Mountain Bike recommendation please?

[dynamix]

Hi i am looking to get a mountain bike for general cycling and a little off road (nothing too heavy)

I read a post on here regarding the Apollo Phaze at Halfords which people said was worth the money when it was £200, it is now £160 so i am considering that but i would rather get one from my catalogue if possible so i can pay it up. Catalogue prices are unfortunately much higher than Halfords but i am willing to spend up to £300 (as i can pay it up) if the bike is better value for money than the Apollo.

If anyone has a minute to have a look the bikes in the £200-£300 price range are displayed here http://www.very.co.uk/sports-leisur...0,8/s/price,0/r/48.end?trail=2780-3243-3250-8, i like the look of the Diamondback Overdrive Front Suspension and Boss Mayhem bikes which are both £299 but i am not sure if they are worth it when compared to the Apollo Phaze? Are there any stand out bikes there worth getting even with the higher prices, or am i better going for the Apollo Phaze?

The makes of bikes available on there are Diamondback, Raleigh, Reebok, CBR, Lombardo, Boss, Muddyfox, Barracuda, Flite, DBR, Elswick, Townsend and Activ not sure if any of these manufacturers are particularly better than the next?

Any help appreciated, thanks

 

[rusty bearing]

Can't say I'm highly struck by any of them, its the quality of the equipment on them. Of course its built to a budget but may I suggest stretching just a little further?

http://www.walliscycles.com/acatalog/Mountain_Bikes.html

 

[sidevalve]

Even I, as a relative new returnee would advise you try to avoid suspension bikes in this price range [actually I would avoid it altogether unless doing some real offroading]. It just adds weight for very little or no benefit.
Perhaps a hybrid may suit you better if you're not doing any heavy "ruff-stuff". I have a TRAX from Halfords, cheap as chips and fun on the farm tracks and short bridleways but only really a toy. If I want to go for a ride [and this can include some mild off road] I use my old dawes road bike, but I am just a bit carefull on the tracks.
It's perfectly possible to find an OK bike in your budget, too many people get put off by one of three things, - 1 - believing they must spend a fortune to enjoy cycling. 2 - spending a lot on a bike and finding they prefer off road / road riding and they've bought the wrong type of bike 3 - spending as little as possible and then then expecting £1000 bike performance from a £100 bike, it will do what it was meant to do, just don't expect victory in the tour de france or to ride down an alp at 60mph on it.
Sorry to ramble on, to conclude - avoid suspension, try a hybrid, look for something as lightweight as you can [you're pushing it]. Oh and get out ther and have some FUN.

 

[jugglingphil]

If your looking at Halfords try the Carrera Subway, reduced to £200
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_840919_langId_-1_categoryId_165534
Or try decathlon if you have one close.

Do you know what size you need? This is important to get right, so you should sit on some bikes and find one that fits.

 

[Globalti]

At that kind of budget you must avoid suspension; the bike will be heavy and unrewarding to ride. Spend the money on a straightforward simple hybrid, where you will get the speed of a roadie with the gearing and brakes of a mountain bike.

 

[Pauluk]

If your off road cycling isn't rough and bumpy then suspension shouldn't be required. If its a bit bumpy and you have weak wrists like me then front suspension is useful.

However, as other posters have pointed out suspension forks add a fair amount of weight, especially the low cost ones so its an important consideration.

As an idea, you may want to consider adding them at a later date if you think you would benefit from them, but want to keep the initial costs down. Will cost about £60 to swap for a lockout suspension fork. Not top quality by any means but adequate.

 

[Electric_Andy]

If your looking at Halfords try the Carrera Subway, reduced to £200
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_840919_langId_-1_categoryId_165534
Or try decathlon if you have one close.

Do you know what size you need? This is important to get right, so you should sit on some bikes and find one that fits.

they always used to put SRAM x3 (front) and x4 (rear) on the Carrera - plus disc brakes front and rear. It seems that they've lowered the spec now and dropped the price. Maybe they're trying to squeeze the Carrera down into the low-budget range now?

 

[Globalti]

No, like all bike manufacturers they are trying to keep the price from rocketing in line with the cost of metals.