Am I getting that much more bike for the extra money?

SlickTurpin

Hi all,

I'm a complete novice and this is my first post, I've noticed a lot of similar post to this one so I apologise if this comes across as repetitive, any guidance is much appreciated

I have moved to Sheffield to carry on my studies and would like to make use of the Peak District to blow off some steam, keep fit and have some fun while I'm at it. I have been looking at some hardtail bikes, originally my budget was £500 and after doing some home work it seems that the VooDoo Bizango is a solid entry level bike that offers good value for money at £650.

(I'm leaning towards the 29ers as I'll be cycling to the peaks and back and it seems intuative that having a bigger wheel would make this easier/faster - is there much difference between the 29s and 650B on the road???)

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/voodoo-bizango-29er-mens-mountain-bike-16-18-20-22-frames

However, 2 other bikes have caught my eye which are in the £1k range, The Vitus Sentier VR+ and the NukeProof Scout 290 Race

http://vitusbikes.com/products/sentier-vr-2018/

http://nukeproof.com/products/scout-290-race/

So really my questions are:

Am I getting £350 more bike with the 2 in the £1k range?
Out of the Nukeproof and Vitus, which is the better spec/value for money?
Do you have any other recommendations for a hard tail in the £1k range?

Any advise is appreciated

t0ffeeman

Hi,

There isn't much between the Vitus and the Nukeproof, but the obvious differences are the wheel and tyre sizes.
The Vitus has 27.5 wheels and you stated that you wanted a 29er, also the Vitus tyres are 2.6, which are getting to the wider end of the tyre spectrum.
The Nukeproof has the 29er wheels and 2.35 tyres which tend to be the 'norm' for tyre width.
One thing to note on the above bikes is that the wheelbase on the Nukeproof is larger than on the Vitus. eg the Nukeproof large frame is pretty much the same as the Vitus XL, so as always try before you buy.

The Bizango always gets good reviews so definitely worth a look/try. If you do decide to get a Bizango it would be worth waiting till it gets a discount on it, Halfords do them quite regularly, also make yourself a member of British Cycling for around £20 a year and you'll get another 10% off, you can also use the membership on any purchases from Halfords - clothing, Sat Navs, car stuff anything.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/fan

Phil

02gf74

Depends on what you expect to get better as you pay more
But the bottom line is if more expensive bikes, just like cars, TV, phones etc weren't better than lower cost items, then no one would buy them hence the answer has to be yes.
.

joebristol

I think the Vitus has the best overall spec, the Nukeproof doesn’t have a much better spec than he bizango.

Best value is definitely the bizango for sure.

Personally I’d pick the Vitus, but if you’re having to do road miles to get to your Off-road a 29er with normal width tyres is the better option.

Killerclown

The Bizango is a solid performer. If you spent the extra on the bigger sticker bikes, the differences would be so subtle as to not really be worth it. In short, the Bizango is very good bang for the buck, the others are mostly just the brand.

jamski

T0ffeeMan wrote:

Hi,

There isn't much between the Vitus and the Nukeproof, but the obvious differences are the wheel and tyre sizes.
The Vitus has 27.5 wheels and you stated that you wanted a 29er, also the Vitus tyres are 2.6, which are getting to the wider end of the tyre spectrum.
The Nukeproof has the 29er wheels and 2.35 tyres which tend to be the 'norm' for tyre width.
One thing to note on the above bikes is that the wheelbase on the Nukeproof is larger than on the Vitus. eg the Nukeproof large frame is pretty much the same as the Vitus XL, so as always try before you buy.

The Bizango always gets good reviews so definitely worth a look/try. If you do decide to get a Bizango it would be worth waiting till it gets a discount on it, Halfords do them quite regularly, also make yourself a member of British Cycling for around £20 a year and you'll get another 10% off, you can also use the membership on any purchases from Halfords - clothing, Sat Navs, car stuff anything.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/fan

Phil

Regarding the British Cycling discount. Unfortunately the discounts have changed and it's no longer 10% off everything in Halfords, only off bike stuff. The Chain Reaction discount has also changed. It's now £10 off a £150 spend, not 10% off a £100 spend. Basically, it sucks! Although I think there may now be Evans discount too, which is new. I'm not sure I'll be renewing next year. If you are planning on a big purchase though, it's worth it.