Choices choices... full susser MTB

[Mikey G]

I'm looking to spend around £600-700 on a new or used full sus mountain bike. I may stretch to £800 for the right bike but i'm really stuck on what! I cant get Specialized out of my head and in particular the Stumpy. Mate just bought an Enduro but most are just out of my budget. I have been put off the Kona Coiler by another friend who says they are quite heavy compared to the Specialized.

But have also seen the Boardman Comp which looks nice and has the advantage of being new and the only thing in hellfrauds worth buying (apart from the cycle pumps...)

Have I missed anything else in my budget?

For info I live on the side of a nice steep mountain and just a few miles from the Cwmdown downhill track which I might have a go of but not in a serious way.

[Crippo]

You wont get anything worth having for that budget if you look at new bikes. What do you need it for? Downhill?, General MTB trail riding? Real in the Mountains MTBing, XC Race?
Each requirement will dictate what kind of bike you need. You need to work out how strong verses how light you need the bike to be. Then teh next most important consideration is how the bike fits you and how it rides. Reliability also comes into it, and so does suspension performance. Last of all comes the brand.Remember all brands do different bikes, comparing a Kona Coil air to a Spesh Stumpjumper is comparing apples with pears. You should look at the Kona 120s if you want a truer picture.
Also consider Trek EXs.

[Great Pretender]

Crippo said:

You wont get anything worth having for that budget if you look at new bikes. What do you need it for? Downhill?, General MTB trail riding? Real in the Mountains MTBing, XC Race?
Each requirement will dictate what kind of bike you need. You need to work out how strong verses how light you need the bike to be. Then teh next most important consideration is how the bike fits you and how it rides. Reliability also comes into it, and so does suspension performance. Last of all comes the brand.Remember all brands do different bikes, comparing a Kona Coil air to a Spesh Stumpjumper is comparing apples with pears. You should look at the Kona 120s if you want a truer picture.
Also consider Trek EXs.

The Boardman bikes come very highly rated and are excellent value too.

[stu8975]

I agree with Crippo, you won't get anything decent new for £600-£800, better off going 2nd hand..new you need to be looking at £1000 for something half decent. considering most place do 0% finance over 6-12months you may be able to pick something decent up new.

[Parrot of Doom]

At that budget I'd stick with hardtail.

[carreauchompeur]

Can you go on the Cyclescheme via work? Might up the budget a bit? I was looking around the same money but really wanted a full suspension, LBS advised spending over £1000 as any full sus up to that price point would be severely compromised.

[Mikey G]

1. My budget is just that, my budget, if I was asking about a £1000 bike then fine, but i'm not. (not helped by the washing machine breaking down....)

2. Finance is not an option, I pay cash.

3. No cyclescheme available to me at the moment.

4. I have an old hardtail at the moment, I had a cheap full sus years ago, It was a lot easier going down a slightly rocky mountain road at 30+ mph on the full sus.

So idealy i'm looking for the best I can buy in my budget for a full suspension used or new for general X Country use.

The Boardman is the only new bike I like for the money and the reviews give it good marks but criticise the rear shock, and I would probably want a bigger front disc too.

So I am asking again for the used market is there anything else besides a Stumpy, Enduro or Epic?
I will look at the Kona 120 thanks.

[CooperS]

Mikey G said:

1. My budget is just that, my budget, if I was asking about a £1000 bike then fine, but i'm not. (not helped by the washing machine breaking down....)

2. Finance is not an option, I pay cash.

3. No cyclescheme available to me at the moment.

4. I have an old hardtail at the moment, I had a cheap full sus years ago, It was a lot easier going down a slightly rocky mountain road at 30+ mph on the full sus.

So idealy i'm looking for the best I can buy in my budget for a full suspension used or new for general X Country use.

The Boardman is the only new bike I like for the money and the reviews give it good marks but criticise the rear shock, and I would probably want a bigger front disc too.

So I am asking again for the used market is there anything else besides a Stumpy, Enduro or Epic?
I will look at the Kona 120 thanks.

ps off comes to mind.....

But when looking at second hand bikes a whole load of things come into the equation over and above the make of the bike especially its condition.. no point buying a BARGIN Epic S Works if the whole things about to fall apart.

You've mentioned the basic Spec line up, with all three aimed at different riders, so read the blurb on them and think what will suit my needs best.... not hard tbh.. all very good and competent but other than that the Trek Ex range is as good if its the Stumpy (do it all bike) your after or Marin.

Hope you find what your looking for.

[mk1fan]

s/h Giant Trance.

[anonymous-user]

dont be tempted to buy new.

however, for £800 you should get a very good full sus. you will have to do some digging but you will most likely find specialized fsr xcs, trek ex series and cannondales. these are the most popular bikes around so it makes sense that they will crop up most often in second hand searches. whilst you wont get a good full sus new for under £800, you should find some real bargains in the classified ads of bikeradar, singletrackworld and the like. talk to the seller, get a feel for how much they have used the bike and where, upgrades etc... the more they use it the better as its most likely they will maintain it more often too.

giant reign for £650 http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12... looks nice
as new fsr xc comp for £850 BIN on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Specialized-FSR-XC-Comp-2010...
solid fs xc bike
2007 stumpy fsr comp BIN for £750 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SPECIALIZED-Stumpjumper-FSR-...
could be tempted myself at that price
trek ex6.5 for £650 BIN http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TREK-Fuel-EX6-5-Full-suspens...
bit cheaper but stil la solid and reliable bike, reputable design too

so there is loads out there, personally i would go for an fsr, there should be loads out there as every man and his dog seemed to have had one over the last few years if what i have seen on the trails is anything to go by!

[Mikey G]

Well I just picked up a Specialized Enduro Expert FSR for £650 with a spare set of wheels, Mavic rims, Juicy Fives, SPD's, Fox Float RL (just serviced), Rock Shox Revelations and a shock pump

Thanks to those who helped

[Parrot of Doom]

I suggest before you ride it you examine all the welds, and run your finger down the lower side of the downtube from the headtube, checking for signs of nasty collisions etc.

Its very unlikely but you never know the real reason a person is selling a bike.

[tybalt]

Mikey G said:

Well I just picked up a Specialized Enduro Expert FSR for £650 with a spare set of wheels, Mavic rims, Juicy Fives, SPD's, Fox Float RL (just serviced), Rock Shox Revelations and a shock pump

Thanks to those who helped

Enduros are nice bikes, but a bit on the heavy side for the type of riding that I do. I ride with a mate who's got one, and my 25lb hardtail really flatters my level of fitness by comparison! It's surprising how big a difference it makes. He's quicker coming down mind.