tau

Hi everyone,

i just moved to UK to study and had to leave my GF Marlin at home. But there are lots of great tracks around here so i thought of buying a bike. Unfortunatelly i don't have too much cash to spend so it needs to be a budget bike. From the bikes available here i have chosen 3 that, i think, fit the best my style of riding, and had quite decent reviews.

These are:
Giant Rincon 2006
GF Advance 2005
Specialized Hardrock 2005

I'm riding mostly in the city and on dirt roads, but sometimes like to ride on a little rougher terrain.

Which do you think will be the best for me?

xenochimera

hardrock, but you should try them out.

tau

the problem is my campus is in a really small town and there are only 2 bike shops there - one is selling the "100$ full suspension bikes" and the other seriously overpriced english bikes - so i can't try them out and have to order online

harov3

Tricky..no chance of blagging rides on mates bikes?

I'd choose the Rincon but I already know the model and like it. Try and borrow some bikes to get a feel for fit and geometry, even if their not the same model as long their the same type (xc etc) of ride from the same manufacturer its got to be better than buying sight unseen.

EXCALIBUR

I had a Giant Rincon. It is a very well-made and dependable bike.

tau

I think i'll go with the Specialized - it has the best reviews and, from what i've read, is a good base to build up a better bike.

Too Rass Goat

Rather than buy a real cheap bike, why not just ship your Marlin over to the UK?

tau

But then again, i just spotted Trek 4300 for the same price as the specialized.
Don't know what to do

I'll be going back at mid term breaks and for hollidays and i want to have something to ride on

Raiyn

How about you go test ride the bikes and decide from there?

tau

So as you see - i don't have this possibility.

Raiyn

Then you're screwed as newbies should never order online. Almost invariably you end up with a bike that's either the wrong size or doesn't feel right. Then there's the issue of assembly.

G14Classified

I just bought a Rincon a couple of months ago and it rides smooth. It's a very tuff bike and also really reliable. I just had it tuned up for free at the LBS. The price was great for the bike. It cost $300 so I had to buy another one for my wife. It's worth the money. We have both colors for the Rincon Model.

tau

I know what frame size i need and i can assemble my bike. I ride quite a lot back at home - i wasn't just interested in other bikes, since i really liked my GF.

Raiyn

Great. Then get the Advance. You already like the Genesis geometry so you might as well get that