Which £499.99 Mountain Bike

marathonic

Hi,

I currently own two road bikes - one for cycling to work that's nearing the end of it's life and one good one for racing/longer weekend runs.

I'm considering replacing the one I cycle to work with a mountain bike for two reasons - better training/excercise as it's more difficult and less risk of punctures.

The two I'm looking at at the moment are the:

Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/8-1-2010-141402412/

Focus Black Hills Disc 2011
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/focus-black-hills-disc-2011/

I'm new to MTB componentry so would be grateful if someone could offer up their opinion on the above (or another £499.99 Mountain Bike)

marathonic

Anyone any opinions? I assume most people here are on road bikes but would be grateful if anyone has any information.

blorg

Don't get a MTB for road use. If punctures are a big issue get resistant tyres and if you want more training ride faster. Get the MTB only if you primarily want it for riding trails.

CheGuedara

I agree with Blorg - getting a MTB isn't really necessary to avoid punctures or increase the effort of your cycle

That said, and as is customary in the forum, the spending option is never completely discarded. Of the two bikes you linked there's not much in it TBH - the Decathlon takes it by a nose due to the brakes, fork and crankset which better those specc'd on the Focus

You might also check this out - LINK. Assuming the size works for you offer the guy 650 beans and you get a well equipped machine with a lot of the extra trimmings

Lumen

In my experience, MTBs suffer more from punctures than road bikes, probably because the tyres are wider and at lower pressure.