New Mtb

[wiggy1230]

Hey I am looking to buy a new mountain bike to go along with my trials bike, but it is a long time since I have even looked at a cross-country type bike. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on what is good out there, I have about £450 to spend and have been looking at a few of the lower end Kona and GT's.

Any help would be much appreciated!

[JoshW]

Hey I am looking to buy a new mountain bike to go along with my trials bike, but it is a long time since I have even looked at a cross-country type bike. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on what is good out there, I have about £450 to spend and have been looking at a few of the lower end Kona and GT's.

Any help would be much appreciated!

With xc bikes its normaly quite easy to build your own and fairly cheap as you havnt got to have the brand new top of the range parts. Southerndownhill has a forum with people selling parts really cheap.

But if your looking to buy a new one, then heres one i wouldnt mind buying.

http://www.konaworld.com/08_firemountain_w.htm

Kona fire mountain. Of course it hasnt got the best parts in the world on it, but its cheap and the bikes will usualy take a good beating.

[wiggy1230]

With xc bikes its normaly quite easy to build your own and fairly cheap as you havnt got to have the brand new top of the range parts. Southerndownhill has a forum with people selling parts really cheap.

But if your looking to buy a new one, then heres one i wouldnt mind buying.

http://www.konaworld.com/08_firemountain_w.htm

Kona fire mountain. Of course it hasnt got the best parts in the world on it, but its cheap and the bikes will usualy take a good beating.

Yeh that was probably what I was thinking about, haven't been able to go too far on my mod! I was probably going to go for a basic model and upgrade parts as and when I can afford it!

[Al_Fel]

I've got a GT LTS 1000. Its and old school bike like but its top spec. If you are interested add me to msn. Al_Fel@hotmail.com. Look in my forsale thread in my sig for pics.

[NicP]

I've got a GT LTS 1000. Its and old school bike like but its top spec. If you are interested add me to msn. Al_Fel@hotmail.com. Look in my forsale thread in my sig for pics.

Forgive me, seriously im saying it so 400 new members don't.

No buying or selling in new members

NicP

[markrat]

Ive riden a few konsa and they seem to have better bits on on there low end stuff than the gts do

[dan_addison]

The lower end bikes seem to be the same. Realativly the same spec just a few compeonents differences. So its just a case or what bike you like and looks best. Also a decent brand name like ironhorse or something jsut because the bikes are alomost identical in preformance really.

If your wanting say hydrolic brakes and a have decent set of forks, secondhand your best option. your bound to find something cheap and decent on ebay. I sold my Kona Caldera on there for £325 and it cost me £600 ex hire and i think there some thing like £700 new. Thats another good way of buying a secondhand bike, ex hire. More often than notthe bikes will have been serviced after every ride and will be sold on after 20 rides. Best place for ex hire bikes is all the big trail centres up in scotland and wales. Mine was from Glentress

From experiance and from what ive read in magazines the forks that come on lower spec bikes are terrible. The forks that came on my saracen jump bike for example just froze solid out on a ride in cold weather. And many have a terible top out clunk.

As for brakes on lower spec bikes there suprisangly good for xc riding, nothing spectacular but they do the job and give you a little more preformance in wet and muddy conditions. Hayes tend to be the best or avid bb5's. Altough the avids are quite rare on bikes from new.

Drivetrain you cant go wrong with deore. The raer mechs are excellent and a bike costing around about what your gonna be spending youd sway me considerably with a decent mech and groupset. After all the money you'll might be spending on upgrades.

Asd for what bike i would go for in your budget range would be a Specialized Hardrock its about £100 under you budget so you could upgrade some of the stuff thats on it

Abit of a essay but but worth a read

[wiggy1230]

The lower end bikes seem to be the same. Realativly the same spec just a few compeonents differences. So its just a case or what bike you like and looks best. Also a decent brand name like ironhorse or something jsut because the bikes are alomost identical in preformance really.

If your wanting say hydrolic brakes and a have decent set of forks, secondhand your best option. your bound to find something cheap and decent on ebay. I sold my Kona Caldera on there for £325 and it cost me £600 ex hire and i think there some thing like £700 new. Thats another good way of buying a secondhand bike, ex hire. More often than notthe bikes will have been serviced after every ride and will be sold on after 20 rides. Best place for ex hire bikes is all the big trail centres up in scotland and wales. Mine was from Glentress

From experiance and from what ive read in magazines the forks that come on lower spec bikes are terrible. The forks that came on my saracen jump bike for example just froze solid out on a ride in cold weather. And many have a terible top out clunk.

As for brakes on lower spec bikes there suprisangly good for xc riding, nothing spectacular but they do the job and give you a little more preformance in wet and muddy conditions. Hayes tend to be the best or avid bb5's. Altough the avids are quite rare on bikes from new.

Drivetrain you cant go wrong with deore. The raer mechs are excellent and a bike costing around about what your gonna be spending youd sway me considerably with a decent mech and groupset. After all the money you'll might be spending on upgrades.

Asd for what bike i would go for in your budget range would be a Specialized Hardrock its about £100 under you budget so you could upgrade some of the stuff thats on it

Abit of a essay but but worth a read

Cheers thats a big help, from what I have seen like you say there isn't too much to choose from between the lower end models. I ride a pretty high end Monty so it will probably seem strange downgrading to an entry level bike!

[BenLeacock™]

Right you ride a high end monty, which is the top of the range. At £450, you aint on a entry level bike, and your not on a top of the range bike. I would call a entry level bike, something along the lines of a apollo. Which im sure you already no that its a big no no and not to spend over £150 on. Like Dan said id look for something with a big name on, something that is highly advertised at the top end. Scott, Kona, Giant, Specialized, Felt. When it comes to chosing the best bike, with your price range you need to be very careful. If you want disk brakes, I really would go for mechanical at that price. If you think, hydrolic brakes cost more, meaning that other parts of the bike will suffer. You want to try get a good balance, something with LX, deore drive chain will be spot on. Then the forks, again, if you can avoid it stay away from the companies own brands, look for bigger names, marazooki - rockshox's etc. I have found from personal experience that the rockshox dart forks, are pritty desent, ive changed the oil once, and it took literaly 10mins. Ive had a little look found for you, personaly think this is the best sub £450 bike you will find ticks all the box's.

• Frame: Felt 6061 PG Aluminum frame
  
• Fork: RockShox Dart 2 100mm Travel with Turnket lockout
  
• Gears: Shimano Deore front and Shimano Deore LX rear Derailleurs
  
• Shifters: Shimano Deore
  
• Crankset: Truvativ Iso-Flow with 44/32/22 Tooth Chainrings
  
• Brakes: Shimano BR-M485 Hydraulic Disc Brakes
  
• Wheels: WTB SX 24 Disc Doublewall rims built on Shimano FH-RM65 rear and Shimano HB-RM65 front hubs
  
• Tyres: Maxxis Ignitor
  
• Handlebar: Butted Aluminium Riser with 30mm Rise and 6 degree Bend
  
• Stem: One-Piece Melt-Forged Design
  
• Saddle: Felt Facade Comfort
  
• Seatpost: HL SP-123 Alloy Micro-Adjust
  
• Pedals/Extras: MTB Design Alloy Cage pedals
  

As you can see none of the components are felts own, this means that they have been designed made and enginered by a company which specifies in that kind of production. Felt specify in frames, so there frames will have alot of time effort put into them were as there forks, will just be bish bash quick job to help the frames sell. This is quite unusual actualy aswell, coming equiped with hydrolic brakes, truvativ cranks and shimano gearing.

All in all a perfect bike in my eyes !

O i nearly forgot here's a link if you do agree think its the right bike for you Evans cycles

Hope this helps !

[wiggy1230]

Right you ride a high end monty, which is the top of the range. At £450, you aint on a entry level bike, and your not on a top of the range bike. I would call a entry level bike, something along the lines of a apollo. Which im sure you already no that its a big no no and not to spend over £150 on. Like Dan said id look for something with a big name on, something that is highly advertised at the top end. Scott, Kona, Giant, Specialized, Felt. When it comes to chosing the best bike, with your price range you need to be very careful. If you want disk brakes, I really would go for mechanical at that price. If you think, hydrolic brakes cost more, meaning that other parts of the bike will suffer. You want to try get a good balance, something with LX, deore drive chain will be spot on. Then the forks, again, if you can avoid it stay away from the companies own brands, look for bigger names, marazooki - rockshox's etc. I have found from personal experience that the rockshox dart forks, are pritty desent, ive changed the oil once, and it took literaly 10mins. Ive had a little look found for you, personaly think this is the best sub £450 bike you will find ticks all the box's.

• Frame: Felt 6061 PG Aluminum frame
  
• Fork: RockShox Dart 2 100mm Travel with Turnket lockout
  
• Gears: Shimano Deore front and Shimano Deore LX rear Derailleurs
  
• Shifters: Shimano Deore
  
• Crankset: Truvativ Iso-Flow with 44/32/22 Tooth Chainrings
  
• Brakes: Shimano BR-M485 Hydraulic Disc Brakes
  
• Wheels: WTB SX 24 Disc Doublewall rims built on Shimano FH-RM65 rear and Shimano HB-RM65 front hubs
  
• Tyres: Maxxis Ignitor
  
• Handlebar: Butted Aluminium Riser with 30mm Rise and 6 degree Bend
  
• Stem: One-Piece Melt-Forged Design
  
• Saddle: Felt Facade Comfort
  
• Seatpost: HL SP-123 Alloy Micro-Adjust
  
• Pedals/Extras: MTB Design Alloy Cage pedals
  

As you can see none of the components are felts own, this means that they have been designed made and enginered by a company which specifies in that kind of production. Felt specify in frames, so there frames will have alot of time effort put into them were as there forks, will just be bish bash quick job to help the frames sell. This is quite unusual actualy aswell, coming equiped with hydrolic brakes, truvativ cranks and shimano gearing.

All in all a perfect bike in my eyes !

O i nearly forgot here's a link if you do agree think its the right bike for you Evans cycles

Hope this helps !

Hey thanks for your help that certainly looks like a very good option will let you know how i get on!

[mista-neos]

Hi there there are a few good bikes you can get for that like the

Identiti P-45 i had ago on one and its quite bmxish they cost 475 pound

24/seven slacker ss if you can get 50 pound more then do it its a amzing dj bike good for park/street and dirt of corse.

hope that helped

[jordon23]

hi kona is a very good make (did have 1)

well what riding are you going to do dirt jump or dh .ect.

identiti is also it a good make you get a lot for your money or a cannondale i have 1 thay are the best bike iv had you get so much for you money too hope it help you out

[jandamna]

Hi there there are a few good bikes you can get for that like the

Identiti P-45 i had ago on one and its quite bmxish they cost 475 pound

24/seven slacker ss if you can get 50 pound more then do it its a amzing dj bike good for park/street and dirt of corse.

hope that helped

hi kona is a very good make (did have 1)

well what riding are you going to do dirt jump or dh .ect.

identiti is also it a good make you get a lot for your money or a cannondale i have 1 thay are the best bike iv had you get so much for you money too hope it help you out

Just leave.

[jordon23]

Just leave.

haha why just leave.

[kona1991]

Hi there there are a few good bikes you can get for that like the

Identiti P-45 i had ago on one and its quite bmxish they cost 475 pound

24/seven slacker ss if you can get 50 pound more then do it its a amzing dj bike good for park/street and dirt of corse.

hope that helped

The dude wants an XC bike, not a jump bike.

Have you looked at the specialised hardtails?