Here’s another review of hardtail mountain bikes currently offered at under £500 in The UK. Before reading on, you should be aware that specifications may differ from country to country and how long suppliers have held their stocks. Occasionally, and without notice, manufacturers sometimes change product design and / or specifications too.
SCOTT ASPECT 960
These bikes from Scott definitely fall into the budget category and truth be told, while they are great for mountain bike beginners, they are not the best buy in this price range if you consider yourself MTB experienced unless you consider upgrading parts. The Aspect performs well for leisure riding and commuting but they probably won’t do so well on race day.
This 29er with Suntour suspension forks, and positive components will bring enjoyment and a great ride. Although I must say that you are not going to be riding a feather weight machine. It weighs approximately 32.19 lbs (14.6 kg).
At the best price, the Scott Aspect won’t cost you more than £500 and cheaper can be found on a good day.
Scott have designed the Aspect 960 with racing in mind although as I said earlier, I wouldn’t say they are competition-worthy but they do give precise handling and good control. The forks are firm with 100mm of travel, but the overall ride is smooth on all but the most gnarly terrain.
There is another way to look at this bike. It’s great for starters and if you catch the MTB bug, you could always aim to upgrade to lighter and higher spec components as others have done. One up grader in particular raves about what a great bike he has and after upgrading front forks and gears to start, he is still riding a budget bike which he claims is better than another MTB he bought for almost twice the price.
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Time to ride, see you next time.
Just Ride Hard, Ride Fair, Nobody Hurt
Tech Data
29er Mountain Bike 2020 – Hardtail
Frame:New Aspect 900-700 series | Alloy 6061 Custom Tubing – BSA73 | Internal Cable Routing | replaceable hanger
Fork:Suntour XCE28 – 100mm travel
Headset:Ritchey LOGIC ZERO-OE
Stem:TDS-C302-8FOV | 10° | 31.8 | Black
Bars:HL MTB-AL-312BT | 720mm | black | 12mm rise
Front Brake:Tektro HDM275 | Hydr. Disc – 160mm Rotor Rear Brake:Tektro HDM275 | Hydr. Disc – 160mm Rotor Brake Lever:Tektro HDM275
Front Mech:Shimano FD-TY700-TS6 | 31.8mm Rear Mech:Shimano Tourney RD-TX800 – 24 Speed Shifters:Shimano SL-M315-8R – R-fire plus | 2 way release – w/gear indicator Speed:24
Rims:Syncros X-20 Disc – 32H | black Front Hub:Formula DC-19 FQR disc Rear Hub:Formula DC-25 8s RQR disc Spokes:14 G | stainless | black
Front Tyre:Kenda Booster – 2.4″ | 30TPI Rear Tyre:Kenda Booster – 2.4″ | 30TPI
Seat Post:HL SP C212 – 31.6mm | 350mm | Black Saddle:Syncros 3.0
Chainset:Shimano FC-TY501 – 42x34x24 w/CG Bottom Bracket:Feimin FP.B908N – BB73 | square taper Chain:KMC Z-8.3 Cassette:Sunrace CSM55 8AV | 11-34T
Pedals:Feimin FP-873-ZU
