote:

chrisw333 wrote:

With the above comments said (and very valid of course Boardman & Rockrider seem excellent value) both the Genesis and KHS would be still be great bikes for your purpose and capable of much more. I personally like the Genesis, but the others may still offer a bit more bang for your buck.

how exactly ?

I mean capable of more than red runs, not more than the other bikes suggested.

chez_m356

chrisw333 wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

chrisw333 wrote:

With the above comments said (and very valid of course Boardman & Rockrider seem excellent value) both the Genesis and KHS would be still be great bikes for your purpose and capable of much more. I personally like the Genesis, but the others may still offer a bit more bang for your buck.

how exactly ?

I mean capable of more than red runs, not more than the other bikes suggested.

my apologies, obviously had my thick head on

trailsam

One more thing - have now found this years Core 26.2 on offer for £550

http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m15b126s2p6 ... S_GB/20242

Any thoughts on this or the older Core 30 as linked in my first post? Not sure how the drivetrain matches up as not too familiar with all the shimano codes.

Cheers,

Sam

Coolnick

OP - I was working with a similar budget back in January and went with the Boardman Comp after much deliberation. Have to say I definitely feel I made the right choice as its an excellent bike for the money. The fork damps well and is easily adjustable for your weight. SRAM X5 works fine (had Deore on prev bike) and have had no problems with the shifting performance. All round I'd say the components and quality is decent and is well worth upgrading in due course.

I've made a couple of upgrades so far namely Bonty XR4 tyres, SS Nano pedals which have further improved the ride. Also, I'd recommend putting some frame protection patched on the top of the fork crown where the cables run to prevent cable rub - I was late doing this and found out the hard way what damage they can do.

Overall I'd highly recommend this bike. Just go round and check set up after you pick it up and adjust cockpit to suit you.

trailsam

I think it's going to have to be the Boardman, with a possible switch to Shimano rear dérailleur/shifters if/when the SRAM breaks, but who knows, I might like it!

Thanks for the advice.