Right, I'm completely new to mtb except for once on school trip and I throughly loved it so I want to keep riding, so I'm looking at bikes.

I have a budget of £400 and I intend to ride altura trail (whinlatter) and old coach road nr keswick and bridleways nr my house that probably won't be in brilliant condition!

I have been looking at several bikes in my local bike shops:

Specialized Hardrock 2010 disc – £350

Orbea Dakar (i think) – £330 for a hand built bike from a racing company

And a few others (can't remember which) think one was a Giant Talon 2.0 at £450 which is pushing my budget too much to be honest!

Any advice on these bikes and alternatives would be appreciated so would advice on other gear I may/will need and rough price estimates please!

I am about 6 ft 1 with a 33 inside leg so frame sizeing 'guides' would also be appreciated!

Hope this makes enough sense for you to understand enough to help!

can`t beat a spesh hardrock for the money. 😀

+1 on the hardrock, I'm currently riding one that's now 10 years old and its still a barrel of laughs.

Spesh hardrocks are pretty good, if you can stretch to a talon (entry level is the talon 3 I think) they tend to be quite good value for money. Treks might be worth a look as well, for £375 you can have the 3900 disc or the 4300 (non disc but better elsewhere)

Go and try the bikes you can afford – at least ride them round the block.
As pitduck says – the spesh is hard to beat.
You will need a helmet and gloves plus a reasonable waterproof.
As you know it gets wet up there. 🙂

Spare tubes and pump will make alot of sense too(when you puncture),
so have a look for a rucksack/camelbak to carry them in.
(You could just fit them to your frame and use a water bottle 'til
you have the extra readies).
Have a look on'tinternet for prices or ask the bike shop if they'll give you 10%off accessories when you buy the bike from them.

btw, some great routes around Skiddaw too…..
use the search facility on this forum..

Most importantly have fun.
J.

Or look on the classifieds? But check the history of the person you're buying from!

can`t beat a spesh hardrock for the money.

+1
But I've got a few freinds who love the Talon so don't dismiss that.
Have a good look and compare components(spesh are usually very generous) and have a sit on them and see which feels right.

Hardrock is good

I'd suggest a look at Pauls Cycles (Giant tend to be ok or better) and Winstanleys web sites (etc etc etc) – as they sell last years etc at big discount. I'm saying this as IMHO the first bike is very much a learning experience.

If you can I'd say hydraulic discs and decent front susp (ie try and get decent non wear out bits) – the 'wear out' bits can be upgraded as part of the normal lifecycle.

If you want to do it cheap learn basic maintenance.

+1 Hardrock

Also check out second-hand bikes – you can easily pick up something 2-3yrs old for 50% less than original RRP

I agree on the hardrock.

You don't need to spend more than that to have some great rides.

The only reason to spend more is durability or weight saving. There's an old phrase, by Keith Bontrager, "Light Strong Cheap – choose 2". So if you get bitten by the mountain biking bug you'll want to upgrade to "better" bits as yours wear out, and you won't mind that. If you don't – well they won't wear out.

And if you have a local bike shop (LBS) where the people in it are friendly, helpful and ride mountain bikes themselves, stick with it because that can be your best source of good advice.

Either the spesh or the giant will be fine. At the weekend I rode with a guy on a talon- not sure which model- had dart 2 forks. We did a big ride in the brecon beacons including the infamous gap descent and the bike coped fine.

The bike shop down in Ambleside is superb, if you're looking for a good shop that's "sort of" local.

A while back a mate of mine was looking at spending similar money on a new mountain bike.

We found quite a few good deals at Halfords – There was a £500 GT Aggressor down to £350 and some other good buys. Might be worth giving their website the once over.

pauls cycles ace for you fella….give em a call with your budget and they are sure to have a deal to suit, Aldi's cycling stuff is great VFM too, Helmets £15, camelbacks £10, pumps £5 shoes £20…get kitted up with OK stuff for buttons, got a few of the Dads from my kids school into mtb and thats what they've done!… if you really get the bug then start spending 😆 Good luck

As for sizes, i'd try 17 inch and 19 inch frames if I were you. And pick whichever you like best.

I'm 6ft with a 33 inch inside leg and ride a 17 inch spesh frame, with a loooong seatpost, as i like small frames, fnar fnar.

Size is important, so if you can buy local do.

Best way to get a deal is to work out all you want to buy, go in and choose it all. Get the shop to add it up, and then ask for a deal. On a goodly amount if you can get to within 10% of online price, sorted.

Make sure you get a spare mech hanger, 2 decent tubes (the original ones will be crap), a pair of SRAM chain linkages, mini-tool, chain-tool, puncture kit, mini-pump, helmet, gloves and padded shorts

And if you've the budget; 520 spd pedals and some shoes (with cleats) along with a Camelbak or equivilent.

Enjoy.

Try before you buy test; rides and having a good look over the bikes in shops is well worth while you’re under no obligation to buy from them…

Keep an eye out for shops clearing previous years models at a discount, there have been no staggering leaps and bounds in bicycle technology in the last 12 – 24 months especially at your price point so a 2008/2009 Hardrock will not be much different from a 2010 other than the paint job and a few minor tweaks, both good bikes but if you can save a few notes you’d be mad not to…

2nd hand? Once the addiction bites you'll change everything anyway, might as well start with stuff that you can justify changing?

And if you've the budget; 520 spd pedals and some shoes (with cleats)

Or just skate shoes and deacent flat pedals. Either way upgrade them, the OEM will be horrible plastic things.

+10 on the HardRock

It's a great frame with some low end components, as you get better and componenets wear out you replace them with better ones.

2 years later you've got a great bike that's grown with you.

The Giants are good but I think the frame is a bit more generic stock stuff whereas the Hardrock is trickle down frame (looks like last years Rockhopper, which looks like the couple of years before Stumpjumper)

I had a Hardrock Pro 09 before some barstool stole it, adored it to little mintballs, so +1 to the Hardrock here (and budget for insurance and a bloody big lock).

The best advice though is to go to your LBS (Local Bike Shop) and ride a few before you part with cash. Shop around too, you're also looking for a good shop as well as a good bike. What looks good on paper sometimes just doesn't work for you in practice, it's a very personal thing.

Other essentials; helmet, gloves, means of changing a puncture in the field (so a portable pump and either a repair kit or spare tube, ideally both), a multi-tool or at the very least carry the Allen keys that come with the bike. If you're going to be doing any distance, add a water bottle and cage.

Frame sizing guides are generally on manufacturers' websites, but again you can't beat trying them for yourself. For reference, I'm 5'10" and had a 19" Hardrock.

Btw, if you're working, does your workplace offer the Cycle To Work scheme? You'll get considerably more bike for your money that way.

Ohh, and at 6'1" I wouldnt drop below a 18" which is usualy a medium, occasionaly a large, at 6'1" would you really be considdering frames marked as small/medium?

Longer 18" frames and 19" frames would probably be your best bets, but at that budget you'll be looking at fairly neutral 'trail' bikes which are essentialy XC bikes but without the money thrown at them to make them lightweight.

Thanks alot guys.

I'll ask in kmb (Keswick mountain bikes) about sizes etc and I have been 'net trawling for last years models… Just the sizing is all I need before buying now I think! I'm still at school so no cycle 2 work but im trying 2 persuade my dad to do it for me =p! But if I can't, I know where to look for an '09 hardrock sport disc for £330 so may just go for that!!

Some1 mentioned mech hanger…? What's that?! (lol noobie question!) and if it'll probably need replacing, with what 'model' should I replace it?

So yeah thanks again and keep posting 'reviews' on the bikes mentioned to give me something to think about!

Worth considering ex-hire bikes from the local bike shops, pick up a cheap Hardrock or similar for 2nd hand money but with a service and some back-up from the shop?

Prob save you enough to get shoes, helmet (or not, whatever) gloves etc…

A mech hanger is a bit which gets bent a lot. Well, every couple of years or so. You don't need to replace it until it gets bent.

Steel bikes tend not to have them because you can bend steel back. Alloy just snaps if you try it.

The mech hanger is the bolted-on attatchment to the frame that holds the rear mech/derailleur to the drop-outs where the rear wheel sits.
It is a part designed to fail so that the frame itself doesn't get damaged if/when the rear mech is ripped off in a crash.
They don't cost that much (around £15) but in a rocky area like the lakes you may find you need a spare.

Hardrocks are great entry-level bikes.

Hardrock Sport Disc is superb. I bought one with the intention of 'upgrading' as parts wore out/broke. Two years later it is still in 'stock' condition!

I use it every day, commuting and local stuff. At weekends I do major expeditions on it. The only maintenance it has ever needed is lubrication, new tyres, and brake pads!

I'm 5'8", and the 17" frame fits like a glove. 19" would maybe suit you better.

edit: +1 for Aldi gear! 🙂

Another +1 for the Hardrock sport disk, although we must have the cheapest available. Free from my LBS, it was found in the Thames by the police and given to us as they didn't want to do it up and warranty it. About 4 yrs old, it needed a wheel truing and I greased the wheel bearings.

It's my son's first proper MTB – 17" and he's only 5'2". Long body mind. All in it has cost me £8 for the grease and gun. Great bike he is really enjoying it in Swinley forest.

I'd look second hand every time. Then when you are hooked, spend more. (And you will spend more)

I just read though the whole topic again !

So thought I would sumarize the opinions on what bike (numbers relate to number of good reviews for bike in mention)

5 – spesh hardrock
4 – last years model or 2nd
4 – talon or other bike

So from an inpromptu vote, I'd say hardrock! But I will still test ride – I trust peoples opinions but not enough to just go buy £400 of stuff!

Thanks once again!