[Closed] best hardtail xc bike for upto £800

On-one doing some good full build deals.

Best = Subjective

There are many good bikes out there at various price points, that kind of money is going to be very competitive.

You won't go far wrong if you look at the likes of Specialized, Trek, Giant, Boardman, Genesis etc. at that money.

specialized rockhopper expert,

Cube something or other? LTD perhaps?

I have a Whyte 805, its been faultless.

Plenty of decent bikes about that price.

Boardmans are probably best value.

What should I look for in terms of spec IE forks (suntour rocx shock ect) gearing (sram shimano ect) and what would be a good overall weight i don't wait it to be to heavy

Old year or preloved would be the best value for money.Have a look at the kona Caldera at Pauls cycles.

Or see if theres any 2011 Rockhoppers around.

+1 Cube Ltd. Mine's 2010 and uber-fun and capable of fulfilling the multitudinous commute/trail/race/bolt the kids seat on the back/WHY? that I require of it. Trade up to an air fork if its a low-spec model though, the RS Dart 3 mine came with sucked (blew the damper cartridge out the right leg at c.900 miles - only on a red route- WTF?) Replaced them with 120mm SID's. Much better..

This is £100 over but not released till end of May.

[url= http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOO4561X5/on_one_456_evo_x5_sektor_bike ]On On 456 Evo[/url]

I happen to know of a nice, not even a year old, Whyte 905 on sale for £750 posted. A better bike you will not find for the money 8)

If you want a new bike, for the guarantee that parts aren't worn out, and for the manufacturers warranty, then there is probably no better value XC hardtail than the Boardman Team. Other brands worth having a look at for the budget end of the market are Cube, Canyon, Rose Bikes and Vitus.

If you know what you're doing/what you're buying and how to fix it, then second hand can be better value.

This if its available in your size & if there is a 10% discount offer on

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=75087

Cool thanks for the help iv been looking but so many in my price range to chose from don't know what ones to put on my top 5 wish list lol 😉

I have the Specialized rockhopper and Cube ltd race..hate the Cube(harsh ride).
Love the Rockhopper

Just get the Kona from crc. Great deal, great bike.

Vermilion what rockhopper have you got ie comp pro ect?

If its the right size that crc kona looks a great buy.With 10% of you may get some bottle holders and mudguards.Essential in my view.

I would second the Whyte 801/805 , mate has an 805 he rates it highly for xc.

Though the link to that Kona at CRC seems very very good also, especially the kit on it straight from the box.

That kona looks like a great deal, especially the bits it has hanging off it.

Yes - go for the Kona, great frames.

Ozzie,,i just bought a second hand frame and built the bike up using my cube bits,,,,the Kona looks a very good deal btw

This is £100 over but not released till end of May.

On On 456 Evo

140mm forks on a xc bike 😯 the climbs should be fun with them!

The genesis core 26-3 is pretty much bang on to be fair

Have you thought about the diy option?

I bought a practically brand new Voodoo Wanga from ebay for 500, got a reduced Blue Pig frame from my local shop for 250 quid, and Spent about 50 quid on a new headset.

In the end I had a brand new XT / Revalation equipped Blue pig for 800 quid, about a grand less than the rrp for a new fully built one.

Try something similar for your XC bike. May need to bide your time looking for a good bike to be the doner from fleabay, but worth it. I could never have afforded the full rrp for a complete X9 Blue Pig.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-merida-ninety-six-1000d-xc-bike-18-900ono

This looks pretty good, just been listed.

Basically you're spoiled for choice.

A mate got one of these and loves it:

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2539

£39 over budget (plus shipping) but a stonking spec.

On the other hand I've a Whyte 19 - my favourite bike ever. I'd have a 805 / 905 or anything from them in a blink.

What should I look for in terms of spec IE forks (suntour rocx shock ect) gearing (sram shimano ect) and what would be a good overall weight i don't wait it to be to heavy

IMO - for that cash avoid suntour. Rockshox recons (at a min) rebas if you're lucky. Gears from shimano - deore / slx or higher are all good as are sram x7 upwards. Weight - shouldnt be your main concern really - but around the 26 lbs realistic built weight. The main thing is how it fits and how you feel about it.

Iv been looking at this one this weekend as a local bike shop has it on sale for £800 almost £300 off the rrp

http://www.marin.co.uk/2011/bikepage.php?ModNo=11EG

What do you guys think?

Its a no-brainer, go for the canyon mentioned 2 posts above, cant believe that spec, why pay more at all??????

Build something up yourself using a combo of new and second hand.

My default answer to "What XC HT" threads is "Inbred", such as [url= http://on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOOINX526/on_one_inbred_x5_26er_bike ]this one[/url].

But i can't deny, that Canyon looks VERY good value....

Hi guys Which online stores are best to buy a bike from?

Thanks for the help guys but still don't know what to get just so many nice bikes to chose from lol

Hi ozzie, I bought a Kona caldera from chain reaction in January. They are great bikes, good kit for the cash. Using it as a winter training bike. Most important is fit, make sure you get a bike that is the right size or you are just throwing your cash away. Try a few out at your local bike shops. If they can't offer you a deal then have a look on line for a deal.
Canyon are good bikes and come with good spec, but if anything goes wrong you'll need to sort it yourself. Most big brands , specialised, trek etc will not be able to offer as good a deal, so look at a 2011 spec bike.
Good on line stores, try chain reaction, Evans cycles, wiggle, merlin cycles. In fact Merlin cycles own Malt bikes are very good.
Hope this helps.

Can't knock Canyon Bikes even the yellowstone is way under budget and fantastic spec

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

The problem I'm having is trying out a bike for a good feel as my local shops only deal with MARIN WHYTE SPECIALIZED GT VOODOO and BOARDMAN iv seen alot of other makes online such as ON-ONE CANYON AND CUBE to name but a few but don't want to out lay the cash without trying them first

That Marin looks great. Will the shop do you the same deal on this one:

http://www.marin.co.uk/2011/bikepage.php?ModNo=11RR

I bought one a few years ago. I also own a £3k bike, but it hardly ever gets ridden since I ride the Rocky Ridge all the time. Can't recommend them highly enough.

Here's mine:

Whoops:

[img] [/img]

It looks like a nice bike but my local shop does not stock the Rocky Ridge so they would have to order it in and can't do anything on the price 🙁

Well guys iv tried a few bikes now and am still no closer to choosing I love the lightness of the boardman comp the stiffness of the trek and the quality of the specialized all have good feeling breaks components and forks I just don't know what to do lol

Have a look at the Canyon bikes, you have to pay for it outright but you do get a 30 day trial period. Worth having a chat with them.

Iv been put of the boardman comp or any bike that has sram kit after reading some bad reviews Frown But I must say everything on the boardman comp I had a test ride on felt tight and crisp So i dont know if i should just look at bikes with shimano kit have you guys got anymore bike suggestions for me Please help

could do you a brand new 2011 lapierre pro race 200 for £850 let me know what size you need and i'll see what deals i can do you.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/lapierre/pro-race-200-2011-mountain-bike-ec024823

Thanks for the offer but as I said before iv been reading some bad reviews of sram kit and I don't know if I trust it as I'm new to all this and don't know what to believe

Hi daveb2251881 I'm 5.7 with a 30/31 inch inside leg iv been looking at 17/18 inch frames just out of intresd what sort of deal could you do?

Have you thought much about geometry? You might want something with a slackish head angle if you get into the more hardcore end of XC. I've found my Inbred to be perfect for this.

sram kit is fine, in some ways better than the equivalent shimano, worse in others. They do feel different so try them before you decide to discount one or other.

I think for £800 you could do alot worse than by picking up a second hand frame and then do a custom build. Bits like hubs, shifters, mechs and brakes can all be had second hand. The the hubs laced to some new rims and that way you can guarantee (if you use a good wheel builder) decent wheels and assemblke the bike or get you LBS to do it. Every sub £800 XC bike I have seen generally comes in with a complaint and upgrade are needed to rectify them. Anything from wheels that fail due to poor building or hubs that are knackered to headsets that have poor sealing.

I also don't like/trust SRAM kit. One chap who came in had to have his X-5 mech replaced as the spring at the mounting pivot had failed.

I would build one myself but as I'm new to all this I don't really know where to start I.E what frame forks gearing hubs rims brakes and everything else I would need

Hi ozzie800 have you had a look at the merida range.Merida are the 2nd biggest bike/frame manufacturer i think in the world they make frames for many other companys specialized is one of them thats why merida cant sell bikes or frames in the usa,Merida bikes and frames are designed in germany and made in taiwan,They have a world class mtb team and you can buy what the team ride if your bank book is big enough,The price range is from about say 275 alway upto about 5700 pounds i think so somthing to fit all budgets.I would go and have a look at them 😯

I have had a look at them but I really want to try a bike out before i part with my hard earned lol and no one near me sells them

The problem I'm having is trying out a bike for a good feel as my local shops only deal with MARIN WHYTE SPECIALIZED GT VOODOO and BOARDMAN

These are the specs of the merida Matts TFS 500-D what are your thorghts guys 

SPEEDS 30
FRAME Technoformed 6061 aluminium 
COLOR Black / White / Red 
FORK Rock Shox XC30 100mm with poplock
SHIFTERS Shimano Deore 
BRAKES Shimano M446 180 / 160 
CHAINWHEEL Shimano M522-10 42-32-24 BB-SET attached 
CHAIN KMC X10 10s  HUBS Shimano M435
RIMS Merida Comp D
FREEWHEEL Shimano CS-HG62-10 11-36
TIRES Schwalbe Racing Ralph performance 2.6"
HANDLEBAR Merida Comp Oversize 640mm riser
STEM Merida Comp 1 Oversize
HEADSETA-Head OS 
SEAT POST Merida Comp 31.6mm 
SADDLE Merida Sport
PEDAL SXC Alloy
PRICE£799.99

When I was starting out I went out and bought a secondhand Rockhopper off ebay.

It was in fantastic condition,almost unused.It was too big but through riding it over a year I got a feel of what I liked and what I didn`t.

I sold it a year later for pretty much what I paid for it and bought a Giant XTC which I still have.

The point Im trying to make is that,there is no definitive answer to bike bike buying.I tried loads before I bought the XTC,but although it suited me then isnt necessarily what I`d buy now.

Go try as many as you can,buy on what feels right to you.On an £800 bike try to get good forks but don`t get to hung up on the intricacies of which groupset it has,but concentrte on the geometry,and how it feels.

I used to end up going round and round in circles ,confused by the number of choices.The important thing is just to get out and ride!