I recently went into decathlon with the intention of buying their b-twin rock rider 580 for £600 but when I got there they also had their rafal 700 bike reduced to £600. I have had no experience with manitou suspension so unsure of that, it also has a 2×10 group set whereas the rock rider has a 3×10 and I’m unsure if I’d miss the extra cog.

Here’s links to both the bikes,
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rafal-700…d_8338359.html
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider…d_8336093.html

If you have any experiences with either of the bikes or even b-twin in general these would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks for any help

I have no experience of either or the brand but at this price point I would pop another £100 on top and get this bike. I’m sure these are fine and I’m sure someone will be along with some info for you about them but there is alot at this price point worth looking at. The Voodoo’s always get reports around this price point.

The 700 is better, if still on offer it appears decent for the cash.

My nephew has a b-twin, he loves it.

The only thing your money won’t buy you is credibility, because the btwin brand is looked down upon as being a poor mans entry level brand into the world of cycling.

In reality all bikes at this price point are manufactured in Taiwan with parts made by shimano, just come with fancier brand names.

It is a well specced bike for the money and Manitou are a brand on the up again and were around at the start of mtb suspension, and it looks good.

More rings, means more weight – two rings is plenty.

Decathlon kit gets a fair bit of stick but generally its decent vakue for money and will take some abuse. I wouldn’t owrry aboit 2×10 vs 3×10 – I took the large rings off my 3×10 bikes and don’t miss them unless you are tanking along the road.

If you want some comparisons look at Pauls Cycles site for example Here they have decent mainstream brands like Cube, GT and Giant

At this price point I think a Genesis Core 20 would be a good bet. It retails for £700 so should be able to get one for £630 from your local stockist.