half dozen choices...cant decide ...help please

mcgann_77

im completely stuck now and need a definite decision as to which bike is best to buy.either Carrera fury or kraken,voodoo bizango or boardman 650b,or specialized rockhopper or pitch? I get to see the last two on Saturday the others I will need to get in at Halfords to see them.anyone know which out of these stands out to be the best bike and has best running gear etc for the money.all are under £600 which is a lot in my world but not much it seems in the mountain bike world.would like to make a decision asap with the help of the people in the know ...thanks

rockmonkeysc

Forget the Specializeds they arent nearly as good as the others.

mcgann_77

thanks for advice guys..is there any one in particular which you would opt for ?

mcgann_77

nice to know it has been put to the test with you and your eldest is now using it ...cant be bad ,looks a nice bike too on the Halfords site although I haven't seen one in the flesh yet.thanks

dirkpitt74

I agree with oxoman - Carrera Fury is a good buy.
The Rockrider is also a good bet too.

kajjal

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Forget the Specializeds they arent nearly as good as the others.

Very true unless you are very tall and then they will be the only bikes to fit you properly.

hainman

isnt the Pitch a FS and everything else a HT

mcgann_77

I got down to the local bike store after work to see the specialized bikes but weren't that fussed on them especially after the advice from all the helpful peeps on here they did have 20% off there and were trying hard to push the rockhopper expert although they never had one down there today.the pitch was a hardtail too.
I agree that I need to get a decent bike to enjoy and keep at it,dont want to have a bike that starts to fall apart in no time.i do have a british cycling membership card somewhere so will use that against a bike if I go through the Halfords route (which at the mo it looks like the way i'll have to head).would the fury be on par with the bizango then parts wise? I think I prefer the look of 650 wheels as opposed to 29 ers but that doent mean the bizango is out ..just trying to make the right decision. I will order them into my Halfords so I can try them for size .thanks for your help so far all,much appreciated

LJ.

the bizango a 29er and the fury is 27.5, so thats probably more of a decision than what parts are on it, they are similar though. I don't really like the look of the new fury, after seeing it in halfords, just something about the shape of the frame, good spec though

mcgann_77

ok thanks lj ive not seen a fury in store yet,but do like the look of 27.5 more than the 29 wheels.be a better comparison when I can sit on both side by side.

rockmonkeysc

hainman wrote:

isnt the Pitch a FS and everything else a HT

The Pitch used to be an excellent full suspension, hard hitting trail bike. Now its a sub standard, cheap and nasty hardtail beginners bike with no obvious redeming features.

cyclinghaggis

Specialized are running their spring 'sale' so you can get most of their mountain bikes at 20% discount just now. I've just ordered a Rockhopper Comp from my local retailer. Would have looked at some of the usual suspects like the Bizango but my work only offers cyclescheme through one local retailer. Around the £500 mark I wanted to spend with the Rockhopper on sale it was the best option I could see for a 29er Hardtail.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... comp-29-15

I know a lot of people say specialized are overpriced so it may be that a 20% discount just brings it down to the price it should have been in the first place though That discount plus the cyclescheme means I get the Rockhopper for half price so I wont grumble.

http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/

Worth checking with your employer to see if they offer it or anything similar as it equates to around a 30% saving.

The Rookie

If your employer uses cyclescheme you could surely use any retailer who deals with cyclescheme, Decathlon for example, on-one etc etc?

cyclinghaggis

The Rookie wrote:

If your employer uses cyclescheme you could surely use any retailer who deals with cyclescheme, Decathlon for example, on-one etc etc?

Odd, I was told by my employer that the only shop they had a cyclescheme arrangement with was my local Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op? I did ask about others but they told me that was the only place I could buy it from. Maybe they're just saying that so it's less administrative overhead for themselves!

:?:

The Rookie

If they are using cyclescheme then there is no overhead on the employer at all, just cyclescheme, sounds like they found it was your nearest and misunderstood, many of the big mail order companies take CS vouchers.