Mountain Bike Advice Needed

Fireblade2K4

Fireblade2K4

Fireblade2K4

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Hi folks, I'm looking for a bit of expert advice on a few mountain bikes I have been looking at.

My budget is around £400 - £600 and I want the best hardtail I can get with XL frame seeing as I am 6'5".

I've been out of mountain biking for about 14 years or so and want to get back into it now but WOW so much has changed and so many different specification parts are now avaiable.

So the bikes I have been looking at so far are the following:

GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc 2009 - I have seen these for around the £530 mark give or take a few £££'s and they seem to be a nice spec.

Cannondale F5 2009 - As with the GT I have seen these for around the £550 mark also.

Giant Talon2 2009 - I've been told I could have one of these for £500 cash at a local bike dealership

And lastly a little higher than my £500ish price range a Trek 6000 2010 model, supposed to be £725 but again was told I could have one for £625 as a cash deal.

Can anyone give me a bit of advice about the above bikes please and which is the best to go for, or recommend an alternative in the price range I have mentioned above, the cheaper the better but for now ... over to you guys!

Thanks
Stu
 
Kona bikes are overpriced in the UK so although the price is reduced, the spec is probably on par with other bikes around £650.
Focus bikes are normally excellent value at RRP so when they are reduced they are stunning bargains.

Focus Northern Lite : £524
 
Fireblade2K4 said:
Is this one to consider and how does it compate to the ones I have listed above?

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b7s2p1938

Stu
Click to expand...

This would be a good option if you are a heavy 6'5"

Kona do some good bikes for heavier guys-The bikes are a bit heavier, but stronger. Bit of a generalisation, but generally true at the same time ;)

If I were you- i.e. needing a bike in a fairly un-average size i'd definately try before buying or you could end up with somthing un-ridable
 
Unless you are doing Downhill courses the strength of the frame and wheels won't be an issue - Standard XC kit will be fine.
 
Keep an open mind at this time of the year the 09' bikes are going to be cheaper so a'cash' deal is just an excuse to sell you old stock which will be reduced anyway. Keep an open mind when you go to buy i've got a Devinci, Specialized and a little old Kona and think they are all fine in terms of size and strength, i've also heard really good things about Focus aswell.
 
So for my kind of riding which will be canal, off road, trails, some downhill but not major stuff pretty much any of them would do then, I think what I want to do is get the best component setup for my money really.

The Focus and the Kona seem very evenly spec'd bikes.

Stu
 
Well after much searching and scouring of the internet and working out which forks are the ones to go for I decided upon this:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Rockhopper-Disc-Mountain-Bike-2009-Hardtail-MTB_21024.htm

With a discount code I found for the site it gave me an additional 10% off so all in all its come in at £528.25.

I'm just unsure at the moment whether to order it with with a 23" frame seeing as I am 6'5" and have roughly a 34"-35" inside leg or a 21" frame, can anyone give me pointers here, I'm thinking to go for the 21" as the seat post will easily compensate for the other 2" ... thoughts anyone on the bike and the frame size?

Cheers
Stu
 
I'd be inclined to go for the smaller size if it's mainly off road,for the clearance. On the other hand the 23" may have a longer reach which might fit you that bit better. My boss is 6' 5" and he rides a 22" merida, he has long legs short chest though.
 
Im long in the legs and normal in the chest I would say, but I have quite long arms ... but I think the 21" is the way to go ... cant see there being much in it to be honest.

Stu
 
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