Opions on first bike

[Sebastian]

Hi

I am gtting back into riding aftr 8 years off. I will b doing trail riding through Cannock Chase(staffordshire) but nothing to heavy.
I have seen the below bike on offer at the moment and was wondering what people thought about it?
£300 is my limit so there is not much choice but this seemed a good bike. Went and looked at it in the shop and seemed very strong and well made

Bike for sale

 

[Norm]

I don't know that particular model, although Carrera are generally good bikes (considering they come from Halfords) but I'd suggest avoiding rear suspension if you are trail riding, as it is heavy and absorbs pedalling power that would otherwise be pushing you forwards.

 

[CopperCyclist]

For your price range, I'd suggest ignoring full suspension and going the Hardtail route, you'll get a lot more for your money, and tbh full suspension in the 300 bracket really isn't worth it. I ride Cannock Chase on a Hardtail, there are no issues at all there.

 

[CopperCyclist]

If you can stretch another 50 quid, I'd say this is a better buy: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_786839_langId_-1_categoryId_165499#dtab

Another Halfords job, but not too bad for your price range. You get better brakes and a better front fork than the Carrera.

 

[Sebastian]

Thanks for the advice.£300 is my limit right now unfortunatly. I completely agree I get more for my mony for a hard tail.
I will have a look at some. Also out of curiosity how upgradable are bikes like the one I linked to above? That way I can gradually upgrade it at a later stage (better rear shock/brakes)

Thanks again for your help

 

[CopperCyclist]

All bikes are upgradable to some degree, but remember with a full sus the rear suspension you get is the suspension you're generally stuck with, as it's not easy to upgrade that without getting into 'eye to eye' and stroke lengths, Even then, it's reported different frames give a very different feel with the same shocks. Everything else can be changed fairly easily from components through brakes to forks. Personally though, for the amount you'd pay to get decent upgrades, I'd probably be looking at saving my money, and buying 'last years model' at the end of the year when the year+1 models start to hit stock...

:edit: Also, never be afraid of haggling. The bikes are reduced for a reason, they want to shift stock. If you tried walking into Halfords that have a Bantu in stock, telling them you have three hundred quid cash you're willing to part with here and now, you MIGHT get lucky. Haggling isn't a British thing to do, but it's surprising how often it can work!

 

[biggs682]

have never liked rear sus as you seem to spend a lot of the effort in the suspension so go for a hardtail much easier

 

[david k]

does it hve to be a MTB? could it be a hybrid?