[jelly]

hi chaps my work are doing a scheme in which i can get a mb for roughley half price and pay monthly, this is the scheme
http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/general,index.htm
i would like to get a bike around £500, currentley i use a diamond back mb to get to and from work around 4 and a half miles, but im not really clued up on decent bikes that much so what would be the best bike to get from either of these shops?
http://www.thebikeshop-nottingham.com/ or
http://freewheel.interalpha.net/
cheers

[lord-dudester]

hi

is the bike purely to get to work on? ie, just road use?

the thing is with mountain bikes these days is that they have developed into so many different classes of bikes and buying the right bike for the right job is very important. there's a different bike for every aspect of riding from: road, downhill, jumping, cross country, etc etc.

please tell me as much as you can about the expected use for it and i'll help you as much as i can, im a bit of a mountain bike nut!

[Dave]

I agree with rude dog.

We need more info. If the bike is solely for commuting then you'll need a different bike all together than if you intend to use it for occasional cross country.

[dejongj]

Can I also recommend the whatmtb.com/forum, they also keep a tally of decent bikes etc...So are you talking about getting a £500 for half-price (thus £250 to you) or a £1000 for approximately £500 pounds! Big, huge massive difference in bikes that will be available...

Main tips that I can give now, as I just got myself an MTB (Hard Tail)....Budget plenty for helmet, clothing, lighting, etc... if you haven't already......And if you are into toys a Garmin Ege 305 cycle computer Hey it is the AV Forums

[jelly]

it will be used mainly for getting to work but id like the option to take it onto the trails only wanna spend around 500 but may goto 600 at a push

[Steve T]

For £500 and from the links you specifed I'd recommend the GT Avalanche 1.0 disc or the Claude Butler Cape Wrath Disc 2006.

Both are good hardtails with hydraulic brakes (invaluable in the mud/wet), and are well suited for general trail riding as well as your commute.

For another £50 (£550) the Trek 6000 disc also looks like a good spec for the cash. The fork has will be a bit better and has "lock out" which means you can effectively switch off the front suspension which is useful when your doing your commute on tarmac.

[Digger]

If its solely commuting get a rigid bike (no suspension). I can recommend a Specialized Sirrus Pro...cost me £600 a few years back. Put some skinny 23-28mm tyres on, pump them rightup and I am sure you will get to work earlier than expected! One serious recommendation is to get some Specialized Armadillo puncture resistant tyres. I have had two sets over the last 4 years...NOT one puncture in all that time commuting . I bought these after one horrid day having punctures in both tyres within a few 100 yards on a commute into work! Best bike related purchase I ever made.