New to mountain biking, what bike

[Tankengine]

Hi guys,
Just wondering if I can pick your brains
Looking at buying a mountain bike, around 500 £ budget. Any brand in particular I should be looking at in that price range?? Don't know a lot about MTB (been riding road for about yr ), anything I should be looking for in the specs?

 

[Kestevan]

If there's a Decathlon near you, you could do much worse than check out their Rockrider 8.1
Good mid range SRAM/Deore drivetrain, Rockshox recon front suspension. Hydraulic brakes, and a strong but reasonably light frame.

Otherwise there are similar bikes from Giant/GT/Specialized all around that price point - although with reduced spec. Many of these bikes have Suntour forks which usually leave quite a lot to be desired.... or cheaper mechanical disk brakes ( which whilst OK wont be a patch on the hydraulics).

 

[Cubist]

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/boardman-mtb-pro-2010-in-white-18-£425-little-used.159085/

If this is still for sale, snap his hand off.

 

[Big Nick]

The Rockrider or the Voodoo Bizango seem to get the vote from the reviewers at this price point but it depends what you want the bike for primarily?

Many seem to want mountain bikes when all their usage will be on bad minor roads where you'd be far better off with a road biased hybrid in reality.
If you're wanting a bike for cross country off road trails then a hardtail would fit the bill though better than a hybrid

Personally I've just ordered a Cube Acid which is a bit over the price you've quoted but I just liked everything about the bike

 

[Tankengine]

If there's a Decathlon near you, you could do much worse than check out their Rockrider 8.1
Good mid range SRAM/Deore drivetrain, Rockshox recon front suspension. Hydraulic brakes, and a strong but reasonably light frame.

Otherwise there are similar bikes from Giant/GT/Specialized all around that price point - although with reduced spec. Many of these bikes have Suntour forks which usually leave quite a lot to be desired.... or cheaper mechanical disk brakes ( which whilst OK wont be a patch on the hydraulics).

Cool, I hadn't thought of decathlon, I'll have a look. What kind of forks should I be looking for if not sun tour?? Or is that pretty much standard at this price range?

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/boardman-mtb-pro-2010-in-white-18-£425-little-used.159085/

If this is still for sale, snap his hand off.

Looks good! Can't post or message the guy though...

The Rockrider or the Voodoo Bizango seem to get the vote from the reviewers at this price point but it depends what you want the bike for primarily?

Many seem to want mountain bikes when all their usage will be on bad minor roads where you'd be far better off with a road biased hybrid in reality.
If you're wanting a bike for cross country off road trails then a hardtail would fit the bill though better than a hybrid

Personally I've just ordered a Cube Acid which is a bit over the price you've quoted but I just liked everything about the bike

Cool that's good to know. Looking to get off road really and have a go at something different. I'm used to some fairly crappy pothole mad/bumpy roads on the road bike, don't find that too much of an issue.

 

[Cubist]

@Tankengine You may need to up your post count if you're new.


"Looks good! Can't post or message the guy though.."

 

[samsbike]

Hi I have this for sale in London

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/bo...hite-18-£425-little-used.159085/#post-3159882

Thanks to cubist for the heads up

 

[Tankengine]

Hi sam , is there a way I can message you to see pics? Cheers!

 

[Spinney]

Hi sam , is there a way I can message you to see pics? Cheers!

As Cubist said above, things such as sending private messages become available when you have a few more posts - so have a read around the forum, say a few things elsewhere, and you'll soon get your post count high enough to allow these things.

 

[Tankengine]

As Cubist said above, things such as sending private messages become available when you have a few more posts - so have a read around the forum, say a few things elsewhere, and you'll soon get your post count high enough to allow these things.

Ah right, thanks guys will do