BigDummy, you, and many others on this thread are correct. I think I’m going to pull the trigger on the Voodoo.

Good man. That looks like a solid bike.

🙂

But you don`t like the colour!!

So, that kind of makes me think that sitting on a bike, even riding it, is going to tell me nothing so I may as well buy by spec and price and so I have narrowed it back to two bikes.

If I was in your position those two are the exact same shortlist that I would have. Both a great spec for the price and ideal for you. The latter is worth the additional 120, but the former certainly is more than adequate for you and good value. Just decide which looks nicer and if you want to spend 480 or 600.

Dryroasted, i know….. Hopefully it’ll be mud coloured soon!! 🙂 I’ll live with it though!

They’ve got one on the floor in my local halfords, I’ve reserved it and could have it by this midday! I’ll use the money saved for helmet etc

Herts, more or less that’s what I did, to be fair though always liked Giants though. Mind you where I ride, (Glenntress, Trail Centre) I have seen a fair few folks on Voodoo’s, and hey you know what, they looked like they were having fun to me!

If I had to be brutally honest, take my Giant for example, there is areas it could certainly be improved, which is probably the same for all bike’s at the lower price points. But the biggest limiting factor overall is myself!!!!!

So, any final advice much appreciated, otherwise I’ll pull the trigger on one of these two today.

If you felt that you got a decent service from Mountain Mania, buy from them – otherwise you’ll just be one of those folk who come in for advice, use folks time and then buy online.

So if you are happy to spend £600 with On One, then spend that with the LBS.

just my pennyworth…

B r – I understand where you are coming from, and I would agree with you if I had gone there to test a specific bike, used their facilities to do so and then gone online and bought it cheaper.

But I walked in openly stating that they were the 4th shop I had been to. I told him what bikes I had looked at and what I thought of them and then I asked to see what they might offer. As a consumer I think I am allowed to shop around for what I think is the best deal for me. If I was set on buying the same bike I had seen there and had seen it online, I would be calling them back to see if they could either match the price or at least better the one they had.

The fact is that I settled on a bike that they didn’t offer, that was better spec’d and cheaper than the one they offered me. I don’t think I have done anything wrong.