I didn't know whether to put this in here or the sports section but thought NSR would get more views so here it is....

Looking for a mountain bike and really know bugger all about them, the last bike i owned was a Redline BMX back in the early 80's..

Im looking to spend £500-£600 and popped into Halfords earlier and nearly walked out with this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...egoryId_165499

It was only a little voice in head my telling me to do some research before splashing out.

I also saw this in there which looked nice... http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...egoryId_165499

..............so basically, the Boardman really is the top end of my budget but is it worth the money for the spec?

Can i get a better bike for the same money or maybe a cheaper bike that pound for pound is a better buy?

Jay

 

have a look here, give them a ring, speak with Chris, Joe, or Mick
http://www.rocknrollbikes.com/

 

Jay

Where abouts are you from ?

Ive got a Boardman pro that i'll be selling soon for around £650, it cost £999 from Halfords last year, it has £300 of extras fitted to it.

 

Cheers dude

Bournemouth fella.

 

Have a look at new bikes, find one that you really like and then look on e-bay. LOADS of people spend a fortune on a brand new bike, ride it twice and then sell it due to lack of use.

That's what I did last year and got myself a decent spec GT for around half the RRP. The guy had ridden it 3 times then put it in his garage for 6 months - even had the plastic protectors on the forks...

 

Or just buy a last year model for a huge saving. But do try bikes out first - fit varies a lot between brands.

Halfords can be okay and that Boardman is a good one but you can get better deals than that.

Your budget should get you a perfectly decent steed.

 

Either lasts years or ebay, got to trust em though.

Depends how much you want the activity maybe


Don't go for halford own brand

 

I was in a similar position last year. I stumbled across Vitus Bikes on www.chainreactioncycles.com
I paid around the £500 mark, and the spec was far better than similarly priced specialized/scott/marin/etc. Came with lock out rockshox suspension, avid juicy hydro discs, decent gearing.
Only downside is its internet based.

 

Vitus been around for ever, produced first carbon road bike I believe

 

I didn't know this until recently, a mate filled me in that they are big on road bikes.
Thrilled with mine for the reddies.

 

Robert Miller ,tvm I think, long before the Wiggins of this world

 

Steer clear of halfords mate (ex bike tech), head to chain reaction cycles. It's an online dealer but shops have started to spring up I believe, anyway by far the cheapest and should have lots more options in your price range. Good makes include, trek, giant, orange, norco, specialized to name a few. Rule of thumb I used to get punters to follow was buy the bike with the best groupset on (brakes, gearing etc) within there budget, these are the parts that are most likely to fail first. Most stuff is shimano, the deore and xt ranges might be in your budget and if so worth going for. As for boardman bikes, wouldn't bother, much better options out there

 

That's what I did a few years ago got myself a GT Avalanche 1.0 for almost £300 less, was about £700 bike at the time. I know nothing about mountain bikes just liked the look of it and seemed well put together with nice parts compared to the other bikes in the shop, price helped too. A mate that's quite **** about research and stuff in general said it was a good un and very hard to match the spec for the price. Been faultless and is more than adequate for the stuff I do so i'm happy.

I'd just be wary of spending a lot on a bike if your not really going to do anything other than bimble around as even mine is overkill and it aint as fancy as some of the stuff I see being ridden by fat blokes with all the gear and no idea when i'm out on it. £300 should see you onto a decent bike that will cope with most things your old *** can throw it at.

 

Hmmm - I disagree. I have bought a fair bit from CRC and they are rather underhand at times IMO. They sell stuff as £x off RRP but it's been pulled off new bikes or similar much of the time. I bought some expensive forks off them once; they came with a rough cut steerer that was rather short and NO oil in the shocks. Luckily they fitted.

I DID however buy my latest Fox forks off them but was careful to check and double check they were proper, brand new forks with a full steerer. I then had them looked at properly. They are handy for some bits and bobs but I wouldn't buy a whole bike from them.

Halfords completely depends on the technician and I've come across good ones. I've bought bikes for mates before and I always strip them down, grease them properly, check the wheels for truing and generally "sort" them - I'd do this with almost any new bikes from Halfords to a top end retailer.

If Halfords have a good deal on, buy but do give the bike a good check over. They also had a good maintenance package deal a while ago which might still be running - speak to the bike people there; if they appear to be halfwits, go elsewhere. Halfords isn't ALL bad, some retailers are.

 

Plenty of review sites disagree with you, this is just one example of many

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...-pro-11-45094/

Ive owned several hard tails including a Giant, GT Avalanche 1, Cube and a Trek.

The Boardman Pro is head and shoulders above them, its ultra light and nimble and is a superb fast x country bike, i do regular 25 - 30 mile rides on mine and it feels great to ride.

If you start spending less you get heavier bikes and they are like pedalling a tank, the GT Avalanche is like that, i soon got rid. The more you spend the lighter the bike will be and the better the components will be. You get a lot of bike for the money with the Boardman Pro, just don't let Halfords assemble it. The bike comes in a box direct from Boardman, all you need to do is attach the handlebars and the front wheel, just get your local reputable bike shop to do a quick check and service for around £30 for piece of mind and away you go.

 

Thanks for all the help guys...

Went out this morning and bought a 2014 Cannondale Trail 29er which came in £150 below my budget. I did look on chainreactions site lastnight but the plus side to my choice is, its from a local bike shop so comes with its first two services free of charge.

Its not a huge spec but ideal for what i want....Pick it up at 2pm when they have assembled it.

 

Shows you about peoples opinions of the same thing, I love it and think it's quite light and nice to ride, at £400 was a good deal too in my eyes, done a fair few mile on it and still happy. Hey ho suppose it depends what your used to, I had a right old clunker before that fit's the description of riding a tank, so this thing is like a magic carpet for me.

 

I would look on ebay for a used one as you would get a cracking Kona etc for that price.

 

Used to be mad on kona bikes,haven't rode in years,and been pondering whether to get back into it.
Couple guys at work keep asking me to go out on a bike ride at Cannock chase.I know once I get back on and out there again,I'll probably love it,just need a bit of a push to do it again.
Gets me thinking whenever I see a bike thread.