[Closed] Hi new here can you reccomend me a bike?

First question - what is your budget?

Wow that was so quick! I don't really have a budget as such, my friend who appears to be an experct (he has 5 bikes!) said that I should be looking at something at £2k and above for proper riding, and I trust his advice as he's been riding for years. He also said that I should get something with Shimano XT components as these are high quality. I want a bike that is strong and will be reliable. i am ok with basic mechanics, as I have to fix my old basic bike I use for riding about here on at weekends. And I can learn how to fix stuff.

Welcome. I would seriously suggest that your friend hasn't a clue! Spend £2K on a first bike? He's having a larf.

Do you want full suspension or just front suspension (what did the bike you borrowed have?)

I sense a Troll....

Well you have given us a bit of a blank canvas to work on there! What sort of riding will you be wanting to do? ie on or off road? Will you be using the bike for a commute?

think you really need to tell us something about your intentions as well perhaps, as what the bike was like that you rode in Spain and what you did on it...

Where are you going to be riding...what sort of riding will you be doing?

This forum seems to be very popular and friendly

Give it time and you'll soon see through the smoke. 😉

As above 2K is more than you need to spend first off....do what every one else does and spend a few hundred quid then spend a small fortune over the next year or two upgrading.

Where will you be mostly riding the bike?
And what sort of riding do you think you will be doing? Are you an xc jeyboy or a phat-air merchant?
And is £2K the limit or can you spend some more?

These are popular.

[img] [/img]

Spend less than half that on a second-hand bike and see how you get on. Get a hardtail, less to go wrong, cheaper.

Agreed. I'd be looking for something at well under £1000 for a first bike. I'd look at the best frame for the money rather than going for something with blingy components out of the box as you'll probably be looking to upgrade parts as you go anyway.

I'd also recommend going to a hardtail bike initially - good tool for developing skills before deciding if you want (or need) to progress to full suspension.

What about an On One? Classic frames ripe for upgrades and a reasonable package out of the box:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOOINX526/on_one_inbred_x5_26er_bike

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOO4561X5/on_one_456_evo_x5_sektor_bike

cinnamon-girl; i don't think that's a lot of money, do you? Sports equipment can be very expensive; I have friends who are into sailing, that is extremely expensive! I don't want a bike that will need a lot of servicing because the parts are substandard. I don't mind paying for better quality as it can be false economy to spend less.

The bike in Spain was an Orba I think, it's a Spanish brand apparently. And that would cost around $4k so £2k isn't much by comparison really. It was very light, and the gears and brakes worked perfectly. It had suspension at both front and rear, which is what I'd like. I will be riding here in the UK near my place in Northumberland, where there are lots of mountain bikers I've noticed, and aborad in places like Spain, France, Israel and possibly Madagascar. Anywhere really. so I want a bike for all conditions really.

I sense a Troll....

Yep
However you have to give him the benefit of doubt,

I'd recommend a £500 hardtail, if you continue to ride, sell it, buy a better bike.

Spend less than half that on a second-hand bike and see how you get on. Get a hardtail, less to go wrong, cheaper.

Get a rigid single speed - even less to go wrong.

cinnamon-girl; i don't think that's a lot of money, do you?

Admit it you drive an Audi dont you??

Spain, France, Israel and possibly Madagascar

I was willing to give this the benefit of the doubt but I'm sensing troll too now 😉

£2K is a lot to spend for a first bike. As others have said, start off with a decent frame that enables you to upgrade as you go along.

Unless the geometry is right, and you won't know til you've ridden for a while, then you could end up wasting money.

Edit: you're lucky to live in Northumberland, it's a lovely area, but would suggest that a hardtail would be best.

i'm not a 'troll;, I just want to buy a bike! I don't drive an Audi; i tested an S3 a couple of years ago but i found it boring. I don't think £2k is a lot of money for a good bike really, I know they can cost lots more than that. My friend in Spain has a road racing bike that cost over £6k! But he races on it so I suppose you need the best equipment you can afford. My basic bike was about £400 I think but that's just for riding in town to a pub or cafe etc. It would be no good for mountain biking.

Best off going to a local bike shop and buying whatever brand of bike they stock at your budget. As above focusing on frame quality.

A good LBS will make sure you leave with something that fits and look after you in the future. dont forget to budget for tools and riding gear

Your friend has a point that if you want a good light weight full sus Bike £1500 might be a sensible amount to spend however as above starting on a cheaper hardtail would be a good start

I suspect anyone driving an Audi has the same mentality to spend £2k on a first bike.

[img] ?w=600[/img]

Sorry my bad, your not Boris Johnson?

Troll aside - I don't really know why people are saying don't spend £2k. if you've got 2k, I can't think of a better way to spend it than on a full sus XT equipped mountain bike.

There's no need to spend that much but unless there's a danger of it sitting unused, I can't really see why a current £2k 125-140mm full sus would ever be obsolete.

You clearly have a lot of money to spend - so being "over-biked" will not be an issue and moreover, the bike you buy will be something you can grow into as your mountain biking skills develop.

If I could have had £2K to spend on my first bike when I started - I would have been less ashamed of sitting near my bike outside pubs.

That Audi reminds me of this, which is pretty apt I guess 🙂

[img] [/img]

Did the bike you borrowed have front and rear suspension? If so, then including new kit (helmet, gloves, shoes, pedals, clothing), £2K is not an unreasonable amount to spend.

Since you don't know what you want, I'd avoid used and go to a reputable shop, if only for sizing. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with a Giant Anthem X2 or X3 (depending on budget). If you are tall then bigger wheels such as the Anthem X29 might be a better bike. That would leave you plenty for kit.

But then, what do I know... my first and only mountain bike was a used Kona Unit 29er rigid single speed. I like to be a little different 😉

I don't understand why people think £2k is too much to spend on a bike? There is another thread about insurung a £3k bike? I thought £2k was about a mid-level mountain bike? They are more specialised than standard bikes, so will cost more, no?

Just had an email from my friend in Spain, who says I should look for a full suspension bike, with good quality components from leading manufacturers who have been making specialist bike equipment for a long time and know what they are doing. He says that in order to get a bike that can withstand regular off-road use, and be lightweight, that £2k is a good starting point. He says I should go to a few bike shops and try a few for size, and but what feels comfortable. I trust his advice, but sadly he's not here to come with me, which is why I'm asking for more opinions on this forum. Does anyone have any examples of bikes to recomend me?

There are hundreds on Evans' webiste, many of them a lot more than £2k! They have some models that cost £8k!

Are any of these good?

http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bikes/mountain-bikes/f#!!page=14;sort=desc

as someone who has biked extensively in Northumberland, beware, it isn't like spain! it's muddy, very muddy. buy a hardtail. easier to clean.

go to Halfords, buy a Boardman for a grand.

Spend what you want, it's all relative, innit?

Depends on how much £2k is to you.

Buy a 8k bike and hear the whispering grumbles from other riders watching you struggle on a long climb on a bike they could only dream of!

Keep it simple and buy a Hardtail!

Wooooosh! You're not getting it!

No, £2K is not a lot, I have bikes that cost more than double that, but the difference is that when you're first starting, you really don't know what you want until you ridden for a while.

You'll learn more skills with a hardtail and indeed it's worth spending money on coaching days.

I would get a trek fuel ex8

Spend your money how you like matey!
The lower and upper levels of your budget are upto you. For sure £2K will get you a decent bike.

>>Alan Sugar didn't start on a Boardman bike when he started road riding<<

You haven't said how you [i]intend[/i] to ride it - which would dictate whether you're getting an XC or all-mountain or downhill or freeride or .... also if you're a bit of a biffer - you might want to own up now.

It's your £2K of course but whatever your budget you're almost certainly want to replace or exchange some parts as you get used to the bike and start to develop your riding style - tyres, bars, stem saddle etc are all down to personal preference and stuff which tends to get changed quite quickly. The other thing is that you're probably going to be quite hard on components when you're starting off until you develop the relevant skills. Hence the advice to start off with a mid priced bike with a good frame and upgrade when you need to. You wouldn't jump straight into a Ferrari straight after passing your driving test would you?

A 2K full suspension bike is unlikely to be inherently more reliable than an £800 hardtail - the opposite is likely to be true in fact as it has more to go wrong and is likely to require more maintenance. Similarly mid range components like Deore are not any less reliable than XT - just heavier in most cases.

You've obviously convinced yourself you need to spend that sort of money so as above get yourself to a bike shop and try a few out. Evans has a lot of stock but I've had mixed experiences with the knowledge of their staff. I'd recommend looking at independent bike shops too. If you're in London then Brixton Cycles are worth a visit. They stock Trek, Nicolai, Specialized, Surly and Cotic all of which are respected brands.

cinnamon_girl -
Wooooosh! You're not getting it!
No, £2K is not a lot, I have bikes that cost more than double that, but the difference is that when you're first starting, you really don't know what you want until you ridden for a while.
You'll learn more skills with a hardtail and indeed it's worth spending money on coaching days.

Amen!

If you have the money, don't let anyone stop you spending it. As some have said above, go to a good bike shop who will talk to you, work out what kind of riding you want to do and perhaps let you take a demo bike out. There's a real mixture of riders on this forum, some of whom are happy to blast around on rigid single speed bikes, others are full on downhillers, so recommendations are going to vary wildly and may cause more confusion than help.

There are LOADS of good bikes on the market, so narrow your choice down to those you can get locally and support your local bike shop.

Alternatively, if you liked the Orbea you rode, try and get the same frame with cheaper components. If your first experience of mountain biking was on a €4000 bike you have been very lucky.

lol @

i'm not a 'troll;, I just want to buy a bike! I don't drive an Audi

I'd reserach wether you want carbon or not, there are lots of arguments for and against, then go to a good big shop and get your leg over some bikes in your price range.

Well this seems more difficult than I imagined! I just want a bike that is similar to the one i tried out. We were there fro a week and went riding every day. I had to buy some padded shorts and gloves from the local bike shop though! I really loved riding, and i'd love to do it on a regular basis, hence the need for a good bike. I accept £2k might be a lot to some people just starting out, but I don't mind spending a bit to get a good bike. Obviously it can be an expesnive hobby!

I am going to pop into the local Evans in a little while, and have a look at their range. Maybe if I have a clear 'budget' then it might be easier to select a bike. Are there good or bad brands there? Specialized and Trek seem to be very popular. I will need a helmet of course, and maybe some other bits and pieces. I accept that it's not cheap, but I don't understand why some people think I should spend less than I want to; after all it's my money so why do some people have a problem with that? I don't really care if someone thinks I'm a newb with no sense, I just want to enjoy riding a bike. Thanks for some of the other recommendations, i will look into them.

Not saying Evans Cycles are bad but please consider supporting your Independent Local Bike Shop, invariably the little man will look after you better.

Nobody is saying you shouldnt spend 2k on a bike, it's just you shouldnt spend 2k on the wrong bike. Buying a cheap bike and finding exactly what kind of riding you like and developing skills will enable you to still have the money to get exactly what you want/need. Saying all that, it's hard to get a bad bike from the main brands like Trek, Specialized, Giant etc.

Also check-out the Canyon bikes website.
Very well specced bikes for the price and well reviewed but mail-order.

I don't understand why some people think I should spend less than I want to; after all it's my money so why do some people have a problem with that?

See it's comments like this which get us thinking this is a troll.

We don't. We're just trying to offer advice which you've asked for and trying to stop you from wasting money...Are you actually reading the responses?

I think he just wants to spend his £2k so let him. Try taking a look at Specialized Camber/stumpjumper/epic, or as someone else said Giant. you'll get fairly good components and something you can upgrade later if you need to.

my friend who appears to be an experct (he has 5 bikes!)

Heh heh, troll or not, despite what a lot of people may think, the amount of expertise does not increase proportionally with the number of bikes owned and/or own 😉

Your a beginner. Your budget is around £2K and yet you haven't done much mountain biking before. You test drove and Audi. Sounds to me like you need an Orange Five, you'd fit right in with most of the others 😉

You need either one of these two bikes:

FS
Orange 5 Pro £3k
http://orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/five_pro/

or

HT
Cotic Soul with XT groupset (plus components of your choice) £2k
http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/soul

£2k for the Soul will build you a great bike of your choice and are they highly rated. No doubt someone will completely disagree with me in the next few posts about both bikes......

I would go to Evans if I were you. They have a good selection of bikes at all prices and freindly staff who will advise you. Spend as much or as little as you wish, nothing wrong with spending 2k on a first bike.
I am sure you will enjoy your bike whatever you get. Happy cycling.

[url= http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p3505 ]Here you go[/url]

[img] [/img]

Saved you a few quid too, enjoy.

In all seriousness though, if you are being sensible, I'd buy a decent hardtail like a Cotic or Ragley or something or a cheap full suspension like a Boardman. Or even get a nicer bike second hand. That way you can learn loads, the bike will easily be able to take anything you want to ride given that you are just beginning, and you can sell it / upgrade it when you want something better.

With regards to XT, that's rubbish, shimano SLX will be fine. They are both equally reliable IMO, but XT looks nicer and weighs less.

If you genuinely want a £2K bike and can afford it then do some research and get a 120 - 140mm full suss, and get out and have fun! I wouldn't get an Orange Five or you'll be quite rightly stereotyped and you'' probably get judgmental looks you'll get from other riders.

Take this with a disclaimer as I work in the bike trade.. and I'm taking the OP on face value.

Nothing wrong with spending £2k on your first bike, it's your money. If you recognise that it may be sold on in a year or less at a 50% loss when you change bikes, then all's well. Experience can be expensive and only you can put a value on it.

You won't get a less service-needy bike by paying more, it may be a bit more durable or it may be less tolerant of wear and tear, but you should get a great bike and will probably enjoy the experience more - although the perspective from riding a £500-700 hardtail first will make it seem even better.

Specialized, Norco, Lapierre, Trek, etc, all have good FS bikes under 2k leaving change for kit. Try a few if you can but there's not many seriously flawed bikes in that area. Buying from a retailer with good staff to help you out is as important as the bike too.

IMO everyone would post a different reply on here and it's going to ruin the experience if you keep over doing you research. Its going to be a bit of a gamble until you find out what you like to ride, how you ride and whats comfortable. All the advice I would offer is don't get so hung up on spec such as XT as you have been advised. I have been riding for years and even bottom end stuff now is better than what I started on. Get some test rides in, you pays your money............

Nobody is saying you shouldnt spend 2k on a bike, it's just you shouldnt spend 2k on the wrong bike. Buying a cheap bike and finding exactly what kind of riding you like and developing skills will enable you to still have the money to get exactly what you want/need.

This is excellent advice.

Go hardtail too. Full sus will allow you to ride faster and give more margin for error (if setup correctly) initially, but that will soon plateau. You won't be able to tell what is going on and learn control. a hardtail will make it easier to learn what is going on and develop skill, which makes a far more significant difference to skill/fun.

Essentially, cycling is just like any other sport, you get out what you put in, in terms of work on technique, mentality and fitness. Dont get sucked into that x product will make y terrain z % easier, it wont.

Bike id recommend for your budget - cotic soul

Bikes that are a little cheaper and still suitable - on one 456, ragley marley

Plus dont worry about spending 2k, it's your money, that is how much you pay for a low-mid MTB, i just have the same concerns as the quote, it's jsut that 2k opens up a lot of specialist options, of which are very confusing, hence easy to go worng.

Go to shop with 2k weither its Evans or not, (there are good staff in evans and bad staff just like lbs shops)

Try a few bikes.

Buy the one you like the best.

OR:

Go to google type in 2K orbea and buy that.

jameso's advice is sound. It might also help you to understand some of the marketing cobblers that surrounds mountain biking.

The following are fairly meaningless labels but will help you grasp what the people trying to sell you stuff are talking about:

XC (cross country)
100-120mm travel. Light, fast, good all-round mountain bikes. May be a bit race-orientated and less comfortable at the top end of the range

Trail
120-150mm travel. A more capable all-round bike. Slower uphill but more comfortable on long days and better on tougher downhill stuff.

AM (all mountain)
140-170mm travel. More focused on going downhill and hitting jumps and drops. Still capable of being ridden uphill but slower and with more effort.

Freeride
160mm+ travel. Jumping off cliffs and generally endangering your life.

Downhill
Loads of travel. Racing down v. steep hills with big jumps and generally endangering your life.

I'd recommend something from the first two categories. And, personally, I think a hardtail makes more sense to start on. But it's no biggy.

The guy wants a full suspension, he wants an fs bike similar to the one he enjoyed riding so much not On-ones, Ragleys or Cotics being recommended by the hardtail fanboys and now he's being branded as a troll.

Sounds like you need a good all-round FS bike about 100-120mm travel for starters like the Giant Trance posted by Woody2000 above. You don't necessarily need XT, SLX will do nicely. Look for others around the same price from Specialised, Lapierre, Scott, Norco etc and don't be drawn into more specialised bikes. A bike with a good frame can be upgraded with fancy bits if you need to in future.

Here's my old Cotic Soul fitted with Fox 120mm thru-axle forks, XT chainset, Hope brakes, DT Swiss/Hope Pro 2 wheels.

She survived a week in the Cheviots and in fact is the only bike that I wish I still had!

[img] [/img]

Again, skills course highly recommended and worth a trip down to see jedi of UK Bike Skills.

He wants a full suss around 2k it's his money so let him spend it!!

My ten penneth

Buy a 29er or 650b then your right on trend 😛

Seriously though
Trek fuel
Specialized camber
Giant trance
Something with 120 mm both ends would be a good starting point if you really have to go full suss

Here you go ticks all the boxes and is on budget big wheels too so you won't flog it in a year due to being old hat
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-Trance-X-29er-1-Mountain-Bike-2013-Full-Suspension-MTB_56342.htm?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Product_Search&utm_campaign=Froogle02

Not sure about tredzs spec though elixir 3 front mech really?

thx. ... you must wonder what you started?!
You views on this Forum now??!!

You should come up for breath now, go speak and eyeball a few real people in a few good shops.
Please don't forget to HAGGLE HARD, you could get a stonking deal on a bike you like. Go for a2012 model at 40% off!
Especially if you find similar bikes in a few shops.
Also, get them to fit / switch components you want free of charge, eg get the saddle you like.
Ask for chain oil etc etc til they get fed up!

Good Luck
Paul

Here you go, just slightly over budget, on spec and will see you good for most things from XC to light freeride-ish type things, and at Evans.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kona/tanuki-supreme-2012-mountain-bike-ec034524

THX1138 go and ask the same question on pinkbike.com you might actually get some decent advice and not just a bunch of beardies harping on about steel hardtails and 29ers. this is the last place you should look for mountain bike advice unless your idea of a mountain bike is a rigid abomination with fat tyres and wacky shaped handlebars.

and not just a bunch of beardies

Oi you! I'm not a beardie. 😯

😆

There's some great advice on this forum, but you have to wade through some rubbish to get to it.

THX1138 - I said it earlier and I'll say it again - get yourself to a bike shop, talk to the staff about what you liked about the bike you've already tried, what kind of riding you think you will be doing and if possible have a demo or two. Quite a few of the shops will be having demo days heading into Spring so if you can wait a few more weeks it will be worthwhile.

Despite the fact I got this link from the Orange website, it does list some demo days that will have more than just Orange bikes: [url= http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/dealers/demoday.php ]upcoming demo days[/url]

Bear in mind that if you've never ridden full suss before and then you went on a top quality full susser like the Orbea, it will feel brilliant. Chances are there may be an even more brilliant bike for you out there and you won't know that without trying some out.

my apologies cinnamon girl 😉

Bike shops are great for advice if you can find a good one. I've heard some awful nonsense, marketing guff and plain lies being served up to inexperienced customers though, so don't take everything the salesman tells you as gospel. I don't know your area but I bet someone on here could point you towards a good local shop.

I'll sell you my bike for 1,999.... it's brilliant, the best bike you can possibly buy.

You should definitely buy it off me, paypal gift 😀

06awjudd - Member
Your a beginner. Your budget is around £2K and yet you haven't done much mountain biking before. You test drove and Audi. Sounds to me like you need an Orange Five, you'd fit right in with most of the others

Wondered how long the Orange bashing would take 🙄
Poor attempt though and bad advise as a 5's well out of budget 😉

As others have said, nothing wrong with spending that sort of cash if you've got it spare (wish I did) and if you want full suss £1500/2000 is a good starting point where you won't find many bad bikes. Find a good local bike shop and talk to them. This place will just blow your mind as evryone has a different opinion, as you are finding out.

As others have said - if you want to spend your £2k on a first bike then go for it -
I'll agree with something around 120mm of travel at either end.
The one bit of advice you really should take is test ride a couple of different bikes - even if it just around the carpark - you would be amazed how different 2 x 120mm travel bikes feel.

However - For what its worth - I also think you should go and spend a grand on a nice hardtail, learn some skills, and from that decide what kind of full-susser you really need - if you find you love flying downhill you might end up with a different bike that you would if you enjoy the cross country stuff.
when you've bought your full-susser you can keep the hardtail for winter/lighter stuff which doesn't require you to drag a full susser around.

Back again, thanks for the replies! Just to reiterate; I don't want a 'hardtail' bike, I want something similar to the bike I was riding, which was an Orbea Occam carbon, I'm told. I went to the Evans shop yesterday lunchtime, and spent some time talking to one of the guys there, who was very helpful. We've managed to narrow things down to 4 or 5 bikes, and I'm going to stay in town and go along this weekend to test ride some. I'm going to be strict with my £2k budget, because it seems it would be a bit mad for a newb like me to spend silly amounts of money! I'll probably stick with the Evans, as they are local to work and easier to pop in to ask advice and buy bits and pieces. I don't want to travel about too much looking for a bike, as i don't really have the time. The Evans have have a very good range too; I went in a bike shop in Northumberland last weekend, and they didn't seem to have much of a range, or different sizes. Obviously the large city shops would have more stock in.

I did also look at a beautiful carbon Specialized hybrid bike; it was so light! It's so tempting going into shops with so many nice things, and I would love one, but it would probably get stolen. I might get one fro riding the country lanes with my wife though (she refuses to go off road).

I'm going to be strict with my £2k budget, because it seems it would be a bit mad for a newb like me to spend silly amounts of money!

Many, many people never even get close to spending £2k EVER

If I was in your position... and £2k obviously isn't considered a lot of money i'd spend anoyther £250 and get this.

[url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/genesis/grapil-10-2013-mountain-bike-ec044428 ]grapil[/url]

have fun. 😉

But many, many people wouldn't even look at a bike for less then that.

Look, the chap want's a full suss and has a 2k budget. Why does this seem to upset people so much? Look at a thread about Canyon bikes or various other brands. They are full to bursting with people saying they've just ordered xyz which costs x thousands. Fair play to them, not every one wants a hard tail or SS. I'm not wealthy by any means but what money I do have goes on my bikes. If I can find the cash I'll be spending more then 2k on a new fs bike this year. I have a ht frame that need building back up but that will be done on a budget as I don't expect to use it much. I like bikes, as does the op. Why not try to advise on the bikes available around his budget rather then get your knickers in a twist because he's lucky enough to be able to drop £x on his first bike?

Back OT. I wouldn't worry about getting another bike to use with your wife. I use my 140mm fs bike for most types of riding including steady bimbles with my girlfriend and it copes just fine.

Looking at the Evans website I'd be looking at the bikes below.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/lapierre/zesty-214-2013-mountain-bike-ec043662

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/camber-fsr-comp-29er-2012-mountain-bike-ec030721

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/spark-650-2013-mountain-bike-ec042299

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/camber-fsr-expert-2012-mountain-bike-ec030719

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/fuel-ex7-2013-mountain-bike-ec042090

Plenty of others too. Looks like they've got some decent deals on some Specialized so they're worth a look on the website.

I agree chest. I rode crappy bikes cobbled together for years. Would have loved to drop so much cash on a bike.

ok - i did a search on the Evans site for full suss bikes between £1800 and £2100

I didn't see a single one I would buy.
Of the ones I would consider, if I had no other choice, it would be these:
(I would probably have the 2012 Trek EX8, but it's only in 'gate' size.)
Lapierre Spicy 316 2013 (maybe a bit long travel for all-round)
Trek Remedy 8 2012 (£2100) (maybe a bit long travel for all-round)

I was amazed that deore was common at this price and that there wasn't a bike in every category at this popular price point. All the Specialized bikes were 29ers.

In comparison, that Giant listed further up the thread from Pauls looks stellar! (as do Canyon).

[b]Be aware that you CAN haggle in-store at Evans.[/b]

Yes, that Giant from Paul's is excellent. I got my 2011 Giant Anthem X4 last Feb from Paul's reduced from £1750 to £1100 and recently spent about £900 on upgrades for it like Hope brakes, Fulcrum wheels and hubs, FSA carbon crankset, full XT and many other nice bits. It's now way better specced than any £2000 bike you can buy, weighs 23 pounds and rides like a dream. But I guess that route is not for a beginner.

There are a few comments from people who seem to have a problem with spending an amount of money i consider reasonable for a piece of specialist sports equipment. One person derides me for wanting to spend £2k, then goes on to say that they have a bike costing 'twice as much'. So if you have a very expensive bike yourself, why do you have a problem with me spending that much? Are you an expert rider? Do you require a very high-end bike? On consultation with my friend, £2k seems to be the amount at which I will get a decent bike without too many compromises in terms of weight and performance. I'm not going to buy a £100 bike from Argos etc as I know they are very poor quality, likewise I am not going to spend £5k+ as I think that would be overkill, and probably into the realm of diminishing returns for me personally.

There are quite a few sale bargains around at the moment, so i could end up with a real bargain. I'm not necessarily going to spend £2k, I may spend less if I find a bike that I feel is what I want. I may spend more if there is something I feel offers a significant advantage for the extra money.

And I'm sure that no matter what I buy, someone will have a negative opinion of the choice I've made!

I think if you've got it, £2k is actually a sensible (ish) amount to spend! with one caveat: only spend a max of say £1500 on the actual bike. With the remaining £500, get yourself properly kitted out for a UK winter (mud, rain, 3degC etc) as lots of beginners have just given up after not enjoying themselves trying to cycle through a british summer, let alone a UK winter! And, if you've got £200 left over, get yourself to some skills coaching, a blinking good day out, and will really make you want to push yourself and learn new stuff, not just pound the pedals round!

If your friend said "£500" would be suitable for an entry-level bike (probably more bike than you could handle anway...), would you still think £2k was a reasonable amount to spend on your first bike?

How do you know if something will offer a better advantage for more money, if you have very little experience riding? Coil or air suspension (each has quite different qualities)? QR, 15mm or 20mm front axle? 26" or 29"? QR or bolt-through rear axle? Single pivot or multi-pivot (both behave differently)? Small 160mm rotors or large 203mm?
Slack gravity-oriented geo or faster twitchy handling?

Choices, choices... (...and most people who've been riding a while can answer all of the above...)

How about spending £1000 on a bike, £500 on equipment (shoes, clothing, rucksack, helmet, gloves) and £500 on coaching?

Your friend has misguided you somewhat, saying £2k is the right target price for a 'suitable' bike.... way off the mark.

then goes on to say that they have a bike costing 'twice as much'. So if you have a very expensive bike yourself, why do you have a problem with me spending that much? Are you an expert rider? Do you require a very high-end bike?

I think you could be referring to me. Many people have wanted to help and advice you but, due to your lack of self-awareness, think you know better than people who've been riding for donkeys years.

People aren't jealous of what you have to spend despite you being a tad showy-offy. In your words you're 'buying specialist sports equipment'. OK.

There are many good people on here, a huge amount of knowledge and experience, hence it's the most go-to place for mountain biking.

HTH.