new bike time

[merc10]

ive narowed my chioce down to 2 bikes its either a vodoo wanga or a orange clockwork orange.
the bike will be bouhgt on the bike to work sceam . the company i work insit we have to use halfords
hence the vodoo . plus they said they could source me the orange aswell . whats everyones thoughts on both bikes
are there any other alternatives out there in that £900 price bracket?

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Don't let the name fool you, the Clockwork isn't anything like the old ones. It's Orange's attempt at getting every last penny out of a legendary name.
It's a good bike, but not exceptional like the original one was. Just a generic frame with a nice paintjob.

Plenty of good hardtails in that price bracket. Consider a Cube.

 

[merc10]

thats what keeps crossing my mind about the orange . herd some good things about whyte but cant find much info on them

 

[highlandsflyer]

Orange have never struck me as that kind of company.

 

[theredchili]

There a review of the Clockwork 29 in Aprils MBR so maybe worth a look. I've had a good look at one in my LBS looks pretty good for the money.

 

[02gf74]

I wouldn't discount the Boardman range e.g. Boardman Mountain Bike Comp for £ 649. Head off to Chain Reaction with the £ 300 you saved to buy better components e.g. wheels, shifters, mechs and or brakes then sell off the unused parts on ebay.

 

[merc10]

been and had a look at the clockwork over xmas still a nice looking bike. done a bit of repair work on there support viechles always nice people to deal with . only problem with cycle scheme is you get a voucher for a set amount and you have to use that amount. you get no change and you cant add to it niether .

 

[highlandsflyer]

It is a long time since I was working in cycle shops in the UK but Orange were legendary for customer service and attention to detail. Very much the cycle mechanics' cycle.

From all I know they have upheld that position more than most companies.

 

[Mindmap3]

Some of the Whyte hardtails look pretty good value for money and Trek seem to make some pretty darn good looking bikes these days. £900 for a hardtail should get you something pretty tasty.

Any particular type of riding in mind?

Also agree about Orange flogging the Clockwork name. The new one is pretty generic, although nice you will be paying for the brand. In my eyes Orange are pretty poor value for money, especially their bouncy bikes Andre cost of the upgrades, but that's a different debate all together.

 

[merc10]

iv been and had a look at a charge faucet plus 29 inch wheel mountain bike . are they any good cant find many reviews on the web
about them