Mountain Biking - Advice from all you experts

Hey,
For xmas my parents have decided i could have a new bike. With various savings and selling of older bikes i may have about £220-£250 by christmas. I know this sounds not a lot to you guys because im sure you all have jobs and you are serious bikers but for me its a lot of money to spend on a bike as i am still a baby (nearly 16) :rolleyes: .

I need some help here. I am looking for a hard tail/front suspension only bike that can stand some off-road biking and a little bump/small jump or too. I am aiming at the £200 mark so i cant really go for konas ect. Does any body in here have anything that may suite me. I am 5ft 10 and i weigh about 10 stone (65kg???). I would like a bike as light as possible and as strong and attractive as possible.

I am not a serious biker as i say but i would like a more decent bike than what i have at the moment!!! :o :D

SO if you can think of a bike or somewhere where i can find a good quality bike then please please please drop by some advice.

Thanks for your time.
Morby14.

Startsaving a little more and the baseline specialized hardrock will be in your range.

He's got $400-450 usd to work with. Well within grasp of the baseline Hardrock. Check out the $500 bike thread. It can be found in the 'best of' thread above. There's plenty of suggestions for bikes in your price range. Once you narrow it down to a few models, check back here to get comments on specific models. Also check out www.mtbr.com

Hi,
Thanks for the response. I really cannot afford much more than £200-250 so im guessing i cannot get anything decent, which one of these would be better if any!??

http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B1224.html
http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B0788.html

Man i need a job

Those bikes look pretty crappy. I don't live in the UK, but with the current exchange rate, you should be in the $400-450 range for your budget. Those bikes would run about $250 over here in the US. Have you visited your local bike shop? You should be able to easily get a name brand bike for that price. See if you can find a shop that carries Specialized. The Hardrock is in your range. If you can find a Gary Fisher dealer, check out the Wahoo. Both of these are bikes that will hold up for a while vs. the X-mart bikes that you posted links to. Don't give up. Just travel to or call your nearest MTB shop and see what they have. I'm confident that you can find a decent bike with your budget.

I agree with Curtis. Check out your LBS. You might be surprised what you can get, especially in a year-old carryover and, where I live, they are already starting to price down the 2005's as summer comes to a close.

Hi,
Thanks for the response. I really cannot afford much more than £200-250 so im guessing i cannot get anything decent, which one of these would be better if any!??

http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B1224.html
http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B0788.html

Man i need a job


I would choose the first one over the Saracen. If you want to be doing any kind of drops at all, then get the top one, that Saracen isn't as beefy. However I don't know the make, so personaly I'd give them a wide berth.

Here are three bikes from Evans Bike shop (they have shops all over the south east - but you can buy online)

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5060
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5267
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5314

The first is a jump orientated bike, the second XC and the third is a Specillaized Hardrock that is between the first two. All three are currently in the sale and within your price range. One is a Kona and like the Hardrock, although it has basic parts and components, the frame is good enough to br improved and upgraded over time and I would be looking to buy one of these and then think about replacing the front fork and adding a front disc brake (thats all you really need in the UK) when money allows.

Id suggest going to the bike shop too. You may find slightly used bikes or the ones from last year at a sale price and get a good bargain.

Ricardo

Thanks a lot for the replies. I will stay clear of the 2 i looked at and i will wait nearer xmas and then i will look in some bike shops. The shops i have looked in like halfords just sell bikes either really tacky £100 ones or really expensive £700 bikes i cannot afford.

Thanks for the help especially DMN for looking for some bikes.

If i find some more ideas online i will sure post back to check to see what you think.

As for jumps, i really am not jumping- just drops 1 foot max(ish)
Morby14

Yeah, stay away from Halfords, they do sell some good stuff (Kona) but they know nothing about bikes. Always go somewhere were they know about fitting and sizing a bike.

Keep an eye of these few sites, you may find a bargin and give you an idea what you can get:

www.wiggle.co.uk
www.wadescycles.co.uk
www.allterraincycles.co.uk
www.chainreactioncycles.com/