A mate wants to get a FS bike for about £700 through cycle to work scheme. I’ve looked about online but cant find anything much at all. Something like a XC / Trail bike is what he’s looking for, clearance / 2011 bikes are ok! Any suggestions? Cheers!

tbh, at that budget i wouldnt bother, there will be so many compromises on the spec to meet the price that the bike wont be much fun to ride/will be heavy/will wear out quickly.
at that budget i would be looking for a decent hardtail, much better value/lighter/better to ride.
thats just my opinion though, it depends on what your mate is expecting i suppose.

+ 1

http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s2p0

http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p0

Cheers, thats what i thought, but thought someone else may have had some better ideas than me!

I had a GIANT YUKON FX1, from pauls cycles it was great, and you could upgrade a few parts with the spare £200.

Adil

I still have a Yukon FX3, had it for 2.5 years. I paid £310 for it from Pauls, and even though everythings been upgraded except the wheels and rear shock its still been a bargain.
Its now got a Charge Spoon saddle and Easton post. 😀

Oh, yes my garden…. fire away. 😆

http://www.singletrackbikes.co.uk/m1b4s338p2487/COMMENCAL_Premier_S_2011

Thanks for that link. I’ve been looking for a first FS for Son1, and that Giant looks pretty reasonable.

have a look at decathlon.i got the rockrider 9.1 and it might not be the big name brand but the spec on it is pretty good for the money.slx and deore drivetrain,tora air forks,xfusion rear shock,hayes stroker(i think thats the name)hyraulic brakes.its got me onto the full sus peg but not having spent a fortune i didnt have…

have a look at decathlon.i got the rockrider 9.1 and it might not be the big name brand but the spec on it is pretty good for the money.slx and deore drivetrain,tora air forks,xfusion rear shock,hayes stroker(i think thats the name)hyraulic brakes.its got me onto the full sus peg but not having spent a fortune i didnt have…

+1iv got the 9.2 very good bikes.

Hed be better finding a 0% finance deal and spending a bit more. Or buy s/h and pay cash.

He may be lucky but a ht with big tyres might be more fun and therefore something that he rides more – getting something that is heavy and needs a lot of maintenance could be enough to kill his cycling enthusiasm.

I paid £510 for my boardman FS Comp second hand, hardly used (bloke had hurt his ankle at work – and don’t think he’d ridden it off-road either, maybe a couple of laps around the block or something).
Need to work out if it is actually worth using the ‘bike to work’ scheme, or if he could get some cash and buy normally for a better deal – it will depend on tax bracket etc, of course – as top rate tax payers are going to be getting a much bigger saving than minimum wage part time people.

Halfords probably do something acceptable for that sort of dosh.

Haro Sonix. Fox forks. XT and Deore kit. Nevegals. 120mm/100mm travel.
£700 @ Winstanleys.

I have a Rockrider 9.1, bought £750 last winter. The spec is good and the frame surprisingly light, x fusion 02 shock, hayes trail brakes.

Already swapped out the bars, stem and wheels and just bought some reba 120mm forks to replace the tora’s. Toras showing no sign of wear and have been up and down cut gate a couple of dozen times at speed without any problems as I live near there. I did quite a lot of research and only had £900 to play with at the time. To get the same spec I would have needed at least £1300 to get close.

I know people turn their noses up at the name but hard to find better value and the current ones look better too, but are £800 now.