XC bike - ~£300

Tr Insanity · 14 Feb 2010 at 09:17

Hey,

Been out this morning with a mate for a bit of XC/DH on my terrible generic bike and I've decided I need something a little better

However I'm just starting and so I don't want to blow a lot before I know what I'm doing and so I thought about £300 would suffice for a beginner hardtail XC bike.

So if you could please, spec me!

Thanks

Edit: Budget isn't strict, I may be able to stretch, but just like with PC components, it can easily get out of hand

Edit again , just seen this near me for £150, looks like a bargain but I'm not a pro

:

Marin Palisades Trail front supsension white and black frame
hayes x5 caliper
xt rear hub
deore front hub
sram shifter
dmr v12 pedals
marzocchi front forks
alloy frame
24 speed
trailbear tyres lots of tread left
tioga seat (small tear)
truvativ pedal arms
usa headset
6061 alloy stem

Should I go for it?

SDK^ · 14 Feb 2010 at 11:50

Looks okay for £150; at the least frame should be fairly decent.

An entry level front suspension fork (Rockshox Dart 3) costs around £110 so for £300 you aren't going to get a light XC racer

Tr Insanity · 14 Feb 2010 at 12:21

Thanks for the reply

Does it look good for a starting bike? Or should I wait for a better alternative to turn up?

"Looks okay for £150" makes it sound like it's not really worth it

King85 · 14 Feb 2010 at 14:48

Scott Aspect 60

or

Specialized Hardrock

Sorted, try and buy from a local bike shop though as they will help you with setup etc and you can usually get a pair of gloves and a helmet (or other stuff) thrown in for free and any future issues can be resolved much easier.

adbp1 · 14 Feb 2010 at 14:58

you aint gonna get much for £300, both the scott aspect 60 (we sell scott) and the specialized hardrock are decent enough, Personally i would buy the 2nd hand for £150 and spend the other £150 upgrading and buying lock and helmet.

if you want to call me and ask as many questions as you want feel free. (im a manager of bike shop in oxford) )the cycle centre 01865554646)

Tr Insanity · 14 Feb 2010 at 15:13

adbp1 said:
you aint gonna get much for £300, both the scott aspect 60 (we sell scott) and the specialized hardrock are decent enough, Personally i would buy the 2nd hand for £150 and spend the other £150 upgrading and buying lock and helmet.

if you want to call me and ask as many questions as you want feel free. (im a manager of bike shop in oxford) )the cycle centre 01865554646)

Thanks very much for the kind offer, I'll keep that in mind!

Turns out the bike is only about 10mins from me, so it'd be easy to pick it up. I've requested some more High res pics just to get an idea of the general state the bike is in, so I'll post those here when I get them.

After a quick look around the cheapest I can find a Marin Palisade Trail is £399. The owner says "bike is custom but it would cost about £500 with standard parts".

As long as it's in good condition I think I'll take a chance

Will update later with any pics etc.

Thanks again

King85 · 14 Feb 2010 at 15:19

If its 10 mins away just go look at it surely?

Tr Insanity · 14 Feb 2010 at 15:32

King85 said:
If its 10 mins away just go look at it surely?

I was thinking more about the owner than myself

adbp1 · 14 Feb 2010 at 15:53

u can always knock him down in price!!!

Tr Insanity · 14 Feb 2010 at 16:26

adbp1 said:
u can always knock him down in price!!!

I'm planning to, or getting him to chuck some stuff in for free