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NotAGolf

NotAGolf

NotAGolf

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Hi all.

I'm looking to buy a new bike. Budget is around £350, don't really want to go above this unless it's a stonker of a bike. I don't really know much about bikes so I'm after a bit of advice as to what to look for. I've had a hunt around and came up with a few I like the look of. Was wondering what you think?

Trek 3900

Specialized Hardrock Disc 2010

GT Avalanche 3.0 2009

GT Avalanche 2.0 Disc 2009

My favourite is the Specialized. It seems to be good value and it has the fast track tyres which would come in handy as a fair amount of riding may be done on road as well. (I have to ride on roads to get to the hills!). Problem is it's out of stock most places I've looked. I'm 6'2" so the size guides recommend the 21" frame which they don't have in.

The GT 2.0 is a bit out of my price range but it's down from £500 so thought this may be worth the extra cash?

Also, how important would you say disc brakes are? The GT 3.0 and the Trek don't have them, would you advise looking for bikes that have discs?

Any other bikes worth looking at?

Thanks very much for any help.
 
I've not used any of those bikes so it is general advice only from me. If you can go for a ride of the bike before purchase (even if you don't then purchase from that shop) then I'd strongly suggest you do so, what suits me may not suit you and vice versa. You might find that a 21" frame is not necessary after a test ride though, some people do like smaller bikes than you would otherwise think.

Disc brakes: unless it was hydraulic discs I'd not be unduly concerned about them, mechanical discs are not much better than a decent set of v-brakes and still suffer from cable stretch/grit in cables etc. They do mean that you get less wear on your rims of course but they do add weight so they're not in any clear-cut way better for my money.
 
id definetly try to test ride.

myself i always go a size or 2 down to what is recommended on size guides. just like the feel of the smaller frame better. easier to dismount when everythings starting to go wrong too
 
Used to cycle on the road a lot, never had a mountain bike. But, i'd try and get the one with the best frame as it would probably the most expensive bit to change and is arguably the most important bit.
 
Thanks for the replies.

Doing a test ride is not really that feasible, the nearest shop is 60 miles away which is a bit of a pain. I've never actually had a decent bike though, only ever spent sub £100 so I think anything I ride will be exceptional in my books!

They are due to get the Specialised bike with a 19" frame instead of the 21" within the week so I imagine that would be ok. I don't have a problem with having a high saddle, like you say andy, it might be a bit easier to use a smaller frame

How easy is it to adjust/replace the pads? I know it's fairly straightforward on a v-brake system but I'd imagine it's more complex with a disc. Also, does it make it harder to get the front wheel off?
 
If anything discs are easier to get the wheel off with, you don't even have to let down the tyre. Adjusting is a bit more finicky but you should get a manual with the bike for the brakes.
 
I've just seen a similar post to mine on another forum. The guy was quite set on going for the specialized hardrock 2010 disc, but someone said that it wasn't particularly good value, and that the following might be better options:

The Dcathlon Rockrider 5.3
Carrera Kraken
Mongoose Tyax
Trek 4300

Thoughts?
 
mpledge52 said:
How easy is it to adjust/replace the pads? I know it's fairly straightforward on a v-brake system but I'd imagine it's more complex with a disc. Also, does it make it harder to get the front wheel off?
Click to expand...

Changing the pads is pretty straightforward: just take the wheel off, pull them out of their retention clips, and slip the new ones in. Taking the wheel off is a cinch too, as semi-pro said: the disc just comes straight out of the calliper with no fuss :)

Adjusting and maintaining the brakes is a little more fiddly, but nothing you can't pick up.
 
I've got an avalanche 3 disc but I replaced the rear gears and deraillieur as well as the front brake for hydraulic. Cable discs really are not worth any premium I don't think.

If I had the money again I'd probably looking at a lighter frame as this is pretty chunky really. However, it's not done anything wrong to me and is predictable so I'm quite content for the moment.
 
I prefer mechanical disc brakes just because I feel they have better stopping power in rain (although I am comparing to cantilever road brakes and not v-brakes). For the money I think discs may be a little "cheap" though, so perhaps think about v-brakes.

Enjoy your bike :D
 
I popped into my local bike shop today. Didn't even know it existed!

They have the 2009 Specialised Hardrock, just v-brakes, no discs. But it's 20% off so that's only £240 which in my books is a pretty good deal.

Tried it out for size and had a quick ride, everything seems nice and dandy. They're going to finish building it tommorrow and I'll pick it up late in the day. No reason to back out is there? Nothing earth-shatteringly bad about the 09 model?

Cheers.
 
A lot of the time the revisions are mainly cosmetic or in the finishing parts which matter relatively little. 20% off is a pretty good saving and good on you for supporting your LBS. :)
 
semi-pro waster said:
A lot of the time the revisions are mainly cosmetic or in the finishing parts which matter relatively little. 20% off is a pretty good saving and good on you for supporting your LBS. :)
Click to expand...

Well the guy at the shop said just as much. He said the majority of the parts are the same, and that the forks on the 09 model are actually better than the new 2010 model.

I never know how much to belive people though, a lot of people will just try to rip you off and sprout lies. I hope this place is ok though as it'd be really handy to go in there for parts/repairs etc.
 
mpledge52 said:
Well the guy at the shop said just as much. He said the majority of the parts are the same, and that the forks on the 09 model are actually better than the new 2010 model.

I never know how much to belive people though, a lot of people will just try to rip you off and sprout lies. I hope this place is ok though as it'd be really handy to go in there for parts/repairs etc.
Click to expand...

The 09 and 10 models are often lower spec'd than the 08 models due to cost saving!
 
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