Best Cycle2Work Hardtail £600 Max

lighty89

Applied for £500 to get a hardtail from Halfords.
Normally the choice is amazing for this price-range, plenty of bikes with Air Forks.
However, it seems all the VooDoos have been downspecced, and the only one under £500 is the 13 which is new, and comes with shitty Clarks Brakes.

What would be the best bike to get?

Would it be work Extending to £600 and getting this??
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/boardman-mountain-bike-comp-ht-650b

Bit stuck here!!

The Rookie

So which cycle to work scheme?

Halfords only use their own scheme and cyclescheme (the biggest) can't be used there.

Without knowing which scheme your employer uses, any suggestion is pointless!

lighty89

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19652489#p19652489]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

So which cycle to work scheme?

Halfords only use their own scheme and cyclescheme (the biggest) can't be used there.

Without knowing which scheme your employer uses, any suggestion is pointless!

Sorry halfords cycle2work

The Rookie

The Fury looks good for the same £600, Raidon air fork.

lighty89

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19652508#p19652508]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

The Fury looks good for the same £600, Raidon air fork.

Thanks! And what if you were to pick an up to £500 one?

codfather

The Fury looks like a good option. Not sure what you mean about VooDoo, they were very well specced last year and better now. The Bizango for the same £600 gets the same Raidon fork, a 2x10 drivetrain with Shadow + and Shimano hydraulic brakes. I'd say it's a toss up between the Carrera and the Voodoo, 27.5 v 29, Sram v Shimano

Kraken, HooDoo, Aizan and Alpha are all very reasonable bikes for reasonable prices. Personally I'd pay the extra for an air sprung fork and 2x10 though.

lighty89

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19652525#p19652525]Codfather[/url] wrote:

The Fury looks like a good option. Not sure what you mean about VooDoo, they were very well specced last year and better now. The Bizango for the same £600 gets the same Raidon fork, a 2x10 drivetrain with Shadow + and Shimano hydraulic brakes. I'd say it's a toss up between the Carrera and the Voodoo, 27.5 v 29, Sram v Shimano

Kraken, HooDoo, Aizan and Alpha are all very reasonable bikes for reasonable prices. Personally I'd pay the extra for an air sprung fork and 2x10 though.

Thanks again, by going for the 2x10 won't I be limiting myself on the climbs, down from 27 gears etc?

lighty89

What do we make of the 13 Incline Alpha?

codfather

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19652538#p19652538]lighty89[/url] wrote:

Thanks again, by going for the 2x10 won't I be limiting myself on the climbs, down from 27 gears etc?

The 2x10 setup on the VooDoo actually has a lower gearing that will be better for the climbs than the Boardman, as it has the same size smallest chainring, 22t, but the cassette is wider range 11-36t rather than the narrower 11-32 on the BM. Furthermore, if you went for the Bizango you get 29" wheels, which make climbing easier (at least in my experience) than smaller wheels. All this means the VooDoo should be more capable going uphill than the BM.

As for the Alpha; It has the nicest looking frame by far and the forks are similar air Raidons, but the equipment is a bit more dated (3x9 Altus) and the fork, while air sprung, has only a quick release rather than the sturdier 15mm Qloc of the VooDoo and the BM.

Go down to the shop and have a roll around on them. It's all well and good finding out which is the best on paper, but if it feels naff when you ride it, it's useless. I was originally going to buy the HT Comp last year, but one ride on it and it didn't feel right at all. Ended up settling for what's now the previous generation Bizango because it felt better to ride and I've never looked back.

The Rookie

A 3x9 bike really only has about 13 gears as you get a very large number of overlaps. 2x10 is superior and I manage to ride just fine on 1x9.

penguin_of_death

The Fury is not quite as well finished as the Boardman, but 2x10 gearing and a thru axel reather than qr on teh same frok generally make it better - Bizango is very nice too, but a very different bike