First mtb £500 ish budget?

mattrs2000

Hi all, I wrote this long first post for the newbies section, but having thought about it, as it contains a question on which bike I would be best off buying, I thought I should copy and paste it onto this section. :oops:


Hi, I've just joined the forum as I am about to buy my first mountain bike. After spending the last few days reading lots of reviews and opinions, my head hurts and my eyes are bleeding, but I think I have narrowed my search down to the final 3 ( well done you are through to bootcamp!)
I haven't been on a bike for about 20 years, since I sold my Raleigh Team Banana racer and my bmx ( Raleigh Aero-pro, no less!!), if you can remember those being about then I feel your pain ; )
Basically it will be for light to medium use at best, woodland paths and some trails, but nothing too heavy. My budget is about £500 for the bike and I need to buy some basic equipment to go with it.
I have spotted a couple of deals to get a slightly better price, but anyway i'm babbling on, which is best bike (for both value and capability) out of the following?

The Bianchi Kuma 5300 2013 at £590 inc p&p

Frame: Kuma Alu

Fork: SF13-XCM RL 100mm with remote lockout

Headset: Fsa NO10

Stem: Tec Obvius

Speed: 27

Front Mech: Shimano Acera

Rear Mech: Shimano Deore 9s

Chainset: Fsa DynaDrive 170-175mm 104/64mm BCD x 44/32/22T

Cassette: Shimano Acera 11-32T

Chain: Fsa Team Issue CN-906 9sp

Front Brake: Shimano BRM505KITA Hydraulic

Rear Brake: Shimano BRM505KITA Hydraulic

Rims: Mach 1 Sub-Zero Disc

Front Hub: Shimano HB-RM35

Rear Hub: Shimano FH-RM35

Tyres: Python Original WB Front Python Original WB Rear

Seatpost: Tec Obvius

Voodoo Hoodoo at £500

Approximate Weight (KG): 14.1kg
◾Brake Type: Hydraulic Disc
◾Chainset: Shimano FC-M430
◾Exact Frame Size: 18"
◾Fork Lock-out : Yes
◾Fork travel: 120mm
◾Forks: Suntour Raidon X3 Coil Suspension fork
◾Frame Colour: Red
◾Frame Material: Alloy
◾Front Brake: Tektro Gemini Hydraulic disc 180mm rotor
◾Front Mech: Shimano Alivio FD-M430
◾Gear Shifters: Shimano Alivio SL-M430 27spd
◾Gender: Mens
◾Handle Bars: Riser 31.8mm
◾Headset: 1 1/8 Aheadset
◾Hubs: Formula 32 hole Q/R disc hub
◾Number of Gears: 27
◾Rear Brake: Tektro Gemini Hydraulic disc 180mm rotor
◾Rear Mech: Shimano Alivio RD-M430
◾Rims: Double wall black 32 hole disc rim
◾Saddle: VL-3165
◾Seatpost: 400mm Alloy 27.2
◾Tyre size: 2.25"
◾Tyres: Maxxis Ardent 26 x 2.25
◾Wheel Size: 26"
◾Suspension: Front


Cube Aim with discs at £460


Frame: Alu Lite AMF 6061 RFR-Geometry, Disc only

Fork: Suntour XCM Lockout 100mm

Headset: FSA No.10 semi-integrated

Stem: Easton EA30 Oversized

Handlebar: Easton EA30 Lowriser Oversized

Grips: CUBE Performance Grip

Rear Derailleur: Shimano Alivio RD-M410 Top Normal 8-speed

Front Derailleur: Shimano FD-M310, Top Swing 34,9mm, 8-speed

Shifters: Shimano SL- M310 Shifter Acera Rapidfire-Plus, 8-speed

Brakes: Shimano BR-M445 hydr. discbrake(160/160mm)

Crankset: Shimano Acera FC-M361 42x32x22T, Shimano BB-UN26

Rims: Alex ZX 24

Front Hub: Shimano HB-RM66 Disc

Rear Hub: Shimano FH-RM66 Disc

Spokes: DT Industry

Tyres: Schwalbe Smart Sam 2.25

Innertubes: Impac AV14

Pedals: Fasten Alu

Saddle: Scape Active 8

Seatpost: Easton EA30 31,6mm

Seat Clamp: Scape Varioclose 34.9mm
Weight: 13.7 kg

If you are still awake, thanks for the effort, cheers Matt.
mattrs2000 Posts: 1Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2013 7:47 pm

cooldad

So the same answer as here.
viewtopic.php?f=40028&t=12935716

mattrs2000

Ok, thanks I'll take a look.

mattrs2000

I like the look of the black decathlon rockrider , but it says it's out of stock?
Do you know if it is still available anywhere else, or if they are due to come back in stock?
Cheers

ej2320

You can only get them from decathlon

Look through the used bike ads to, you can pick up a well kitted hardtail for £500

mattrs2000

Ok, we'll in the end I've just ordered a 2012 model Voodoo Bantu for £399, picking it up tomorrow.

desmorrow

enjoy her lad. Halfords can allegedly be a bit hit and miss when it comes to the build so have a good look over it. Make sure no rattles and the wheels spin freely. Anything wrong, just bring her back till it's sorted. I'd recommend a maintenance course if ur a newbie although you can get most stuff from youtube these days.

mattrs2000

Ok thanks for the advice, I'll have a look on youtube.

cooldad

Or read 'Read this first' below and get proper info. Lots of useful stuff on Youtube but as any idiot can post anything, it's not always right.

mattrs2000

So, went to collect bike this morning and . . they built me the wrong one, the 2014 model, I said I wanted the old one with air forks, so the only one left in Plymouth was the display bike, they knocked £50 off for the inconvenience so cost me £349.99 in the end!