17 year break no idea what to buy

alynponty

hi guys just joined. as title really , i used to bike when i was in school, recently started to get a bug back to get riding, probably cos im only 10 mins from bikepark wales, been looking on net at a few bikes and cant believe how much things have changed and the prices 'wow' , anyways like the look of the gt zaskar as these were top notch when i was young and also the rockhopper pro evo expert, any thoughts on these or any other suggestions, gonna go with the cycle to work scheme to get a bike helmet etc, so 1000 is limit, ideally id like to go no higher than 750 on the bike, needs to be able to take a hammering as im more than likely gonna have a few spills, cheers guys, alyn.

Rookie1986

Who do your Cycle-2-Work scheme offer as places you can purchase from?

alynponty

no clue waiting for my manager to get the info for me, just been looking at some reviews the gt is out of the running now like the reviews of the voodoo bizango though and alot cheaper leaving more to spend on other bits

The Rookie

Waste of time looking until you know what scheme your employer uses, otherwise it's almost guaranteed that you won't be able to get the bike you decide you want, for example the Voodoo is only available from Halfords and they only do ride to work through their own scheme, any other and you won't be getting a Voodoo.

rockmonkeysc

Unfortunately GT hardtails aren't what they were. They're a bit basic and nasty for the price now.
Bikepark Wales has quite varied trails but they tend to be very high speed so slack head angle and low bottom bracket will help as will a good fork. Once you move on from the blue trails it all gets a bit rocky so a longer travel fork is an advantage.
No good looking for ideas until you know where you can buy.