£850 Budget Help Me Pick A Bike (Advise Needed)

winter_zombie

is this a good bike for the money, http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=85742

it looks great and the spec looks good.

out of all the bikes i have listed could somebody please tell me what the top 3 best bikes are, just so i can narrow it down. i want to buy my bike on monday so i need to shorten my list.

i do like the on-one whippet but its just a bit too much over my budget.

mattzzzzzz

Would you rather have a full suss?

You seem to be pushing that way sooo

Tapered fork and steerer- tick upto date
Wheels- ok, upgradeable to pro2s on flows/crest in the future so ok
X9 groupset- bout on par with XT
2x10 so upto date and you could use a chain device for the harder stuff
Frame linkage- proven style of linkage with a low spec shock from RS but upgradeable in the future to RP23 if you would want to
Its a decent bike for the cash and will be the best thing you have ever ridden, go buy it and wait for the postie!!

Its only 27lbs as well WTF!! My Blur with full XTR and carbon bits is heavier than that!

winter_zombie

just wanted to say Thank you for taking the time to write your views. I really do appreciate it.

mattzzzzzz

Are you going to buy the Vitus then?

winter_zombie

well ive narrowed it down to this short list

boardman team £850 (light weight and everybody says it a good bike)
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

KHS Alite 2000sl £799 (light weight £50 cheaper than the boardman and good review from WMB mag)
http://www.khsbikes.co.uk/bikes/12-khs-alite-2000sl

Vitus Blitz 1 £875 (good reviews, full sus, on offer at a good price but will leave me skint & not the lightest bike)
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=85742

Whyte 901 £850 (good reviews in WMB, but i dont know anything else about it !?!)
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueP ... teid=54264

as you know my budget is £850 if its a tiny bit over i can borrow it, im after a bike that....

good for all day riding and have the best spec for my money (as i wont have any more to spend untill summer next year)

id like something light weight because next year im going to try and do a bit of sponsered fundraising for the hospital were my mum died this year, i just want to give somehting back for all their good work.

i know im asking a lot but id also like a bit of bike porn, the on-one whippet is very nice but just too much £££

its hard to pick a bike when i cant try any of them or even touch it. im spending the last of my money on a bike only going by other peoples views & reviews :roll: :?

unless somebody else can throw in something else !?! LoL

cooldad

That Vitus is an absolute bargain with the bits on, full sus with Rebas. And everyone knows full sus is just better.
(Don't start arguing with me everyone - you're wrong)
If you want to spend a bit less the Vitus Blitz 2 is not half bad for £700.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=85984

Solid, dependable and very functional bits.

winter_zombie

well ive looked up the bike weights on line

Blitz 1 = 12.34 kg (27.2lbs)
whyte 901 = 12kg (26lbs)
boardman team = 11.7kg (25.9lbs)
khs alite 2000sl = 11.6kg (25.5lbs)

so the whyte 901 and the boardman team are almost the same weight and i like the look of the boardman more, sothe whyte is out of the running.

so now im down to a light weight xc bike (alite 2000sl) or a boardman team that everybody raves about & a full sus bike at a good price !
out of the 3 bikes the boardman and the alite 2000sl look great (a bit of bike porn LoL) but i just dont know what to do about the blitz 1 full sus. its at a great price and good reviews but will i need a full sus and will the weight be a issue later on ?????
is the boardman worth the extra £50 over the KHS alite 2000sl ?? & is the blitz 1 worth a extra £25 over the price/spec of the boardman ??
:?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

supersonic

The Vitus is a bargain - but judging by the pics you simply do not need rear suspension - it will just add weight and slow you down,

chez_m356

winter zombie wrote:

is the blitz 1 worth a extra £25 over the price/spec of the boardman ??
:?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

the spec of the blitz is better, its comparable to the boardman pro never mind the team, for a "new with warranty" FS bike with that spec for that price is a steal, with the way prices increase every year, you may never see anything that compares to that again

The Rookie

The Blitz is a greart bargain, but not necesarily the greatest bike on offer for WZ, for what he describes I'd take the KHS, if he thinks he may step it up a bit to something a bit rougher, then the Boardman.

winter_zombie

id like to put this into the mix, and id like your advise
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canyon-Nerve- ... 1e72f85506

is this canyon nerve am 6.0 as good or better than the blitz 1 / moardman team spec wise ???

depending on what you guys say i may make a offer.

so far the boardman team still seams a great buy, i realy dident think it would be this hard picking a bike.

my main problem is because i carnt try any of them, i just hate buying something like this spending every single penny i have only on other peoples views. i wont ever have 850 again to spend on a bike so its a big deal to me,i need to get it right. AAAAaaaaaaHHHhhhhhhh :evil:

thanks again, you are being a great help. when i do pick a bike i will show it all clean and on a ride out geting dirty

mcnultycop

You could get the new version of that from Canyon for less than he is asking for a second hand one.

chrisw333

Look, do you want full suss? From the pics of what you ride you don't need it at the moment but do you want it for the future?

If yes, then the Vitus is bloody great value and brand new. Canyons are excellent bikes too and you wont go wrong with that if it is in good nick - you take a risk there - no warranty etc. If they were both brand new I'd take the Canyon.

If you don't, you've quoted a whole heap of HT bikes that will be brilliant. Just go and buy one. For my money the Boardman, but the others good too. Just buy one.

mattzzzzzz

Another Hardtail into the mix

https://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbike ... tml?b=2540

supersonic

It's very light for the money, but over your budget?

chez_m356

mcnultycop wrote:

You could get the new version of that from Canyon for less than he is asking for a second hand one.

no you couldn't

as for this

mattzzzzzz wrote:

Another Hardtail into the mix

https://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbike ... tml?b=2540

that will be closer to a £1000 with p&p, and they are almost sold out

winter_zombie

well hopefully i will get some more views over the weekend as i want to buy my bike monday-tuesday.

in still interested in the KHS Alite 2000sl or the cheaper Alite 2000 (as its the same frame just lower spec and £300 cheaper) or Boardman Team, Vitus Blitz 1

:!:

mattzzzzzz

Well the Vitus 18 inch has gone so unless the 20 fits thats out

winter_zombie

well its late saturday night and no more views or options ! come on guys.

it dose seem like the blitz 1 is now out of stock ( so its now down to a boardman team or a khs alite/alite2000sl ????

J_asonR

I've always liked Boardman so I'd go for that one! Sorry I can't add any other options into the equation, but just to let you know, the Boardman will be my next bike too

winter_zombie

J_asonR wrote:

I've always liked Boardman so I'd go for that one! Sorry I can't add any other options into the equation, but just to let you know, the Boardman will be my next bike too

what boardman are you geting ??

J_asonR

Either the Hardtail Boardman Team 2011/12 Large, or the Pro version depending on what my budgets looking like at the time of purchase!

Just watched the videos of them and the specs on Boardmans, to me, look way above anything else I've looked at!

winter_zombie

quick question if any of can help

ive just been offered a Giant Anthem x4 last years model (2011) for £750 !

ive look at reviews and they say its a good bike, anybody have one or tryed one ?????? is it good for the cash ???

NobleSX

I had a budget of £1100 and settled on the Boardman Team 2012 Medium.
A great bike and reasonably lightweight.
I test rode near a dozen bikes, some of which are on your list. They were all good offerings with subjective things like seats, handlebars and toptube length making them more or less compliant to me.

The Boardman Team has an unparalleled kit specification for the money. I got it for under £780 recently in their web sale. I had the money in my pocket to spend much more but the frame and spec won me over. I now have change to upgrade anything I feel needs upgrading.

Mine came with Recon Gold air shocks and full SRAM X7 kit throughout. The sum of those parts are almost worth more than I paid. I've also heard the Gold Recon is a very good middle-market fork.

The warning I'll give you is that Halford technicians are very hit/miss in workmanship quality. I went into the purchase knowing that I'd probably need to cast my own eye over everything and 'tidy up'.
For example, the Elixir 3 front brake hadn't been bled properly with the lever travel almost to the grips to fully stop. The brake calipers I suspect were not fitted properly either as there is a slight drag when spinning the wheels. But worse of all is a very simple thing - the handle bars weren't properly straight. Like I suggested earlier, your experience may vary and be perfect, but for me the cost savings and sheer value for money was too good to miss despite the poor assembly. The Boardman Team has won quite a few awards too which gave me more confidence in the product. Halfords is also a large chain giving me the option to take the bike to a more experienced nearby store should a potential problem crop up.

(FYI, if it's of any use to you, the bikes that made it to my shortlist were: Whyte 805, Commencal Super 4.3, Vitus Blitz, Ghost ASX 5500) (My long list had the above plus: Whyte 901, Commencal SuperNormal 2.29, Ghost RT Lector, KHS Alite 2000SL, Specialized Carve Comp 29, Gaint Anthem 2012, Scott Scale 29 and more than a few Lapierre of both the 26" and 29" variety).

NobleSX

For me, when I sat on the Giant Anthem x3 2012 18", it just didn't feel right. I felt too stretched and tall on it despite te other bikes being larger at 19".

supersonic

Brakes have to bed in - often the lever travel self adjusts after riding them for a while, and the rub stops. There are instructions with avids on how to advance the pads to firm lever travel if the bed in does not self adjust them.

winter_zombie

NobleSX wrote:

I had a budget of £1100 and settled on the Boardman Team 2012 Medium.
A great bike and reasonably lightweight.
I test rode near a dozen bikes, some of which are on your list. They were all good offerings with subjective things like seats, handlebars and toptube length making them more or less compliant to me.

The Boardman Team has an unparalleled kit specification for the money. I got it for under £780 recently in their web sale. I had the money in my pocket to spend much more but the frame and spec won me over. I now have change to upgrade anything I feel needs upgrading.

Mine came with Recon Gold air shocks and full SRAM X7 kit throughout. The sum of those parts are almost worth more than I paid. I've also heard the Gold Recon is a very good middle-market fork.

The warning I'll give you is that Halford technicians are very hit/miss in workmanship quality. I went into the purchase knowing that I'd probably need to cast my own eye over everything and 'tidy up'.
For example, the Elixir 3 front brake hadn't been bled properly with the lever travel almost to the grips to fully stop. The brake calipers I suspect were not fitted properly either as there is a slight drag when spinning the wheels. But worse of all is a very simple thing - the handle bars weren't properly straight. Like I suggested earlier, your experience may vary and be perfect, but for me the cost savings and sheer value for money was too good to miss despite the poor assembly. The Boardman Team has won quite a few awards too which gave me more confidence in the product. Halfords is also a large chain giving me the option to take the bike to a more experienced nearby store should a potential problem crop up.

(FYI, if it's of any use to you, the bikes that made it to my shortlist were: Whyte 805, Commencal Super 4.3, Vitus Blitz, Ghost ASX 5500) (My long list had the above plus: Whyte 901, Commencal SuperNormal 2.29, Ghost RT Lector, KHS Alite 2000SL, Specialized Carve Comp 29, Gaint Anthem 2012, Scott Scale 29 and more than a few Lapierre of both the 26" and 29" variety).

thank you very much, thats some of the best advise i have had. im 90% wanting a boardman team but the monkeys at halfords do put me off, and because i know nothing about disk breaks or how to set them up or adjust them it dose put me of even more, i do have 2 mountain bike shops near me but even the basic stuff like break bleeding is £20+, they charge £5 just to use the hose to wash your bike Lol

but thank you very much i will keep in mind what you have said. A++

HenryTheHoover

I have the ridgid forked version of the Team mtb. Dont be too put off by halfords. When I went to pick it up they had not got round to getting it ready in time so I waited and watched them unbox it etc. All they do effectively is stick the wheels on it, turn the handlebars the right way and check the indexing on the gears. Some posts I have read on forums seem to imply they literally build the bikes up which simply isn't true.

You get a free service thrown in af ter 6 weeks or so but So far I havent been bothered to take mine back.

Obviously the gears have gone out of whack since due to cable stretch but apart from that It has been absolutely fine. I just googled a vid on setting up 2 x 10 Sram gear indexing. It was hardly different really to setting up shimano stuff from nearly 10 years ago which I already knew.

P.s. dont forget to get some heli tape before you get the bike. I did and regret it.....
P.p.s. In regards to the brakes, mine have been totally fine for 6 months in regards to bleeding but some people say otherwise for avid elixir3's. I have had to readjust the front brake due to it catching on the rotor a couple of times.It is a little bit fiddly but basically you make sure your wheel is properly located in the forks. Loose off the bolts that hold the brake unit on a bit until it can move around slightly. Then the fiddly bit. I read you just hold on the front brake lever to clamp the pads onto the rotor then retighten the bolts but in practice I have found you have to also adjust it by eye first to make sure it is square and then hold onto the brake and tighten. Oh and a bit of disk brake cleaner helps as one of my pads wasn't retracting quite as far as I liked but it was just a build up of gunk.

felix.london

Personally I wouldn't look any further than that Radon (ZR Team 7.0) It has £400 set of forks on it

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1830/a58206/zr-team-7-0.html?mfid=52

NobleSX

winter zombie wrote:

im 90% wanting a boardman team but the monkeys at halfords do put me off, and because i know nothing about disk breaks or how to set them up or adjust them it dose put me of even more, i do have 2 mountain bike shops near me but even the basic stuff like break bleeding is £20+,

If you have access to YouTube then I'm confident you can address any issues that crop up. Any necessary tools can be bought very cheaply from places like EBay or even Poundland type stores in town centres. There are a few in my area that sell all manner of bike tool kits for well under £20 for all the tools you'd ever need.