NEW BIKE ADVICE

cottonmouth

the last bike i bought was a BMX 10+ year ago,, iv never bought a 'Mountain Bike'

my budget is around £400

i was liking the voodoo Bantu but i heard they can feel small

i have seen a Carrera Vengeance, it looks solid- £320 from Halfords, uk, but heard Halfords bike staff are a joke BUT i do have a friend that can tweak the bike until i am happy.


i will be using it on concrete mostly, but i also want to be able to take it offroad whenever i want
no major trails or anything
i can pay cash but i am also a fan of credit/finance/debt...and would consider a more expensive bike if i find a reliable website with finance available...

can anyone advise me as to what i should avoid ?
any good websites (uk) that i should check out ?

what brands of bike should i strongly consider with my budget ?

thank you, all info is appreciated.


http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... bike-black

the above bike is probably gonna be fine, right ?

or

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike

i dunno

Danieljephcott

if you are using the bike on concrete as said then a mountain bike really isn't for you. The tyres will add a lot of drag and its just not needed for what you want. you say you might go off road and it would be great to understand how much. if its a once in a blue moon then a hybrid type bike is probably for you. if you are just road/concrete then dare I say it a road bike might be better suited.

If your defo set on a mountain bike then the voodoo range is very good. there are no sales on at Halfords at the moment but you can always get discount so might be worth waiting a couple of weeks. I've had a hoodoo and as far as I'm aware the frame is the same as the bantu and the hoodoo fits as it should. not to small and not to big. if you can stretch the Hoodoo once the offers are on then the upgrade is really worth it, the bike for the money is pretty good. I've taken mine to a few trail centres with no issues.

Normally at this price range Voodoo is the brand to go for, the Carrera krackin was also a bike to look at but not sure if you can get them anymore.

Uber_Pod

I have no practical experience, so take this with a pinch of salt, but I'm probably in a similar situation.
At home (ie most of the time) I'll be riding on roads or paths/bridleways. A 'proper' mountain bike is not required for that.
However, I want to get into trails and off road when I get the opportunity. Plus I just like the bikes.

Again, this is all on paper, but from what I've read the Voodoo range are recommended. The Carrera range is ok too.
For me, the specs of the Calibre Two.Two seemed slightly better all round than the Carrera's, and has been highly recommended so that's what I've ordered.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-two ... ke-p383858

I was also very tempted by a second hand Cube Curve Pro. More of a hybrid and probably a better match for what I will actually be using it for. I think I was persuaded mostly by the colour choices!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... utain-bike

Absolute no-brainer for hardtail spec, if that is what you want, for £350 before (15%)Toyota Club or (10%)British Cycling membership discount and possibly buying vouchers through your employer at a discount.

With how prices are going up since last summer's quality vote, I'd take the above for spec over a hybrid such as Boardman or Voodoo, everyday of the week. The Calibre Two.Two was considered a bargain buy, but it cannot compete with the Trott gearing and fork.

snowster

For me unless you like riding a girls bike as above http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike £50 over budget though.

cottonmouth

is this decent ?

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike

,, could someone confirm if the above bike has dampened fork .?

might order this

lincolndave

cottonmouth wrote:

is this decent ?

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike

,, could someone confirm if the above bike has dampened fork .?

might order this

It states it has suspension front forks.

cooldad

Don't think XCM has hydraulic damping.

thefinnishcrash

Here's a video explains what to upgrade when you get a new bike! After buying a bike you are not done spending money unfortunately. Buying gear and minor upgrades to a bike can cost you 200€. https://youtu.be/8RKf2wDmN6A here's the link to the video:)

cooldad

For those of us who can't be arsed to click on random videos, as this is a discussion forum, why not use words?

cottonmouth

ok, gather round, iv gotta buy a bike within the week (put it off too long)

i originally liked this---
mainly cos its all black and its Carrera

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... bike-black

then i seen this

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike

as it has better specs

but should i just get this ?

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike

cos it looks sick and is better spec'd than the first two
i know i would be happy with whatever i get but i dont wanna miss out on better components for the sake of paying a bit extra
day to day it will be used on concrete and pathways but i will go out my way to find trails and semi trails areas/routes within a few mile radius

niggles i have in my mind are that my gf said she read on a forum that someone had a voodoo (not sure of model) and that it had felt a little small
i dont wanna make a mistake

what advice does anyone have regarding my choices ?

also, should i get Halfords to build it for me as im not sure iv got what it takes to build a bike like this from scratch

thank you in advance for your wisdom

Uber_Pod

As far as size goes, surely there is a Halfords close enough to you to try them out in person?

The three bikes you linked are all different prices, so generally you get more the more you pay.
Whatever you pay, there will always be something which only costs a bit more. You've just got to draw the line somewhere.

Having said that, I'd still say the Calibre is my preference over all three, but the Voodoo would be tempting.
For you, it's not black, so I guess that rules it out.

jamski

Uber_Pod wrote:

As far as size goes, surely there is a Halfords close enough to you to try them out in person?

The three bikes you linked are all different prices, so generally you get more the more you pay.
Whatever you pay, there will always be something which only costs a bit more. You've just got to draw the line somewhere.

Having said that, I'd still say the Calibre is my preference over all three, but the Voodoo would be tempting.
For you, it's not black, so I guess that rules it out.

I was going to say exactly this regarding the Calibre! You can get more for your money, although a bike you like is above all, the most important thing.

jamski

Here's my Calibre. Some modest mods to get it to this stage, although, I know, it's not black! :P

The Rookie

Your image is protected so no-one can see it.

jamski

The Rookie wrote:

Your image is protected so no-one can see it.

Fixed.