Rockrider 520 or 540 or Boardman?

antonyfromoz

i am looking to buy my daughter an mtb for very light use, mainly on bridle paths and a little bit of gravel riding. The three bikes I am currently considering are the Boardman sport (currently on special and available with British Cycling discount), Rockrider 520 and the 540, which is also currently at a reduced price. With the rockriders, is the spec on the 540 worth the extra cast at the reduced price or is the 520 better value? Any help appreciated.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-520-mountain-bike-id_8293188.html#anchor_ComponentProductTechnicalInformation

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-540-mountain-bike-id_8293149.html#anchor_ComponentProductTechnicalInformation

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/boardman-mountain-bike-sport-ht-650b-limited-edition

supersonic

The 540 is only slightly better specced than the 520 - no wonder they reduced it. But I'd spend £400 on the 560, so much more bike, is an absolute bargain.

The Boardman is ok, but cheap drivetrain and hefty overall weight. The 560 blows it away.

antonyfromoz

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19666569#p19666569]supersonic[/url] wrote:

The 540 is only slightly better specced than the 520 - no wonder they reduced it. But I'd spend £400 on the 560, so much more bike, is an absolute bargain.

The Boardman is ok, but cheap drivetrain and hefty overall weight. The 560 blows it away.

Thank you Supersonic, I agree that the 560 is a better bike but it seems to be a bit of overkill for anything my 13yo daughter would be doing - and the original budget was meant to be about £300 but has been bumped up a bit anyway. Originally I was thinking about the Carrera Vengeance but it seems to me that any of these bikes from Decathlon would be a step up from that bike. I know you said that the differences are only slight but do you think that the changes in the spec from the 520 to the 540 are worth £20 or is it really just a matter of choosing the one that we think looks nicest?

jamski

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19671046#p19671046]antonyfromoz[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19666569#p19666569]supersonic[/url] wrote:

The 540 is only slightly better specced than the 520 - no wonder they reduced it. But I'd spend £400 on the 560, so much more bike, is an absolute bargain.

The Boardman is ok, but cheap drivetrain and hefty overall weight. The 560 blows it away.

Thank you Supersonic, I agree that the 560 is a better bike but it seems to be a bit of overkill for anything my 13yo daughter would be doing - and the original budget was meant to be about £300 but has been bumped up a bit anyway. Originally I was thinking about the Carrera Vengeance but it seems to me that any of these bikes from Decathlon would be a step up from that bike. I know you said that the differences are only slight but do you think that the changes in the spec from the 520 to the 540 are worth £20 or is it really just a matter of choosing the one that we think looks nicest?

I'd say it's worth the extra £20. I'd pay that just to not have white handlebars.

But the 560 is one hell of a lot more bike for another £50, but I understand what you're saying.

antonyfromoz

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19671054#p19671054]jamski[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19671046#p19671046]antonyfromoz[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19666569#p19666569]supersonic[/url] wrote:

The 540 is only slightly better specced than the 520 - no wonder they reduced it. But I'd spend £400 on the 560, so much more bike, is an absolute bargain.

The Boardman is ok, but cheap drivetrain and hefty overall weight. The 560 blows it away.

Thank you Supersonic, I agree that the 560 is a better bike but it seems to be a bit of overkill for anything my 13yo daughter would be doing - and the original budget was meant to be about £300 but has been bumped up a bit anyway. Originally I was thinking about the Carrera Vengeance but it seems to me that any of these bikes from Decathlon would be a step up from that bike. I know you said that the differences are only slight but do you think that the changes in the spec from the 520 to the 540 are worth £20 or is it really just a matter of choosing the one that we think looks nicest?

I'd say it's worth the extra £20. I'd pay that just to not have white handlebars.

But the 560 is one hell of a lot more bike for another £50, but I understand what you're saying.

thanks for the post - budgets are always open to inflation but you have to draw the line in the sand somewhere... Dropped into Decathlon today and had a quick look at the bikes but ran out of time. Daughter did seem to like the white handlebars though...