Mountain Bikes

Ellie2758

Thanks for that, I didnt realise that the handlebars could be raised like that. :T

sinaplenty wrote: »

People are really sniffy about Halfords, and you do hear some horror stories. But that is almost always about the customer service. The Carrera bikes actually get a good write up...and you can easily avoid the customer service problem by paying your local bike store £10 or £20 to give it a once over.

Know what you mean about riding position and backs...a problem that has kept me off a bike for about a year. But the handlebars on the Carrera have a tilt adjustment so you can have them higher up like on a more traditional bike - partly why I'm goin with it.

Also, you would have matching his n hers...!

CJohns_2

Tom_Jones wrote: »

Cheap full suspension bikes 'bounce' buy a decent one and you won't notice any bounce at all, a good f/s bike has far better traction over rough ground than any hardtail, that's why they are far easier to ride. It is a debate that rages amongst mountain bikers though.

BTW my current mountain bike is £4k not to mention the other three in the barn :cool:

Good man Tom_Jones, I've got myself a Trek Session88 (3k from local bike shop) must say it's got to be pound for pound the best bike in the world!! Light, great components and looks the biz - I just need to be able to ride it now, had a big off at Innerleithen this weekend and done myself a wrong 'un. Looks like I'm off work for 2 weeks at least (several cracked ribs and bruised from head to toe).

Back on subject, I'm a total bike pimp so I'd say stay well clear of cheap full susspension bikes as the comments above say they're heavy and low quality.

CJohns_2

All the below are for Hard tail mountain bikes

This is a selection of what I personally think will be popular choices for 09 based on spec and past models of mountain bikes. Best advice I’d give is: go and test them out, make sure it is right for you, if you go to your local bike shop they should have the correct advice for you – alternatively you can look online and look for demo days held across the country.

UNDER £300
Decathlon RockRider 5.2 - £230: sets the budget standard with quality aluminium frame, adjustable forks, great 8 speed shimano gear, very reasonable weight.

Giant Boulder - £230: Giant keep the same formula and affordable XC quality to the beginner market.

Summer Skye - £300: This bike has a good frame & wheelset with a Rockshox fork - brilliant at this price.

£300-£500
GT Avalanche 3.0 - £330: budget favourite - sleek looking frame mated to 100mm forks and cable disc brakes.

Cannondale F6 - £400: no discs for this, high quality lightweight frame and Rockshox forks

Genesis CORE 00 - £470: follows last year’s formula and puts parts where they matter: controlled fork, great wheels and tyres and dependable Shimano hydro discs.

Specialized Hardrock Pro - £500: 09 lighter frame and forks. Hydro discs, Specialized hubs & Shimano Octalink cranks adds robustness.

£500 - £800
Merlin MALT1 - £525/£582: latest MBUK test winner offers supreme spec for the money and great ride. Limited outlets so testing one for your self can be hard.

GT Avalanche 1.0 - £550: new frame for 09, but keeps the smooth stiff fork, hydraulic brakes and 9 speed Shimano gears with the latest SLX rear mechanism.

Commencal Combi Disc: £600: decent 9 sped SRAM gear set and Avid brakes, with the new lighter Tora SL fork.

Cannondale F4Z - £750: highlight is the superbly finished frame, while the rest of the components are proven favourites.

Nile

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

helb_2

I give a big vote to the Subway 1, ive got the ladies frame and having had all sorts of rubbish bikes before doesnt give me backache from the riding position (others have) really light, believe me that makes a difference uphill and even better fits in the back of my VW Golf without taking the wheels off.
Halfords Apollo range has poor reviews but the Carrera generally ok.

BillScarab

Apollo is Halfords cheap brand, Carrera is their more upmarket own brand. Generally the Apollo bikes are cheap rubbish whereas the Carrear bikes are actually quite good.

Someone asked about Sterling House before. i have no personal experience but evrything I've heard and read suggests you should avoid them.

If you have a small budget you need to avoid suspension, disc brakes etc.

Spend your money on a decent basic bike. If you spend £200 on a full suspension bike with disc brakes the frame will be heavy and all of the mechanical components will be cheap rubbish that will break or need constant adjustment. You're far better off with a basic aluminium frame with reasonable quality V-brakes and gears and no suspension.

goose

I'd been thinking about getting a new bike (for about £250) for a while and have ended up with a GT Outpost as my local bike shop recommended it as an alternative to the Giant boulder as they don't sell Giant bikes.
It's a hardtail with disc brakes and is aluminium so quite light, I like it!

esuhl

I wanted a full-suspension bike a couple of years ago, but money was tight so I got a cheaper bike with just front suspension, and I'm really pleased I did.

£125 got me a brand new 21-speed, aluminium-frame bike with front-suspension and front disc brakes! The only thing was that I got it via mail order (from https://www.parkersofbolton.co.uk) so couldn't try it out first.

The front suspension is great - you can maintain a firm grip on the handlebars even when hurtling downhill over rough ground, and I can enable "rear suspension mode" by standing up and adjusting the tension in my knees! I've tried some friend's (<£1000) bikes with rear suspension, and I either don't notice much difference or find the ride too bouncy to be efficient.

I'm sure those with ~£4k bikes are in a different league beyond my imagination, but I've had the bike for 2 or 3 years now, and it's performed brilliantly for my mainly off-road excursions. I'd recommend the website above if anyone is looking for a vaguely decent bike for a bargain price.

freakybacon

Depends on what you want. Are you really going to use the bike off road? If its just to go back and forth to work on tarmac you might do better with a hybrid. I try to ride to work all the time(10 mile round trip unless its raining- I fear I may dissolve like sugar!) plus some light off roading at the weekends with my daughter. I use... a 2007 carrera kraken mountain bike, bought in the january 08 sale- £320. I have changed the tyres for semi slicks for speed on tarmac, and have swapped the inner tubes for "slime" tubes to try to avoid punctures- works in some cases, not all. Works well for what I want , but I do run out of gears sometimes downhilll on the road, which might not happen with a hybrid. Ah well, look at the scenery for a bit....

I feel although I have a good fitness level, much more spent on a bike would be a bit of a waste as I am not fit/fast enough to really warrant the investment. Indeed a better buy would be exercise equipment or gym membership to build up my cardiovascular fitness, and reduce some of the excess lard I choose to drag around!

simonC

Does your employer offer a Cycle 2 Work scheme ?

Basically you buy the bike from your Gross Pay, through Salary Sacrifice (like Child Care vouchers etc) it can be more Tax & NIC efficient. :T

Martin raves about Salary Sacrifice on his article about Child Care vouchers. :money:

FYI here's the details of the arrangement my employer has. I believe there's a cost saving to employers too (ie less Eer's NICs).



CYCLE2WORK
What is this benefit?
This is a Government backed initiative designed to ease the problems of traffic congestion and poor air quality and to help increase access to a more sustainable means of transport to work.
It is a scheme developed in response to the Government’s tax exemption for bicycles and associated safety equipment provided for staff to cycle to work. You are able to receive a bicycle to cycle to work and to use in your spare time and you save tax (at your highest rate) and National Insurance on the cost of the bicycle.
There is also an added benefit in that cycling to work, even only occasionally, will obviously improve your fitness and wellbeing.
How does the benefit work?
This benefit is provided through salary sacrifice in order to ensure that you save tax and National Insurance and therefore is set over a 12 month period. The option to join this scheme is only available once per year. In return for the use of cycling and safety equipment, you will agree to sacrifice a part of your gross salary. As you pay for the equipment from gross pay, no tax or NI is payable meaning that you could save up to 41% (dependant on tax rate) on the cost of the cycle. This is then spread over a 12 month period deducted from salary. This makes the cost of a bike extremely affordable.

As you are leasing the bicycle for this 12 month term, we may give you the option of keeping the bicycle by transferring the ownership into your name by paying a small fee, usually around 3% of the value of the Letter of Collection. Should you wish to return the bicycle to Unum, you will pay a fee of £50.00.

How much can I spend on a bike?
This may depend upon the parameters of your employer’s scheme.

Additional Savings!

In addition to the tax and NI savings under this scheme, you will also receive a further saving due to the fact that Unum will be reclaiming VAT on the Letter of Collection (LoC) amount selected and this will be passed on to you.
Points to consider
Please note that the LoC cannot be exchanged for cash and change cannot be given should the value of the equipment be less than the amount stated on the LoC. Of course, should you wish to purchase equipment for above the value of the LoC, you are able to make up the difference. Obviously any additional cash spent is outside the scheme and therefore not tax-exempt.
You are able to use the bicycle for leisure, exercise and work. However the rules of the scheme do state that the bicycle’s main use should be for commuting to work (minimum usage 50%), and this may include part of a journey (i.e. to a train station). You are not required to keep records of the use of the bicycle, however you must undertake that half the use of the bicycle will be for this purpose.


In addition:

• You need to be 18 years of age or over
• You need to be a UK taxpayer, who can benefit from the tax efficiencies of the Scheme.
• Should you wish to take advantage of the benefit, this is treated as an informed decision and therefore, should an accident occur Unum is not liable.
• You are liable for the insurance of the bicycle obtained through the scheme.

What if I leave my employer?
Should you leave the employment of Unum for any reason before the end of the term of the agreement, you will be responsible for paying any outstanding lease payments. This payment does not benefit from the tax and NI savings mentioned above.
Tax & National Insurance Information
This benefit does not attract tax or National Insurance, unless you are leaving your employer and you are required to pay the outstanding amount for the bike which will be subject to tax and NI at your appropriate rate.