œ500 pound budget

Panhandling Prince

Does the 2006 model have nasty gold stickers?

Giant XTC 3.5 for me.

supersonic

The 2006 was silver and red I think, and had a red RS J3 fork. Was 579.99, so a good reduction is needed to make it worthwhile.

adamskib

I love my Decathlon 8.2... the 8.1 is a top bike for the money.

I will be buying a full suspension bike soon and am Mightily tempted by the 9xc two sets of wheels and 11.5kg for £1600!!

The Spiderman

I saw the 9XC in Decathlon.It certainly is a mightly impressive spec for the money.Crossmax wheels,SRAM XO,RS SIDS. 8)

trail jacker

what about the carrera banshee? its on sale at the moment too...

supersonic

Its far from an XC or trail bike: its aimed at the budget gravity crew, a free ride bike that weighs a ton.

trail jacker

my bad

Panhandling Prince

Ok I tried most of the main contenders again today at my LBS...

Giant XTC 4.5
Trek 6000 Disc 07
GT Avalanche 0.1 07

All £500 quid ish with discounts online but I cant decide what to buy..

Also, like the look of the Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc, the Scott Scale 70 and the Carrera Fury is still in the mix..

If it was your £500 nicker what would you go for and why?

Ta

The Spiderman

They are all good bikes and I could make a case for each of them.It purely comes down to which fits you best,which suiIs your intended style of riding,what deal you can get,and if you still can't decide purelywhich looks the best! .

If you are going to being using the bike for racing the Trek,the Giant or Rockhopper have light frames and lower slung geometry.The XTC frame is very rigid for optimum power transfer,and the geometry is spot on for confident handling.It does make it more harsh and less comfortable for all day riding,though.

The GT is better for all day comfort,and all day trail riding.

I think the Rockhopper is ultimately the best bike out of your suggestions,as it has the best frame,a full Shimano drivetrain including cranks and bb,which will be longer lived than the ISIS bb,on some of the other bikes,decent brakes and the Tora forks but it would be over your budget,if you wanted the disc version(which I would reccomend),unless you wait another month or so,until the sales.Even then I doubt you will get one for less than £550.

You have to weigh against that,the fact that you could get the Fury or XTC for £400.The Fury has the better spec,especially the fork,but the XTC would be better for upgrading or if you want to go racing.