Sorry, sorry, I know this has been done to death, but I’ve searched the fora here and everywhere else and still can’t decide – any input welcomed.

I’m a lightweight myself at 11 stone and 5′ 11″. I ride Glentress and do a spot of not-too-scary jumping, but feel I’d like to get back to my singletrack roots…. I’ve just had my GT Halfords I-drive pinched and the insurance has given me £900 (absolute tops!!) to play with.

I can only buy from Leisure Lakes or Halfords, so my choices are a wee bit limited.

Looking closely at the Cannondale F5 HS33, thon steel framed Voodoo from Halfords, the Boardman bikes and Orange Evo 8 (2008)which can now be had for £750. Open to suggestions but will probably need an ‘off-the-shelf job as I’m doing the Ae Forest thing on Saturday!!

Cheers!

The voodoo or the Boardman would be best bet really.

The Boardman is very well specced and the Vodoo is nice and steely, more springy and responsive than alu IMHO

Thanks for that Steve. I was a little worried about the weight of the Voodoo – I picked one up in Halfords. I was comparing it to the Boardman though, which is superlight…

the boardmans are remarkably well specced. think the frame isn’t bad either. can’t comment on ride having not tried either. the voodoo name gives a few more kudos. the wanga can one day go SS if you’re really that bothered.

See what Merlin can do?

Cheers all for advice – all soaked up and considered. Looks like I may still be able to get me hands on a 2008 Boardman MB Pro at £850. Decided against the Cannondale for sure – the fork travel just ain’t up to my ropey landings. That Voodoo’s still tempting though…

Swadey – the Merlins are out due to buying constraints mentioned earlier, unfortunately.

The Merlins have gone up,and been downspecced in the last week too so not the bargain they were.I

g

d get it ordered before Halfords realise!

For anyone who cares, I roadtripped it down to York today and got a hold of one of the last few 2008 Boardman MB Pro bikes. Looking forward to the A Line this Saturday – anyone likely to be there?

Boardman’s look very well specced for the money, but having looked at one today, I’ve got to say the rear tyre clearance looks a bit tight compared to every other hardtail I’ve seen since about 1998! The 2.1 conti’s fitted (not a wide tyre even for a 2.1) are pretty close to being the biggest tyres you could fit, which quite frankly is piss poor for a UK bike!

Voodoo Wanga may not be as well specced, but you are buying a quality steel frame made from Reynolds tubing, and designed by legendary frame designer Joe Murray. The Voodoo frame will last you a long time, and is very worthy of componentry upgrades.

I’d buy the Voodoo. Much much nicer. You’ll not notice a down spec’d rear mech but you will notice a nicer frame.

have you enquired with your insurers? I was in a similar position and they WILL give you cash, but to a lower value. Its a con as you pay for a specific bike of specific value and they offer you a limited option that gives them a discount from their chosen suppliers. Imagine if your BMW was written off and they offered you a Mondeo?

Anyway, the point is I took the lower cash value and bought a bike (funnily enough an old-model GT I-drive, to replace a stolen FSR) on a blinding deal from Pauls Cycles. I more than made up for the difference in cash and got a better bike than I could have done at the time through halfrauds.

Af’noon all. Too late! Got the Boardman Pro yesterday, and am (tentatively) happy with it.

Didn’t go for the Voodoo as it’s just so much heavier. And I mean noticeably. This may be partly due to the coil fork and wheelset.

Munqe-chick, yup, I checked and double checked. They were at first reluctant to admit they could do anything other than replace the bike with exactly the same model, which is now worth about £200 less. When pressed, they admitted I could have any bike I wanted, as long as Leisure Lakes Cycles could source it.

Anyway, big up Barclays home insurance – bike pinched Friday and (with a bit of hustle) I’m sitting looking at my new bike as I type. Guys at Halfords very, very helpful too – beyong the call of duty methinks. I reckon they were just pleased to be selling a proper bike 🙂