My brothers finally upped his bike buying budget to £400. Can anyone recommend anything better or is this Carrera the way to go?

Thanks!

2nd hand is the way to go

Yeah, looks pretty good. Spec looks alright…plenty of Shimano bits and RS fork. Probably be a bit weighty but good VFM at £400.

Seems Ok to me, but is your brother a big lad? I’m 6ft 1in and I ride a 19in frame hardtail. I think it’s quite a common mistake to buy too big a bike when first getting into mountain biking. I know I did with my first 21in Trek 830, way back in the early 90’s

B. 🙂

Have a look at the Vengance for £250 as well and maybe look at a future fork upgrade with the difference?

If he’s buying as a beginner, its probably not too bad. But its bang on right time of year to be hunting a bargain as 2011 models coming through. Have a good look round, might be able to get a low spec Specialized rockhopper or similar for that kind of money.

looks like a good buy. certainly better specced than the specializeds or treks at that money.

I’ve had a look at a few sale bikes but can’t find anything for the budget with a better spec. He’s pretty tall too (about 6.3) so the carrera’s probably about the right size. Still, if you spot a good buy, let me know!