[Sweet_Kicks]

Hey All,

I know theres a few bikers on here so though I'd pose the question. I'm looking to get a new bike and fortunate enought to be able to do it through the 'cycle to work scheme' so for a beginner I think I have an pretty good budget. Other than commuting though I want to do some off roading and eventually get to some trail centres and do jumps and stuff.

What sort of bike should I be getting, as there are loads of different ones out there, which I guess will all be spec'd up to certain types of mtb'ing. I've been looking at a Specialized Rockhopper Comp but have no idea if it would suit my needs.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers

[fatreg]

At £900 I be tempted to get something from wiggle or Evans cycles, 2010 models should be cheap by now! Am I right in thinking the max you can do on C2W is £1000, if so that'll ge you a 2010 Cannondale F3, which will more than do what you want, or Evans have a Lapierre Tecnic

I'd be tempted to by a bike with a damn good frame with not so good bits, as bits can be upgraded, frames can't be upgraded that easily!

I'm a Cannondale man so I'm always going to be biassed that way I have a '99 Dale F2000sl and an '08 Dale F2 but that said I also have a Giant TCR C3 (road bike)...

Don't forget to get a helmet, not cool, but will save your life if you ever come to need to rely on it.

[ez-1]

Wise words fatreg. I'm a Dale man too but to be honest you'd probably be happy with what ever brand you end up getting.
If you are planning to do some commuting and trail blazing then having two totally different bikes is a must. Sure you can ride to work with rockhopper but you might like to get fender to it in case it rains... well that's quite ok but if it's mostly tarmac you are riding to work then something like BadBoy would be a perfect choice IMO. For tarmac the two most important things are slim tires and suspension with lock (or no suspension at all).
Then get something different for your trails and jumps if you still have money left in your budget.

[AzZ]

Can't go wrong with a Specialized. Not only will it do the job but they look good too. Evans is also a good place to shop.

[nikosg]

If you can afford it, get one for commuting on road, another for off road.

[cracky]

I don't know much about mountain bikes these days but if i was to get one i would get a cube. Saying that my mate has a specialised and its hard to fault.

[fatreg]

Saying that my mate has a specialised and its hard to fault.

Mass made Taiwanese frame, as apposed to handmade like Dale and Lapierre or Norco, or any other higher end frame maker you care to mention...

[Sweet_Kicks]

Cheers for the info guys, sadly don't have the budget for two (and can only get one on the c2w scheme) so want/need an allrounder.
Thanks again

[fatreg]

Cheers for the info guys, sadly don't have the budget for two (and can only get one on the c2w scheme so want/need an allrounder.
Thanks again

All depends on how well you know your local bike shop...

C2W think I have a £500 bike, I got me some shiny new parts instead

it's not what you know....

[pukkabruv]

i can reccomend a Gary Fisher 29er, well happy with mine, also a few of my mates have Rock Hoppers and they wouldnt change em. ... get some slick tyres for the commute then put the ones that came with the bike back on for the trail riding, the cycle to work includes accessories, so you should be able to get the slicks aswell, maybe even have enough money left to get some spare rims, to make it even easier to swap the wheels over

[nikosg]

let me get this right,

you guys can buy up to 1000 pound bike, for free if you intend on riding it to work...? :s

bloody hell.

[fatreg]

let me get this right,

you guys can buy up to 1000 pound bike, for free if you intend on riding it to work...? :s

bloody hell.

No, you get the money up front, pay it back over 3 years minus tax and ni, so you pay about £700 for a £1000 bike if you're on the lowest tax band..

[pukkabruv]

nah... its basically a tax dodge.. work buys the bike, then you pay them back over 10 months, but the money comes out before your taxed, so you end up saving about 300/400 on a £1000 bike.. think the VAT is also knocked off, my work would only let you buy through halfords so I couldnt do it. but its a great way of getting a better bike for your budget

[steve-o]

thats a pretty sweet deal if you're in the market for a new bike

[nikosg]

thats fairly awesome pukka! shame about your work, coulda saved yourself a lot of money!!

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and fatreg... please dont quote posts in the future, unless they are on a different page (or because no one will have any idea what you are referring to if you dont), it just gets annoying with large posts, pictures etc... takes up the pages.