Advice on £500 bike

tolmie
tolmie Posts: 45
edited October 2014 in MTB buying advice
Hi there, Im a newbie and looking to get back into biking, this will be for a bit of fun and to loose a stone or two. My budget is around £500 for a hardtail. I would appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks

Comments

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Rockrider 8.1 from the Decathlon is the best specced £500 bike you'll find, next is the Voodoo Hoodoo from Halfords.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • tolmie
    tolmie Posts: 45
    Is it better than the scott aspect 740 and Bazingo
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    The Rookis suggestions are spot on.
    At this budget avoid anything by the big brands like Giant, Specialized, Scott, Trek etc, they just can't compete with budget specialists like Rockrider, Carrera and Voodoo etc. The frames are all made on the same production lines as the big brands so quality is as good but the components such as forks and gearing is much better.
    Bigger brands make more sense at £1500+
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • JayX2A
    JayX2A Posts: 113
    I got the Voodoo. Not much can touch the spec for the money (plus extra 10% off took it to £360). The frame is excellent and I think its a bike that's worth upgrading as time goes on. The shocks, although not the air version as the older model still seem pretty good to me!
  • tolmie
    tolmie Posts: 45
    Im well up for saving money, is the voodoo a good bike then as Halfords have 10% of just now.
  • tolmie
    tolmie Posts: 45
    Last question, would you go for the voodoo hoodoo or the Aizan.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Unless you have to have a 29er the Hoodoo is better than the Aizan, better forks and brakes.

    The Bizango is excellent, over your budget though.

    The Rockrider would be my number one choice, better frame than the Voodoo and overall much lighter.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • Rigger/frigger
    Rigger/frigger Posts: 44
    I have the rockrider 8.1, its a whippet of a bike! Really light and nimble frame and can handle anything I throw at it. The only things I have changed is the seat for a charge spoon, I put nobby nic tyres on, the tyres that come on the bike are good in the summer but no use in the winter. I also put superstar grips on it. I put wider bars on a shorter stem on as well (but I got both of these off a mate for £20), these would of been the biggest cost. So for less than £100 pound I have a made this bike from a decent bike to a very decent bike.

    The only place that they saved on price are the seat and the grips. The rest I replaced because of personnel preference. The bars are quite narrow with a long stem, and the bike was massively improved putting the wider bars on.

    Do not be put off buy buying the rockrider 8.1 because of the few things I have changed. The companies customer service is fantastic. The bike I bought, they had forgot to put the lead cap on the end of the remote lock out cable. I e-mailed them and they sent the whole cable including the lever!

    The brakes are higher spec'd than my pals orange clockwork, my pals Nukeproof mega TR! The have made a great bike for not a lot of money!
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    If you go second hand you can get previously £1,000 plus bikes in your budget. Just be careful to check them over. Any doubts just walk away.
  • tolmie
    tolmie Posts: 45
    Im going for the spec rockhopper 29 2015 or the Cube analog, just need to decide.

    Cheers
  • Antm81
    Antm81 Posts: 1,406
    The rockhopper has a terrible fork, if you want a 29er go for the voodoo bizango, far better bike,there's a reason it wins so many awards. It may be £600 but join british cycling and you'll get 10% off that.
    Trance 27.5 Hoodoo Her Scott Contessa Daughter's Vulcan
  • tolmie
    tolmie Posts: 45
    The only reason I was going for the Rockhopper was because I can get finance for that, I don't have £500-£600 just now, if the fork is rubbish I will have to look at something else then.
  • Antm81
    Antm81 Posts: 1,406
    I previously had a cube analog which came with the same fork as the rockhopper, it's heavy and undamped, even then I didn't like the fork.

    If you haven't got a huge amount of money I'd look second hand, I just picked up a slightly older voodoo hoodoo with the better air fork in very good condition for a lot less than a new one.
    Trance 27.5 Hoodoo Her Scott Contessa Daughter's Vulcan
  • tolmie
    tolmie Posts: 45
    Cube has a Rock Shox fork, there good are they not.
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    tolmie wrote:
    Cube has a Rock Shox fork, there good are they not.

    Depends which Rockshox fork. Some of the bottom end (XC28/XC30/Dart) ones are pretty bad, no better than the bottom end Suntour forks.
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • tolmie
    tolmie Posts: 45
    OK I'll get nothing just now and try and save money towards the bizango or the rockrider 8.1

    Cheers

Categories