Bike - Giant XTC SX 2006

ey_up

Hi guys,

Can anyone beat £539 for the above bike? I'm after the 17 inch version. The best price I listed is from paulscycles.co.uk. I think its going to be tough to beat - been trying via google for a good couple of hours!

Thanks

Fatal_Swan

Hi there,

This looks about as cheap as you're going to get this particular model - JD cycles has it for £510 delivered but only in 14" which is no good to you.

You may have your reasons for wanting this particular model - but have you tried the big mail order bike shops for alternatives? I'm thinking especially of Merlin Cycles and Chain Reaction. They're both brilliant and you'll get a lot more for your money. Merlin's own brand is particularly well respected and their bikes are usually very well reviewed. For example:

Melin Malt 1 LX looks a similar quality spec (if not a bit better) than the Giant and is £400

At Chain Reaction, for the same sort of price as the Giant (£550), you get a BeOne Drone (RRP £1050): full XT, Race Face bars and stem, Fizik saddle, and a far superior Mavic wheelset. It doesn't have disc brakes but personally that doesn't bother me.

Probably even better value is the BeOne Javelin is £450 (RRP £750) and again is definitely better specced than the Giant for £90 less (it also has Hayes hydraulic disc brakes).

ey_up

To be honest I've been out of the game for a while and am playing serious catch up. I've been reading the various online forums and I'm heading towards the CB Cape Wrath purely because it appears to be on offer at one shop and available sub £400. I've read some good reviews on the Giant and I prefered it when I had a look and short ride so was hoping to cut the price a little bit. However your suggestions thrown a little spanner in the works - they look ok so gonna have to look into them. Cheers

vertical_fool

I'd also look at the edinburgh bicycles own branded bikes, well revolution which are well respected although you may think they are too cheap!

Vertical

Fatal_Swan

With respect, the even the top-of-the-range Revolution model isn't in the same league as the rest of the bikes discussed here, though for £329 maybe that's to be expected. One of my biggest problems with these is the mechanical (non-hydraulic) disc brakes, which offer little advantage over regular V-brakes considering the extra cost and weight.

The Claud Butler Cape Wrath comes in various different models so it's difficult to compare against others without knowing which exact model you're looking at.

£400-500 is a nice budget to have because it's (in my opinion) the lowest price range where if you're careful you can get a good balance of fair quality frame, forks and components - without having to sacrifice any one too much. To me, this balance in quality is the biggest advantage of the Merlin/BeOne bikes, but you may have different priorities. For example if you're thinking of upgrading in the near future you might want to concentrate on getting the best frame available for the money, etc.

ey_up

Hi,

Just an update. I've aired on the side of caution and spent £385 on a Claud Butler Cape Wrath D27 as recently reviewed in the £500 bike test on mountaint biking uk. Seams like a dam good price. For anyone interested it was from Pell and Parker. No website though so telephone only but for £385 i am happy :-)