Mountain Bike - Buying Help!

chrism_scotland

chrism_scotland

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Just wondering if anyone here is clued up on mountain bikes?
Looking to take advantage of my works Cyclescheme and looking to replace a mountain bike I had a few years ago.

Looking at the Kona Caldera 2009 / 2010 models or the Giant XTC 1 2009 model, but not sure what is best spec or value.

Looking to use it on the road but also off-road, live near Glentress which is a nice bonus!
 
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Whats your budget? If its around the £1000 mark and looking for a hard tail, then you can't beat the Chris Boardman LTD edition from halfords. Now before anyone starts dishing it out, yes these bikes our made for Halfords, but they are truly a bit special. I used to be a bike mechanic and was privileged to try one of these on a few downhill runs and i thought it was amazing before i found out it was from Halfords. It is a really nice bike and really high specced for the price. The full Sus is a blinder too and similar money, although for what you want it for the hard tail would be better.

For me Kona have always been a bit heavy for me and not so great at cornering. The Giant is a nice bike, but i think you tend to pay a bit more for the name and the specs are not always as good as some the competition.


I personally use a GT aggressor elite (HT) and a Commencal meta 5 (full Sus).
 
Cheers mate, my budget is around £1000, I have a £1000 Cyclescheme Voucher and I am willing to spend most of it on the bike as I have a lot of basic kit still.

Sadly I can't use Halfords or I probably would have gone for a Boardman and sadly they aren't available elsewhere!
 
I did this last year - picked up a Marin Nail Trail from Alpine Bikes in Aberdeen. The reviews were good, though some doubts about the shocks (Marzocchi Bomber 33's), but I've found it nothing but fun to ride. I was going to keep my old Trek for commuting, and the Marin for fun, but riding the Trek suddenly seemed like riding a lump of cheese after the Marin...

Oh, and saving 40% on the cost was rather good too!
 
The Boardman bikes are meant to be pretty good value, I don't know anyone who's ever ridden one though.

For a £1000 you are going to get a pretty decent bike whatever brand you go with, I'd definitely advise trying a few out first and picking the one that feels right for you, you can spend hours comparing the specs online, but there's no substitute for trying them out, we all have different riding styles and it's what feels right to you that's important.

Personally at that budget I'd be looking at the Genesis Altitude 10, I think the Hub at Glentress may even stock them, they certainly have the i0-iD
 
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