Help me pick a hardtail for about £550 !

[benaldo]

I've been out of the mountain biking game for a while now but as we are moving house to near work, I will be using the cycle to work scheme to get a nice shiny new bike. I'm looking to spend about £550 and have my eagle eye on these bikes for use to and from work, and going off-road (Llandegla Forest is only about 25mins away).

Cannondale Trail SL5 (currently my favourite 'looking' bike but the missus may be getting the womens SL6 and so I don't like the idea of his 'n hers bikes!!)
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/cannondal...

Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc (not the best frame??)
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/specializ...

Orange G2 S (my old bike was an Orange Clockwork) so I have a soft spot for them although this seems to be the cheapest at £650 - is it worth it ?)
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/orangeg2s...

Any advice or other bike suggestions would be great - as I have been out of the scene for a while, i'm not sure if these brands have been overtaken by newer companies.....

[Gnarlybluesurf]

If you're not too bothered about brand name over components then you should have a look a the Decathlon Rockrider 8.1

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-8-1-667593...

At £499 in won What Mountain Bike best value...

"Gallic rig boast the best spec pf any half-grand hardtail"

"Neutral handling and an outstandingly good value spec makes this a great bike for beginners"

[t84]

I got a Specalized Rockhopper last year for £600, can you still get them for that price? Apparently the frame is brilliant

[anonymous-user]

have a look at something by Merida, Univega (reasonably widely available) or Focus (through wiggle) as you get better value for money in comparison to the more well known brands. the quality is no different....

[Erik Estrada]

You can have my specialized rockhopper expert disc 2009 off of me for that. New in august, and ridden three times since! I am moving it on due to non use. Don't think there is a mark on the thing...

[big_peaches]

Not fancy a GaryFisher ?

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/marlin

[benaldo]

Thanks for all the replies. The cheapest rockhopper I can found now is £699 so definitely out of the price range and I need to buy it from a shop as part of the cycle to work scheme !

Re the Gary Fisher bike - it doesn't have disc brakes which I would expect at this price range.

On the subject of disc brakes - are hydraulics that much more desirable than mechanical discs ?

[benaldo]

Gnarlybluesurf said:

If you're not too bothered about brand name over components then you should have a look a the Decathlon Rockrider 8.1

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-8-1-667593...

At £499 in won What Mountain Bike best value...

"Gallic rig boast the best spec pf any half-grand hardtail"

"Neutral handling and an outstandingly good value spec makes this a great bike for beginners"

Seems to have good componentry but doesn't 'look' as good as some of the others...... i don't think it is brand snobbery but i want it to look good too !

[Gnarlybluesurf]

You could put sparkly stickers on the frame and tassles on the bar

[ChrisMCoupe]

I just bought a 2009 Cube LTD Team for around your budget. Was 3 months old but in brand new condition. So far I'm more than happy with it, great spec and rides and looks superb. Personally I opted for second hand over new for your price range because you seem to get a lot more for your money.

http://www.z3mcoupe.com/photopost/data//500/147406...

[Maty]

ChrisMCoupe said:

I just bought a 2009 Cube LTD Team for around your budget. Was 3 months old but in brand new condition. So far I'm more than happy with it, great spec and rides and looks superb. Personally I opted for second hand over new for your price range because you seem to get a lot more for your money.

http://www.z3mcoupe.com/photopost/data//500/147406...

I like that alot!

I had to get a brand new one (C2W scheme) so I went for the lesser CUBE Attention;

http://www.surosa.co.uk/4935/products/Cube_Attenti...

It looks great, and it goes well too! Can't find fault for £504!

[Gooby]

I have an orange G2. Lovely bike. Really feels great and full of involvement. I did chage the chainset to XT, not keen on SRAM. The only problem is the brakes (2007 model). Seem to need a lot of attention. It is a little heavier than say a cannondale but the quality of the ride more than makes up for it.

[benaldo]

Gnarlybluesurf said:

You could put sparkly stickers on the frame and tassles on the bar

Thanks - will bear that in mind !! Do they still make spokey-dokeys ? Or will I need to sellotape a piece of card between the spokes so it sounds like a motorbike ?

[benaldo]

I really like the look of the cube bikes - the Cube Attention seems to be the right sort of price (has to be brand new for cycle to work scheme)

http://www.thebicycledoctor.net/cube-attention-286...

this is about £599 - seems to have good spec ?

[h4muf]

benaldo said:

I really like the look of the cube bikes - the Cube Attention seems to be the right sort of price (has to be brand new for cycle to work scheme)

http://www.thebicycledoctor.net/cube-attention-286...

this is about £599 - seems to have good spec ?

Listen.

I went through this a month ago.

Ignore everything above,I bought this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

Came joint top (with a rockhopper) out of 12 bikes in the dirty dozen test.



The Voodoo Bantu is inspired by MTB Hall of fame inductee Joe Murray. The Voodoo Bantu's ride is fast and confidence inspiring and encourages you to push your skills to the limit. The Bantu frame is made from Black Magic Aluminium tubing and has dropouts that allow it to be easily adapted to single speed. The Bantu won the Dirty dozen test scoring 10/10 in the June edition of MBR


Features and benefits
Voodoo Black Magic aluminium frame with single speed compatible sliding dropouts
Suntour Epicon forks with 100mm travel adjustable rebound damping and lockout.
SRAM X5 27 speed gears
Avid Juicy 3 Hydraulic discs
Mavic XM117 rims
Truvativ Blaze Chainset
Race Face Ride bar, stem and seatpost.
Bikehut is the exclusive distributor of Voodoo in the UK (including the Voodoo Bantu) and has taken the classic sweet handling framesets designed in the mountains of Arizona by Joe Murray and fused them together with components from some of best component manufacturers in the world to deliver a truly awesome bike for UK trails

I love it

[Gnarlybluesurf]

benaldo said:

Gnarlybluesurf said:

You could put sparkly stickers on the frame and tassles on the bar

Thanks - will bear that in mind !! Do they still make spokey-dokeys ? Or will I need to sellotape a piece of card between the spokes so it sounds like a motorbike ?

On a seriousish note it you preferred the spec but didn't like the look you could get it professionally resprayed any colour you like for £87:

http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/colours.php

If you're not close they're happy to have it collected and returned for only a bit more... compared to getting similar componentary it'd work out cheaper but an increase on the hassle factor.

Just a thought...

[BOR]

benaldo said:

I really like the look of the cube bikes -

I'll be honest, most of the cool people on Pedal Powered ride Cubes. You already know the answer.

[benaldo]

Bad News for decathlon fans - they are not a member of the cyclescheme we are using at work so it is out of the equation. I was coming round to the idea too but I need to get it through work to get the 40% discount and bring this price into range.

The search continues but you guys are certainly coming up with a few good suggestions - I also though respraying a bike would be more expensive

[anonymous-user]

so, now everyone has had their tuppence worth, i'll speak some sense! ;-)

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/custom-mountain-bike...

give merlin a call and see what they can do, they are part of the cyclescheme and will be happy to help. the Malt bikes have a great reputation and are far better equipped in comparison to the Cubes. X317 rims, rockshox toras and full Deore hydros grouset all strapped to their acclaimed ally frame for £600?!?!? that is bloody amazing spec for the money!

sure its more than you originally stated but you may need to accept that to get something quality that will last, you will need to spend a little bit more. i know its easy to say as you are the buyer not us but its true. think of it as spend to save if you will....

[Gnarlybluesurf]

Ok how about another brand famous for great components at prices way below their competitors. They also come out top on many of the comparison reviews. The sport is within your range and Halfords are on most C2W schemes..

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...