Which of these - £600 / £700 price range

CptKernow

Looking to buy my first MTB in a while (25 years...) I'm after a hardtail for general riding and something I can throw around a bit.

Have spent a while trawling the internet for suitable candidates and have come up with the list below. Most of which are in the £600 - £700 price range.
I'm also fairly set on 27.5 wheels as I like the idea of a smaller bike, but still quick.

Some have great reviews, others not so good - not sure how much that will effect my level of riding. Also, some have very healthy discounts...

• Orange Clockwork 120 S
• Giant Talon 1 27.5
• GT Zaskar Elite 650b
• Felt 7 thirty / 7 fifty

Any other suggestions much appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

cooldad

Links help - not many people memorise specs, or will hunt down the specific bike you are looking at.

The Rookie

Most big name brands are rubbish value at that price point.
These are probably worth a look
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-58 ... nformation
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -comp-27-5
Boardmans are thin on the ground at the moment so I assume they have a range refresh coming.

CptKernow

Thanks for the replies. Looking at the specs alone the Boardman / B'Twin don't seem that much better than the any of the 'big name' ones listed. (They are all on quite big discounts)

I think the spec is fairly similar at the price point so it's just a case of how well the bike performs...

And here's another one, I liked the look of but can't find any reviews:

Fuji Tahoe 27.5" 1.3

larkim

If you discount the two bikes with the RS coil only forks, and assuming you can get down to £600 for the bikes left over, you're right - they are much of a muchness. Just pick the one you like the colour of best, and off you go.

If you can't get down to £600, then the Decathlon one is clearly very good value. It might not have the brand or colour appeal of some of the others, but spec is very similar to the bikes listed, and right at the bottom of your price range. What's not to like?

CptKernow

OK, I'm leaning towards the GT Zaskar Elite 650b which I can get for around £650 ~ half price.

Less than glowing review here: http://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/hardtail/g ... ite-review
But, I'm thinking it might suit me, as a roadie.

Any opinions before I hit the button and commit...

The Rookie

Save £50 and get the very similar (£600) Rockrider 580. Its also a more contemporary fit with longer frame and shorter stem.

oxoman

Before you bite the bullet have a look on paulscycles website for last year's discounted bikes in case any better ones on it. Not checked myself.

supersonic

Not just saying this because I have a Zaskar lol - I think the best bike there on paper is the Zaskar. I agree with some of the review (it is rather old school xc) but GTs numbers don't agree with MBRs (unless the 2016 frame has changed): they are fairly long, in fact longer than my own which was marketed as a much more racy bike. That said the listed head angle is on the steeper side (compared to the Orange) so it will feel a little bit more twitchy and faster steering, but is about the same as the other two.

I'm pretty sure will be the lightest at about 26lbs - good drivetrain, and best fork of the bunch though would benefit from a motion control damper installation.

CptKernow

Thanks for all the replies.
GT Zaskar on its way.

I did have a good look at the Rockrider 580 but the spec on the GT was a fair bit higher for £50 more - plus it worked out over 1kg lighter. Oh, and I preferred the colour of the GT

I figured if I end up riding it seriously enough that the geometry becomes an issue I can replace the frame. Basically I couldn't price up the components (w/o frame) for the money, so I can live with that.