Hello All,

Being a regular gym goer I’ve decided that I want to buy a bike this year and get out on the road and buy a bike of sorts!

Little did I know that there’s so many to choose from and so many different types! Having looked at Hybrids I’ve decided that I’m probably better off going with a MTB as I’d like to adventure out on a few trails from time to time. I popped into my local Halfords and saw a Boardman that looked pretty nice but I’m totally unaware on what I’m looking for spec wise. With this in mind can anyone advise any good bikes for under £500/£700 that would be good for me to start with?

Thanks.

Gup

The Boardman, for VFM is pretty much unbeatable, especially at that price point.

have you considered second hand though, you’ll get a lot more bike for your money and if any oily bits go wrong then thats half the fun 😀

Which Halfords, customer service horror stories abound, so maybe check here to see if your local store is a good or a bad one?

Otherwise, yeah they look like great VFM.

APF

+1 to the Boardman bikes being good value, also check out the Carrera (fury @ the price range you suggest) & Voodoo brands stocked in Halfords, both usually pretty good value in there price ranges.

Or if you are near a decathlon, their £500 model is very good for the price.
this one

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b49s2p3457
Depends what size you are looking for. How tall are you?

The Halfords I’ve seen them in is the Derby one, on Wyvern Business Park. Altho when I asked them if I could test ride it they said no as they didn’t have anywhere..

I’m 5’9..

+1 Boardman. I have the HT Pro and once ridden my (much more expensive) full-suspension bike rarely saw the light of day.

Excuse my ignorance but whats +1?

This is the one I saw –

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_777747_langId_-1_categoryId_165499

Any good?

+1 means ‘I agree’.

Altho when I asked them if I could test ride it they said no as they didn’t have anywhere.

Standard practise for Halfords, there not being awkward, it’s just the company policy.
Worry more about the sizing than a test ride tbh as a newbie.

Boardman are simply great value, that one you’ve linked to is as good or better spec’d than most in that price range. Some ‘gear heads’ might pull a face at the 9 speed gearing but it’s nothing to worry about (I’ve yet to be convinced 10 speed is anything but another marketing campaign).

A-ha..

What about this one vs the MTB?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_777843_langId_-1_categoryId_165534#tab0

it’s a hybrid… what to compare? It’s a bike for road use not a mtb. You could use it on hard pack paths and canal paths, but I wouldn’t want to take it further off-road than that.

As for other options, I see Saracen’s Manta & the Voodoo HooDoo both get a good review in this month WhatMTB

I had a Boardman road bike which I’m already sorry I sold. Tremendous value for money, genuinly high quality bikes that get tarred a little by association with Halfords. Buy with confidence or maybe look at Canyon (mail order).

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2537