If you had to spec and build a bike as cheap as possible for a friend say, but it had to be a proper hit the trails do the job and last a decent amount of time. What would you build ?

OK it would probably be better to go to Halfords and buy a Carrera,Boardman or Voodoo, or Merlin and get a malt or the islabikes 29er, etc, but they are not the rules. We have to build it from parts.

To Start ?

Frame… Inbred (26″ or 29″) ?
Fork… Rigid ?
Groupset… Shimano Deore, (1 x10 ?)
Wheels Superstar
finishing kit ??? Saddle charge spoon,

Everything up for discussion until a consensus is reached then we can lock in the parts for the STW (cheapo) bike

Nobody playing ? 🙁

It’s been a while !

Aldi grips looked ok when they had some.

I agree with your list! 🙂 Plus brakes Shimano Deore.

On one’s own wheelsets are pretty good VFM, maybe even cheaper than superstar?*

*without research.

Also, whatever finishing kit is on sale at CRC, usually able to get cheap stems and bars etc

You’d struggle to do much better than an On One with Deore everything.

Some half decent Rock Shox recons?

Bonty tyres?