Quality (budget) bike for the other half

[Little Nicky]

Guys,

The Mrs is looking at getting a hard tail mountain bike for around the £200 - £300 mark and she has spotted this:

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/12274/Gi...

Any comments pro / con or can you recommend something better - quality / component wise for the money?

Thanks in advance...

.N.

Edited due to my poor typing skills...

Edited by Little Nicky on Saturday 20th September 17:33

[mk1fan]

Depends what the intended use is. The fork isn't brilliant in the context of suspension forks but then again low-end bikes are compromised from the get go. Kit looks resonable and should work smoothly and efficiently.

More important than any component or the price is whether the rider is comfortable on the bike. It may well be 20% off but if it doesn't fit right then it won't get riden.

If you want to buy an entry level bike, but as cheaply as possible then spend the time to go round the LBS's (not on a Saturday or Sunday though - they'll be busy and you'll be moaning about poor service) trying different bikes. When you find the one she wants then do an internet search.

One final point, if you buy a bike from your LBS then you have a direct point of contact if something is/goes wrong with it. Buying one online means you'll need to parcel it back up to send it back to the suppling store.

[GHW]

Personally, I'd spend £200 on a second hand bike from eBay or somewhere and save the remaining £100 in the budget for fixing any little issues it might have. New bikes in that price range are usually completely rubbish.

[System-G]

GHW said:

Personally, I'd spend £200 on a second hand bike from eBay or somewhere and save the remaining £100 in the budget for fixing any little issues it might have. New bikes in that price range are usually completely rubbish.

Totally dissagree

I bought a Spesh for a smidge over £300 and have really put it through it's paces on single track and some regular commuting. It's been fantasic - can't fault it one bit except for long front forks and decent disc brakes for the more vigorous D/H single track stuff we do.

But as far as budget entry level stuff, you can't do better that this (IMHO):
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/my...