Hardtail around £700

89gbuckingham
89gbuckingham Posts: 3
edited January 2015 in MTB buying advice
Hey,

I used to cycle a lot 6 / 7 years ago - mainly light / basic XC trials. I'm looking to get back into it again - I've got up to £800 to spend. Will also probably use it for commuting; around 16 miles a day - gravel paths & tarmac.

Most of the bikes that I've seen in my budget have SR Suntour forks; if I recall, these didn't have a great reputation in the past so am a bit weary of them. I know I'm not going to get anything to flashy for my budget; but should I really be trying to avoid them?

I've been look at the Trek X-Caliber 8; the 2014 model (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec053723) is £650 with Suntour forks and a Shimano (Deore & SLX Shadow) groupset, and the 2015 model (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec066117) is £750 with RockShox and a SRAM groupset (X5 / X7). From what I've seen the groupsets are quite similar and mainly down to personal preference, so is the extra £100 worth it for the different forks?

Is there anything else in my budget worth considering?

Cheers!

Comments

  • There is a guy selling a Merida X-Lite size 18" on this forum for around £700 and comes with extras.

    Or I'd look at the Cube Ltd 29 £695, Cube Ltd Pro 29 £749 or the Cube Ltd Race 29 £825 all the second are the 2014 models available from www.cubebikesnortheast.co.uk)
    Cube GTC Reaction SL - Green Black 2014
    Cannondale Synapse 105 - 2012
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    The low end Suntour aren't good, the Raidon and Epicon are much better, certainly as good as the low end Rockshox offerings.

    Have a look at the Voodoo Bizango which is a really good bike for the money.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • mikey2341
    mikey2341 Posts: 170
    I got a boardman 29er pro for less than 700 new, I love it!