Which Hardtail for me and my lady

xcrv303

Hi

As im needing to get back into biking after 14 long lost years.

I have been spending hours days nights trailing through numerous online bike stores looking for a Bike for myself and my lady. At first i had a cube 2012 LTD on my mind sitting at £599.99 on paulscycles. The £600 mark was my limit...But now my partner wishes to order a bike for herself. so the cube is no longer an option. as i couldn't afford a bike for her on top on the 600 cube...i could get her one of those bikes from tesco or asda @ £99 but Na forget those Bso's. so i decided that £300 each would or should be sufficient.

Now i cannot make up my mind what i should choose for ourselves. One thing that is a requirement is a finance option its the only way i could afford to buy.

Ive taken into consideration the Decathlon RR 5.2 but i don't see any finance options anywhere.
id be willing to stretch to maybe 350 but im bound to find something at least half decent for under 300.

Ive phoned up quite a few online bike stores to be told that i couldn't go far wrong with a specialized Hardrock. As the frame is spot on an so forth.

Anyway i was thinking about getting 2 of these... a 20 for me and a 16 for the lady....

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _2012_Bike

looks pretty decent for a 29er and 27 speed Acera. i couldn't find any other bikes with 27 gears and 29 inch wheels at that price. not really fond of the fork. but at 300 it should be fine for mild offroad and country sunday runs.

What do you guys think. ?

decent or crap :?:

supersonic

The entry level Hardrocks are horrific. Really basic parts and truly terrifying forks. Avoid like the plague.

The Coyote has some decent parts, but again a a fork that can only be described as a joke.

The RR5.3 is the best specced by far at this money:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-53 ... 06682.html

chrisw333

and a new 0% credit card (strictly not used for anything else - seriously cut it up as they tend to pay off the 0% debt first, leaving you to pay interest on any subsequent purchases right up until you fully clear the card) is a way to finance them.

xcrv303

cheers for the swift replies.

The RR's do look pretty nice. i am amazed at the spec for the price. but there is no finance offer available with them.

The 0% credit card is not even an option as i have just been declined after applying via tesco.

Don't even think Winstanleys offer finance. and even if they do. im sure the v12 retail finance that serve most retailers will reject my online purchase too.

still i will have to try and see if i would be subject to acceptance.

Apart from bikes recommendations . Which online bike retailers do you recommend ?

I was greatly interested in the deals on pauls cycles but after a quick call. i felt that the dude i spoke to was a bit of a muppet. However my intuition is steering me towards

http://www.tredz.co.uk
or
http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk

How do you recommend the 2. ?

ive been on

Evans
Stiff
Sunset
Wheelies
Wheelbase
Wiggle
Mountainbikebitz
leisure lakes
Rutland
Winstanleys
Pedalon
Chainreaction
merlin
cyclestore
Je james

Who else is there that is worth a look ?

Damn i do like that rock rider i love the attention its getting. well worth a punt.

cooldad

Nothing wrong with Pauls Cycles - great bargains to be had, but if credit is the deciding factor shouldn't you see what and where you can get it first? Most shops (or all that I know of) use a third party credit company anyway, so if you have sh1tty credit.....

anj132

xcrv303 wrote:

cheers for the swift replies.
The 0% credit card is not even an option as i have just been declined after applying via tesco.

What about apply to your bank for a credit card with 0%? In the past I have found it easier to get a CC with your own bank.

Best bike around £300 is probably going to be that rockrider supersonic linked to. I doubt you'll find much else around for £300 on those other sites.

Also, do you think your better half will be up for doing a bit of mtb'ing or will it be a flash in the pan? A bit like my wife's running shoes :roll:

Oh Marone

Have you tried your own bank for a 0% CC ?
I was turned down by a bank even though I have a decent credit rating. I went down to my own bank to find I was already pre-approved with them. You don't need a rubbish rating to be rejected for credit as I was told there can be numerous reasons why they decline your application.

Your bank will have more personal info than a credit check can provide so you are more likely to get one through them than someone else, although you might not get the best deals available from other banks etc. Did the same thing myself last year to buy my bike and kit, as long as you can pay it off before the deal runs out its a good way to buy.

EDIT: Sorry anj132, was replying at same time as you

Levi_501

I would have a chat with OH first to try and establish if the 'I want a bike' is just a fad or if she will actually use it.

If she will use it then great, you will have a great time together. However, I know of several guys that have bought their OH a bike and after two rides it does not move.

For what it it worth, colour is the most important thing when looing for a bike for the femal variety.

xcrv303

@ cooldad

I see nothing wrong either with regards to Pauls Cycles. i just didn't find the dude on the phone all that helpful. However their deals are decent. that's where i saw the Cube 2012 LTD @ £599.99 the finance offered on the cube wasn't what i was looking for. but who offers 0% finance over 24 months on sale bikes. I'm not really wanting to bother with 2013 bikes as i think id only be able to achieve 0% on 2013's

@ anj132 & Oh Marone

Yea i will give my bank a shot at the credit card. i was quite surprised at being refused when i submitted my application for a Tesco credit-card. i checked my credit rating afterwards and saw it was 989 / 1000 although i found that the rating is meaningless. Strange how black horse accepted me for my purchase of a 12k car with only 1.5k left to pay. i have lived at my present address for 8 years and have held down my job for 5.

@ Oh Marone & Levi_501

i too thought about the partner and getting her a bike. i feel its going to be like the xbox kinect sensor i bought her that got used once before i whacked it on ebay. She wants a rowing machine. so i told her why not get a bike instead. but maybe we are right. The bike will get used once then get wasted. And lol the colour thing is definitely an option for her. the bike like the supersonic linked. that Rock rider 5.3 @ £299.99 well she doesn't like the colour.
Colour isnt an option for me. im more bother about the fork frame and the components then the colour.

i saw a GT Avalanche 4. i think on pauls cycles that is no longer listed. it was coloured in a lovely light blue. but no she didn't like it. she wanted a pink bike. :shock:

then she saw this because it had cool looking blue pedals :roll:

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 0s163p3293

I tried to tell her that the spec was total crap for that price. dont you agree ?

i showed her this instead but again she didn't like the colour and frame geometry was an issue too. crap forks i think but still for her it would be sufficient.

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 0s163p4362

maybe ill just save and get a rockrider 8.1 or the cube 2012 LTD and get her a BSO a reflex or freespirit

supersonic

The GT is crap indeed. The revel much better.

chrisw333

Can't you just buy her the Rockrider and some colour pedals & bling (grips, seat clamp, skewers etc) from Superstar to satisfy the girliness?

Picking a crap bike because it looks nice is just nuts.