Exactly right mate 🤘🤘 My Voodoo gets a load of abuse and it sails past expensive bikes on the hardest of terrain proving your point. It's all about fun and if you want it then start on a hardtail and get some speed!!
GMBN: How hard can you push a "budget" mountain bike part 2 Sam Pilgrim: Today is gonna be epic! Watch me shred this double black diamond trail with a bike made from shopping carts!
Go watch some of my videos on my channel for some Voodoo Bantu down Fort William Downhill! Thats the model down from this one. Proper mental crack pal but a great watch!
I think you should do a presenter challenge where you have to buy or build a bike for the least money possible Then race them on an XC course, an Enduro course and then a game of bike. At the end score them on their individual performances on each stage and deduct points for how much they spent on the bike. That way there is an incentive to buy as cheap as possible. It would be very Top Gear, but that sort of content would be awesome
@@CurtisLodge1991 they could build a very decent bike if they had the same budget as the new bike. I guess it depends if the point is to show what you can do for a budget or just riding a dodgy bike. (Like they did at FOD)
my son has this bike and he loves it he's progressing so much on it. You've made his day featuring it on here doing this. Taking him to llandegla in a couple of weeks on it. We done a unboxing over on my channel and first ride 🤙
@@richardpayne5176 he’s loves it mate! Honestly can’t keep the kid off it. He’s got to stay in though now for 10 days after a positive test today. He keeps looking outside at all the kids on there bikes. He really is a Mtber ❤️
I've been around Llandegla many a time on my old 2010 Hoodoo, it's a great value bike. The Voodoo Zobop is a good entry level full-susser as well, if he ever feels like upgrading.
I'd be curious to see a mechanical check of the axles, hubs, spoke tension etc after this kind of bouncing around. Aside from making it down, how did the bike hold up?
Even DT Swiss XC rim spokes will come loose on this trail, he really should have used a more appropriate track for this video. Horses for courses. It should have been labelled “bike destruction video”
I've upgraded mine too - dropper post, pedals, tubeless tyres and a Fox 32 fork with a 15mm wheel, all donated form my other bikes as they got upgraded. It's proper fun to ride now, taken it everywhere I usually ride on my bikes costing 4x as much and more. The original fork died after a few hard days at Windhill, still lasted nearly 1000 miles though!
Well, as we all know Sam Pilgrim could ride on a balance bike. But he’s Sam Pilgrim. Rich is pretty decent himself but, probably a bit more relatable for many of us. Keep the vids coming Rich!
I have anxiously waited 6 months and then yesterday I was able to pick up my Giant Talon 1... quality budget bikes are very hard to come by right now in the Southern U.S... I will be leaving in the next hour for my first ride with it lol.... Florida's not known for its mountain biking trails but we do have two pretty gnarly Trail systems right by my house y'all wish me luck
Have the Talon 3, good intro bike up to blue trails esp if you put a slightly shorter stem on it and can find a 120mm Manitou Marvel fork for it. I did a 1x conversion with Ebay parts and it's a XC weapon now when the full squish is too much for those trails. Sure Seth used to ride some trails in Florida when he lived there but if that's near you I don't know.
I live in Central Florida and we have the Alafia River State Park.. balm Boyette trails.. and Carter Road mountain bike trails, also known as Loyce Harpe Park... they are all old phosphate pits from the mining industry... they all have double black diamond and a majority of them are pretty techie, you have to keep your eyes off your front wheel or they will sling you off to the Gators!!! No joke!!... there are plenty of videos on UA-cam if you want to look it up it's a great place to vacay
I am in Ontario, Canada, and all that I could find was a Talon 3. I just did a Shimano 1 x 12 upgrade yesterday and have a Rockshox Recon Silver RL coming later this week. I was on a trail today for over two hours, with plenty of climbs and descends. I love the new drivetrain and am hoping the new fork will make me just as happy. The problem now is that I have a deposit on a 2022 X-Caliber 9, which will arrive sometime next March. As it is now too similar to what I have, I may upgrade my order to a full suspension bike.
I have an Aluminium - Scandium Kona Cinder Cone With upgraded wheels. Light and simple. Better for simple trails but It makes you smile almost everywhere.
Hi guys , I'm 47 year old and new to the mountain biking world . I have this voodoo , brought it new from (Halfords) sorry about that 😬. Well it is a great little starting point and I keep up with my mates on there 2 to 3 grand dream machines. Great to see that it made it to the bottom in one piece 👏👌👍.
FairPlay.. you have done as asked.. Now why don’t you upgrade using those budget upgrades you detailed before and see how it handles then? Maybe maximise budget using eBay and marketplace to source the parts?
Had my Trek marlin 5 for about a year now. Gave it new pedals, grips and tires but only really been on local single track trails as not had the chance to get further afield, but love it! Really need to give it some decent work to do at a trail centre........
Great video guys, I've always thought that the best bike out there is the one you're riding! Currently riding a Whyte 801 which some would class as budget and some not, all I know is that I love it!
What I will say is this is a pretty rough trail, for a budget bike, Which isn’t exactly a full trail bike but a mixture of different niches. It did very well for that trail and I think it’s a great bike for newbies. I don’t think newbies will be riding this kind of trail instantly 😂. But yk you can easily get cheap upgrades when absolutely needed!
The voodoo always gets good reviews for the price, if you are like me it's perfect for trails and nothing too technical. Once you get better and more confident, then if you can afford to upgrade then do. I'm happy with my Cannondale hard tail with factory kit, although the rear hub failed after a year 🙄
This makes me feel really good, and a bit bad too.... becuase this kinda is my bike, close enough (I've a 2012 Trek Mamba) and when you don't have all the money or bike availability of a pro team, then you have to ride what you have. I love my bike, and I love mountain biking. So I just have to keep that in mind with all the FOMO that watching MTB video's gives me. I'm also learning to fix the bike, and install different parts, and tune the gears, and do some of the mechanics. I think that it's been really valuable for that reason. All of my friends who have expensive bikes just take them into the shop to get them fixed, and I'd like to be self sufficient if I can in the future. Great video... becuase it does show what a cheaper bike can do when in the hands of the right rider! I've also got a rear tyre insert!! Because that's a MUST on a beginners cheap bike!!
I got a Giant Talon 1 and this hardtail is a beast. Upgraded the pedals, grips, and I want a dropper post now. I’ve loved every single second I’ve been on this bike.
Had a voodoo Bantu and had experienced the exact same, pinch puncture and everything rattled loose all the time, plus the tyres offered very little grip, but goes quick and pretty fun! Just doesn’t fill you with confidence
i think the best way to push a bike like this to the limit is doing big jumps with rocky landings and street riding because it the most easy way to break wheels, forks, and frames.
I bought a Polygon Premier 4 about 6 weeks ago - my first mountain bike. My thought had been that if there's a decent frame, components are upgradable as they break, wear out, or the rider ability surpasses their capacity. It's not if you break the bike, it's when, and how.
I ride a 2017 Voodoo Bizango, and have steadily upgraded the bike since buying it. 140mm fork, dropper, Hope wheels etc. Only standard thing really now is literally the frame. Didn’t have the budget to buy a more expensive bike from the outset, but when the time comes that I want a new frame, I can transfer these parts over. Right from new it felt good, and a massive step up from my old bike, but now it will handle anything I throw at it, although we’re talking reds and a few black bits. Love the bike!
I had a Voodoo Bantu when I first got back into riding (and when I first discovered this channel) and for like a £400 bike the specs were great and the bike felt great for what I was doing. Great video to show that these bikes are still capable of doing some crazy stuff if you’re feeling brave!
budget upgrade series, Neil Blake and Rich race against the clock down a section of trail and each week the commenters get to choose which part of the bike to upgrade next and re race and see how times increase for each rider each week. solid few weeks content, doddy gets content from upgrading the parts/what to look out for when changing etc for gmbn tech, gmbn does zoomies, commenters get involved. everyones happy. no part can cost more than the entire bike new though.
Thing is Voodoo frames are grate, designed by Joe murray a MTB pioneer he's forgot more than properly most of us put together know when it comes to bikes and frame design,people don't realise that the frames them self's are grate,it's the components that make them so budget and don't let them get a look in,if voodoo did a high spec bike it would be up there with the rest
Well, yes, of course a high end version would be as good as others in the high price range...thing is the big brands cheap bikes are even more flimsy than this one!
Bang on there lad! My Bantu frame has taken some huuuuge impacts and it's as fresh as new still 2 years down the line!! Voodoo are the Kings of bang for buck with bikes!!!
@@mikearmstrongofficial1725 there's nothing wrong with the strength of voodoo frames I have a voodoo hoodoo myself it's just the geometry of the head tube angle that's a bit skewed compared to a trek Marlin or giant talon for the same price but you do get better gears & brakes with the voodoo.
Voodoo got me back into riding . Still use my 26' upgraded voodoo for shooting about .. even after having two more bikes .. winter riding just keeps going ...
I have a Giant Talon 2 and I am having a blast. I am 71 years old. I don't do black trails and don't do jump jumps. My talon has handled all I have put it through. Even some stuff I wasn't ready for, but, hey, you only live once.
funny - I had one of the first Voodoo bantu before they scrimped on parts...now Boardmand 8.6 - never found the need to go crazy expensive once you upgrade to dropper post and tubeless interesting video
I'm riding a GT aggressor, it's pretty budget, but I just did pedal upgrades, tires, handlebars, stem grips, so not so budget anymore. lol... And Rich is right, it gets you out there and that's what's important. I'd love to do all these trails, jumps, climbs, etc, but those will eventually come!
Can't really go wrong with a halfords brand when you're on a budget tbh.. they just have so much buying power you get the same kit for 100's off the equivalent 'big brand' Used to tear a boardman hardtail around.. thing was a beast.. kind of miss it when im riding tamer stuff on my current whyte 905.
Rich, thankyou for making this video and taking on this challenge....... please please upgrade this bike, even if you use second hand forks and budget bars & brakes it would be a great example of what people can achieve with a very capable budget bike and how much better they can make them even on a budget.... it would be an epic episode.
Picked me up a GT Avalanche recently. Got in new on sale and when I think of budget bike, I think Budget manufacturer. Brands that don't exist in the red bull rampage or crankworks leagues. The more attention that those brands get the better because most of us don't start off on a trek, a canyon, or a Nukeproof. Great video.
Also, the cheaper your bike, the more room for upgrades and personalization. I'm into my GT 1200 USD and Ive got some solid tires on good dartmoor 27.5s and 140mm rockshox on the front. Not something you'd get on a bike of the same price straight off the shelf.
Yep, I have this bike. Upgrades so far: 203mm front rotor, 180mm rear WTB trail boss 2.6 rear tyre, WTB verdict 2.5 front 800mm spank spoon skyscraper bars at 75mm DMR V12 pedals
I have a Rockrider ST 520, hardtail, it's my first mtb, and it costs €300,-. It has microshift components, and forks that for some reason you have to adjust to your weight. No rebound, no nothing. But, it rides, it shifts and it brakes. And more important then anything, i can do this amazing sport! I think we all should be more gratefull of the trusty steed(s) we have, budget or not.
I ride the aizan which is the one below the hoodoo. Its great fun and has got me into it. I've upgraded brakes, pedals bars stem and gone tubeless, each making a huge difference, but just taking the opportunity to learn and eventually change to a frame with better geometry
Great video. Thanks for listening to viewer feedback and going to a lower budget bike. I ride with a group of four: 26" hard tail 26" dual suspension 27.5" hard tail 29" hard tail None of these bikes would be worth more than $AUD 1,000. Maybe all combined would be close!
I can tell you for a fact before I watch this video that a budget bike can handle itself well. My $400 Trek survived 3 mountains, 3 car accidents and still handled a few bike parks before covid struck. I am lucky to have survived too. 👍
i bought this bike about a year ago and the only thing that went wrong was the bottom bracket, then i changed the bars, grips and peddles and it was a trail shredding machine, the breaks are really good so i haven't changed them yet. long story short this bike is the best for the price and really fun to ride down trails and good for climbing also
A skilled rider can ride any bike well, unless a bite is do bad Tha ti's impossible, which means a bike that bends and folds and breaks as you ride it, yes those exist, but those are bottom of the line and not safe to ride especially for heavy riders, but very different to this Voodoo. Like those super cheap Wallmart bikes. But a bike that fits and has a good geometry helps alot, with reducing fatigue and make riding it easier. But expensive does not mean good, nor budget friendly bad. It depends.
I’ve not long picked up a Fat Baz from Planet X, really impressed with the spec for the price, dodgy saddle as standard and the tyres aren’t the best for the woods, but it’s got me out again and I’m having great fun.
I’ve been riding my trusty Haibike Big Curve 9.40 for several years now. Even I got myself now a proper trailbike, the old one stays around for daily use and cardio runs. And maybe some rides through flatter terrain.
I ride a 13 carera vengeance with crank brothers pedals and panaracer fire xc pro tires with mt200 brakes and x brand 740mm bars and grips. Not a very good rider but I enjoy riding my £300 steed. Brilliant show
I have a carrera vulcan that iv spent some money o. To bring it up to speed, 1× drive train, rockshox air fork, wider bars and shorter stem, some continental Mountain King tyres and I absolutely love it.. Takes me everywhere I wanna go. Yes its a budget bike but its mine and I love it ☺️
Rocking a Cube Analog 2020 (Upgraded to tubeless and better Schwalbe tires along side with a Rockshox Recon Silver RL 2021). Im mostly riding light XC stuff and going on longer trips so the bike is really capable for all of that :)
I got hold of a Cannondale F9 for my son. Swapped out the wheels for sunringles with the red anodised hubs and fitted budget ClarksM2's. It runs beautifully on the trails and on a pump track. The Dart2 forks remain, but i had fun refurbishing them, and they will be upgraded as some point to something plush. Astronomical prices for eg Pivot cant be justified unless you are racing regularly. Thanks for this. How about a budget build series?
great vid, but i was impressed by the song choice at 4:20 , and checking the replay graph i guess i'm not alone. Now i'm stuck listening to that song on repeat. Killrude - Reload FYI
I have a Rockrider ST 520, hardtail, and it was €300,-. It does what it needs to do, and I think that's all that matters, because thanks to that bike I get to enjoy mountainbiking.
I have One my self and pet me tell you its probably the best budget full suspension bike out there... Based on and old cheap but rellyable monopivo the rear works better than it was suposed on such a cheap bike That cames with a similar suntour xcr gork like the One on this vodoo... A great base for upgrades and we can increase travel on the front until 140 MMS though the steer tube is not tappered... I upgrades mine with a Shimano deore 2x10 grpupset and brakes with 180 MMS disc at front and continental tires... It can handle the trails on the test quite fine wothout breaking anithing and the rear sistem is quiet and noisly or clicking noises free it was Nice to see someone pusjing it hard
I bought a second hand st 540 s for my son. Upgraded the fork : recon rl air fork for 180 euros, new tires, cassette and grips. Very nice to ride and quite light.
My budget bike before my current 1600euros build was a late 90s Wheeler 3900zx on wich i put a better fork and a front disc brake and a modern cockpit and off course better tires. Cost me around 200euros and for the money it was a lot of fun!
Am honestly really chuffed to see that you guy´s do accept the challenge of dropping the bar for " budget " even lower , and still admitting they can be fun to ride :-) My present 1 grand " cheapo " has already had xc pedals , dropper post fitted and getting 203er front disc and Mezcal,s done later this week , did have rockshox and shimano xt from stock , so the preposed " budget " was exceeded anyway ;)
Im rocking the vitus nucleus vrs 29er. It was 750 quid and for the price its a beast! A few upgrades like a dropper post and better tubeless tyres and its a great bike
I have a norco storm 4 and it's an awesome bike for the price wide bars short stem just put new tires pedals and grips on it and it's awesome did need to replace a wheel thi but that was from a crash so pretty good
I have a Voodoo Hoodoo, the model before that. I've upgraded my haibike sduro LT with components and thrown the Haibike parts onto it. So I have 4 pots, swapped for SLX 1x11, wider bars and fox 34 forks upfront. Awesome for a little trail bike!
Rocking a Giant talon 2 atm.. I'm all over the place with that hardtail on the trails I'm riding at haha 😄 I have a stumpy comp alloy on order though, huge upgrade, should arrive next week 😎
Bought a 2019 GT Avalanche Sport. Added a Rockshox Judy 120mm fork, 40mm stem, 78m bars, Crank Brothers pedals, Bontrager Line Comp Wheels and Maxxis Ardent tires. Price, including purchase of bike used, is still under $1k. It rides very nicely now. I might buy a Vitus Sentier or Canyon Stoic 2 in 27.5 so I can have two bikes one in 27.5 in addition to my 29er.
Hardtail for the win, I love my 2017 ragley cost me 550 quid used a few years back , got some super gravity casing tyres, 1x10 deore groupset, budget shimano brakes and a set of sun tour forks. Hasn't let me down yet! Easy to maintain, service everything myself down to the forks 👍 Upgrading to something newer hasnt even crossed my mind to be honest! I feel at one with the bike, like its part of me, you really don't need to spend thousands to have a solid reliable capable bike.
I have a bike that I got a couple years ago for $500 that was an old 2004 avalanche gt. The only upgrades that I’ve done are a $130 fork (because the stock one was completely collapsed) and some new pedals. I only recently upgraded to a full suspension enduro and it’s been an entirely different world
But it also depends a bit, it is doing great, but if you ride thst stuff too often its going be break more than it should. I just broke the axle inside the hub (not the axle that screws into the bike, but the thing in your hub that you put your axle that goes into the bike trough, it's both called a axle, idk why). And that was on a 150mm trail bike
The cheapest bike I have seen that still has 2 disk brakes is the Specialized Rockhopper (base). It sells new for $500-$550, mechanical brakes on 160 rotors front and rear, 2x8 Shimano TourneyTX rear derailleur, 100mm SR Suntour XCE front shock. I don’t know the geometry, but it’s a half decent XC style bike. I have this bike and only changed the brakes and got rid of the front derailleur, and have had a blast of a time on it.
"I don't like it! I want my XC bike back.." Oh that had me laughing. Rich your presenter skills keep improving and you seem more relaxed. Great video keep it up.
I ride a 2019 trek marlin 6. Original suspension, upgraded to a sram eagle nx, installed a dropper, upgraded tires and better flats. I love that bike. I’ve put over 2k miles on it. Lots of rugged techy trail. I beat up the wheels a lot. That’s the one component that seems to not hold up. I need to ride tubes with high pressure to keep them in tact. Or buy wheels that cost more than the frame-which seems silly. It would be great to see something that speaks about how to get the longest life out of a wheel.
I have a Carrera Kraken, cheaper but still very capable...but the cheaper parts comment applies. Within 2 years I've had to replace the fork, BB, rear hub, the entire drive chain because they wear out quickly on anything rough. It's great fun to ride though, love the bike.
Videos like this are SUPER important.
Kids riding voodoo, carrera and similar bikes need to know they don’t need a £5000 super bike to shred.
Check out new MTB FAILS Compolation on our channel! 🔥💯🤙
ua-cam.com/video/1LF8BuCXJPs/v-deo.html
Exactly right mate 🤘🤘 My Voodoo gets a load of abuse and it sails past expensive bikes on the hardest of terrain proving your point. It's all about fun and if you want it then start on a hardtail and get some speed!!
Very true!
Exactly, kids saying their bike isn’t good enough to do stuff need to know that they can do almost anything on them if they are good enough
Ive got a kona lava dome and i comfortable go 30mph on some sections, was super suprised to be fair 🙃
GMBN: How hard can you push a "budget" mountain bike part 2
Sam Pilgrim: Today is gonna be epic! Watch me shred this double black diamond trail with a bike made from shopping carts!
haha sam is nuts
Check out new MTB FAILS Compolation on our channel! 🔥💯🤙
ua-cam.com/video/1LF8BuCXJPs/v-deo.html
I was just thinking this! 🤣
Yes, just had The same thought 🤣🤣👍
My brother just won't cut gmbn any slack 🤣
Do another one with half the price again!
there's Sam Pilgrim for these kinds of videos
Go watch some of my videos on my channel for some Voodoo Bantu down Fort William Downhill! Thats the model down from this one. Proper mental crack pal but a great watch!
Idk that bike was already super sketchy.
Let's see a walmart bike! Like a schwin or roadmaster
@@TheCharillz23 Dude, we aren't trying to get anyone killed, alright? Okay ...
You should try an upgrade series on this bike, first affordable upgrade, then all out pimpim' the beast :D
Tubeless setup, decent flats, upgrade the brakes and you're good to go!
They bought the bike of me to do exactly that but never have
Check out new MTB FAILS Compolation on our channel! 🔥💯🤙
ua-cam.com/video/1LF8BuCXJPs/v-deo.html
@@MileHighEric303 hi what are flat's, new to mtbs and just bought a voodoo
@@markbooth4868 Flats are pedals that you do not clip into. Good luck and have fun riding!
I think you should do a presenter challenge where you have to buy or build a bike for the least money possible Then race them on an XC course, an Enduro course and then a game of bike. At the end score them on their individual performances on each stage and deduct points for how much they spent on the bike. That way there is an incentive to buy as cheap as possible. It would be very Top Gear, but that sort of content would be awesome
More modern version of these:
ua-cam.com/video/hw3mHE3Z-N8/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/nGYtcV2dVC0/v-deo.html
They did do that, didn't they? There's one where they have a 100 budget each.
@@CurtisLodge1991 not really the same as building a decent bike though
@@stephenlord599 Definitely not, I agree, but this isn't about building a decent bike lol
@@CurtisLodge1991 they could build a very decent bike if they had the same budget as the new bike.
I guess it depends if the point is to show what you can do for a budget or just riding a dodgy bike. (Like they did at FOD)
my son has this bike and he loves it he's progressing so much on it. You've made his day featuring it on here doing this. Taking him to llandegla in a couple of weeks on it. We done a unboxing over on my channel and first ride 🤙
Check out new MTB FAILS Compolation on our channel! 🔥💯🤙
ua-cam.com/video/1LF8BuCXJPs/v-deo.html
Nice one dude glad I could help and hope he’s loving the bike it’s a great stepping stone for learning on 👊
@@richardpayne5176 he’s loves it mate! Honestly can’t keep the kid off it. He’s got to stay in though now for 10 days after a positive test today. He keeps looking outside at all the kids on there bikes. He really is a Mtber ❤️
I've been around Llandegla many a time on my old 2010 Hoodoo, it's a great value bike. The Voodoo Zobop is a good entry level full-susser as well, if he ever feels like upgrading.
Ah the wee dude looks so happy with it. Good stuff man, dropped a like on the vid and subbed
I'd be curious to see a mechanical check of the axles, hubs, spoke tension etc after this kind of bouncing around. Aside from making it down, how did the bike hold up?
Yessss. Get Doddy on the case.
Would make a great GMBN Tech show
It's a 2nd hand bike though. Unless they did checks before they rode it, it wouldn't tell you how much damage it took
Even DT Swiss XC rim spokes will come loose on this trail, he really should have used a more appropriate track for this video. Horses for courses. It should have been labelled “bike destruction video”
@@ApexHerbivore I rather hope anyone would check a bike used or otherwise before doing anything like top chief or the DH.
i have one and with a few upgrades (dropper, wide bars, pedals, tubeless tyres) its a very capable bike for the price.
I've upgraded mine too - dropper post, pedals, tubeless tyres and a Fox 32 fork with a 15mm wheel, all donated form my other bikes as they got upgraded. It's proper fun to ride now, taken it everywhere I usually ride on my bikes costing 4x as much and more. The original fork died after a few hard days at Windhill, still lasted nearly 1000 miles though!
I've got the Voodoo Bantu and the same. Needed some upgrades, but now pretty capable.
how wide are your bars? i thought these came with 740mm bars which seem pretty wide to me
@@Metalshark100 mine are 790mm
@@calumurquhart6498 omg those are wide!
I'm 28 and just dipped my toe into mtb got myself a carrera and can't wait to learn some skills and upgrade in time
FINALLY a Voodoo bike on GMBN! Next I want to see a Carrera bike go through its paces
Or rockrider
I love my Hoodoo, I've upgraded a few bits and it's an absolute riot for the money.
Fair play, I was one of them that called you out. Well done 👍🏻
Since there is Sam Pilgrim i can't take videos like this serious anymore :D
Check out new MTB FAILS Compolation on our channel! 🔥💯🤙
ua-cam.com/video/1LF8BuCXJPs/v-deo.html
Well, as we all know Sam Pilgrim could ride on a balance bike. But he’s Sam Pilgrim. Rich is pretty decent himself but, probably a bit more relatable for many of us. Keep the vids coming Rich!
😂
I have anxiously waited 6 months and then yesterday I was able to pick up my Giant Talon 1... quality budget bikes are very hard to come by right now in the Southern U.S... I will be leaving in the next hour for my first ride with it lol.... Florida's not known for its mountain biking trails but we do have two pretty gnarly Trail systems right by my house y'all wish me luck
Have the Talon 3, good intro bike up to blue trails esp if you put a slightly shorter stem on it and can find a 120mm Manitou Marvel fork for it.
I did a 1x conversion with Ebay parts and it's a XC weapon now when the full squish is too much for those trails.
Sure Seth used to ride some trails in Florida when he lived there but if that's near you I don't know.
I live in Central Florida and we have the Alafia River State Park.. balm Boyette trails.. and Carter Road mountain bike trails, also known as Loyce Harpe Park... they are all old phosphate pits from the mining industry... they all have double black diamond and a majority of them are pretty techie, you have to keep your eyes off your front wheel or they will sling you off to the Gators!!! No joke!!... there are plenty of videos on UA-cam if you want to look it up it's a great place to vacay
I am in Ontario, Canada, and all that I could find was a Talon 3. I just did a Shimano 1 x 12 upgrade yesterday and have a Rockshox Recon Silver RL coming later this week. I was on a trail today for over two hours, with plenty of climbs and descends. I love the new drivetrain and am hoping the new fork will make me just as happy. The problem now is that I have a deposit on a 2022 X-Caliber 9, which will arrive sometime next March. As it is now too similar to what I have, I may upgrade my order to a full suspension bike.
I have an Aluminium - Scandium Kona Cinder Cone With upgraded wheels. Light and simple. Better for simple trails but It makes you smile almost everywhere.
The sound of terrified excitement. Wonderful!
Hi guys , I'm 47 year old and new to the mountain biking world .
I have this voodoo , brought it new from (Halfords) sorry about that 😬. Well it is a great little starting point and I keep up with my mates on there 2 to 3 grand dream machines. Great to see that it made it to the bottom in one piece 👏👌👍.
FairPlay.. you have done as asked..
Now why don’t you upgrade using those budget upgrades you detailed before and see how it handles then?
Maybe maximise budget using eBay and marketplace to source the parts?
that would be sick I‘d love to see that
This is a tremendous idea!!
Had my Trek marlin 5 for about a year now. Gave it new pedals, grips and tires but only really been on local single track trails as not had the chance to get further afield, but love it! Really need to give it some decent work to do at a trail centre........
Great video guys, I've always thought that the best bike out there is the one you're riding! Currently riding a Whyte 801 which some would class as budget and some not, all I know is that I love it!
Definitely.. all about being out on the pedals regardless :)
What I will say is this is a pretty rough trail, for a budget bike, Which isn’t exactly a full trail bike but a mixture of different niches. It did very well for that trail and I think it’s a great bike for newbies. I don’t think newbies will be riding this kind of trail instantly 😂. But yk you can easily get cheap upgrades when absolutely needed!
The voodoo always gets good reviews for the price, if you are like me it's perfect for trails and nothing too technical. Once you get better and more confident, then if you can afford to upgrade then do. I'm happy with my Cannondale hard tail with factory kit, although the rear hub failed after a year 🙄
This makes me feel really good, and a bit bad too.... becuase this kinda is my bike, close enough (I've a 2012 Trek Mamba) and when you don't have all the money or bike availability of a pro team, then you have to ride what you have.
I love my bike, and I love mountain biking. So I just have to keep that in mind with all the FOMO that watching MTB video's gives me.
I'm also learning to fix the bike, and install different parts, and tune the gears, and do some of the mechanics. I think that it's been really valuable for that reason. All of my friends who have expensive bikes just take them into the shop to get them fixed, and I'd like to be self sufficient if I can in the future.
Great video... becuase it does show what a cheaper bike can do when in the hands of the right rider! I've also got a rear tyre insert!! Because that's a MUST on a beginners cheap bike!!
I got a Giant Talon 1 and this hardtail is a beast. Upgraded the pedals, grips, and I want a dropper post now. I’ve loved every single second I’ve been on this bike.
Had a voodoo Bantu and had experienced the exact same, pinch puncture and everything rattled loose all the time, plus the tyres offered very little grip, but goes quick and pretty fun! Just doesn’t fill you with confidence
I'm rocking on my voodoo mambo and I love it. It's better equipped than hoodoo, rides really well. Fun is priceless.
i think the best way to push a bike like this to the limit is doing big jumps with rocky landings and street riding because it the most easy way to break wheels, forks, and frames.
I bought a Polygon Premier 4 about 6 weeks ago - my first mountain bike. My thought had been that if there's a decent frame, components are upgradable as they break, wear out, or the rider ability surpasses their capacity. It's not if you break the bike, it's when, and how.
Well that’s a confident booster. Thanks GMBN! ❤️
I ride a 2017 Voodoo Bizango, and have steadily upgraded the bike since buying it. 140mm fork, dropper, Hope wheels etc. Only standard thing really now is literally the frame. Didn’t have the budget to buy a more expensive bike from the outset, but when the time comes that I want a new frame, I can transfer these parts over. Right from new it felt good, and a massive step up from my old bike, but now it will handle anything I throw at it, although we’re talking reds and a few black bits. Love the bike!
Trek 3900 back from 2012, upgraded with Deore m6100 groupset takes the beating on weekly rides and daily commutes greatly!
I had a Voodoo Bantu when I first got back into riding (and when I first discovered this channel) and for like a £400 bike the specs were great and the bike felt great for what I was doing. Great video to show that these bikes are still capable of doing some crazy stuff if you’re feeling brave!
Absolutely 💯 mate! Over on my channel you can see me shred a Bantu down the Fort William Downhill course!
Great fun passing the expensive bikes 😁😁😁🤘
budget upgrade series, Neil Blake and Rich race against the clock down a section of trail and each week the commenters get to choose which part of the bike to upgrade next and re race and see how times increase for each rider each week. solid few weeks content, doddy gets content from upgrading the parts/what to look out for when changing etc for gmbn tech, gmbn does zoomies, commenters get involved. everyones happy. no part can cost more than the entire bike new though.
I’m a newbie on Giant Rock SE that I picked up for £60…think the bike is older than me but I love it!
Thing is Voodoo frames are grate, designed by Joe murray a MTB pioneer he's forgot more than properly most of us put together know when it comes to bikes and frame design,people don't realise that the frames them self's are grate,it's the components that make them so budget and don't let them get a look in,if voodoo did a high spec bike it would be up there with the rest
Well, yes, of course a high end version would be as good as others in the high price range...thing is the big brands cheap bikes are even more flimsy than this one!
Bang on there lad! My Bantu frame has taken some huuuuge impacts and it's as fresh as new still 2 years down the line!! Voodoo are the Kings of bang for buck with bikes!!!
@@mikearmstrongofficial1725 there's nothing wrong with the strength of voodoo frames I have a voodoo hoodoo myself it's just the geometry of the head tube angle that's a bit skewed compared to a trek Marlin or giant talon for the same price but you do get better gears & brakes with the voodoo.
Voodoo got me back into riding . Still use my 26' upgraded voodoo for shooting about .. even after having two more bikes .. winter riding just keeps going ...
I have a Giant Talon 2 and I am having a blast. I am 71 years old. I don't do black trails and don't do jump jumps. My talon has handled all I have put it through. Even some stuff I wasn't ready for, but, hey, you only live once.
funny - I had one of the first Voodoo bantu before they scrimped on parts...now Boardmand 8.6 - never found the need to go crazy expensive once you upgrade to dropper post and tubeless
interesting video
Come on Rich for part 3 go real budget how about a Carrera Hellcat 😂 or get Blake to race you on one 😂
Check out new MTB FAILS Compolation on our channel! 🔥💯🤙
ua-cam.com/video/1LF8BuCXJPs/v-deo.html
Tbh that exact voodoo model cost £450 brand new so the price difference isn’t exactly much
Thanks for making and posting the video, it goes to show riding ability is paramount.
I'm riding a GT aggressor, it's pretty budget, but I just did pedal upgrades, tires, handlebars, stem grips, so not so budget anymore. lol... And Rich is right, it gets you out there and that's what's important.
I'd love to do all these trails, jumps, climbs, etc, but those will eventually come!
Yes! I love this! Something a large portion of us can relate to 👌🏻
Can't really go wrong with a halfords brand when you're on a budget tbh.. they just have so much buying power you get the same kit for 100's off the equivalent 'big brand' Used to tear a boardman hardtail around.. thing was a beast.. kind of miss it when im riding tamer stuff on my current whyte 905.
Love it, would love to see more proper budget bike stuff, times are tough
Rich, thankyou for making this video and taking on this challenge....... please please upgrade this bike, even if you use second hand forks and budget bars & brakes it would be a great example of what people can achieve with a very capable budget bike and how much better they can make them even on a budget.... it would be an epic episode.
I rode a Calibre Line 20 which was £600 new. It's an absolute beast of a bike for the money!!!
It's a halfords special, but that barrel goes even deeper gentleman 🤣 great work, fun video
Picked me up a GT Avalanche recently. Got in new on sale and when I think of budget bike, I think Budget manufacturer. Brands that don't exist in the red bull rampage or crankworks leagues. The more attention that those brands get the better because most of us don't start off on a trek, a canyon, or a Nukeproof.
Great video.
Also, the cheaper your bike, the more room for upgrades and personalization. I'm into my GT 1200 USD and Ive got some solid tires on good dartmoor 27.5s and 140mm rockshox on the front. Not something you'd get on a bike of the same price straight off the shelf.
Yep, I have this bike. Upgrades so far:
203mm front rotor, 180mm rear
WTB trail boss 2.6 rear tyre, WTB verdict 2.5 front
800mm spank spoon skyscraper bars at 75mm
DMR V12 pedals
I have a Rockrider ST 520, hardtail, it's my first mtb, and it costs €300,-. It has microshift components, and forks that for some reason you have to adjust to your weight. No rebound, no nothing.
But, it rides, it shifts and it brakes. And more important then anything, i can do this amazing sport!
I think we all should be more gratefull of the trusty steed(s) we have, budget or not.
I ride the aizan which is the one below the hoodoo. Its great fun and has got me into it. I've upgraded brakes, pedals bars stem and gone tubeless, each making a huge difference, but just taking the opportunity to learn and eventually change to a frame with better geometry
I'd love to see a video with a good budget bike like this and the affordable upgrades to make it truly trail ready!!
Love Rich on this show. Great dude.
Great video. Thanks for listening to viewer feedback and going to a lower budget bike.
I ride with a group of four:
26" hard tail
26" dual suspension
27.5" hard tail
29" hard tail
None of these bikes would be worth more than $AUD 1,000. Maybe all combined would be close!
This is the kind of thing I would love to see more of
I can tell you for a fact before I watch this video that a budget bike can handle itself well. My $400 Trek survived 3 mountains, 3 car accidents and still handled a few bike parks before covid struck. I am lucky to have survived too. 👍
i bought this bike about a year ago and the only thing that went wrong was the bottom bracket, then i changed the bars, grips and peddles and it was a trail shredding machine, the breaks are really good so i haven't changed them yet. long story short this bike is the best for the price and really fun to ride down trails and good for climbing also
Voodoo is a great choice if on a budget.
Would rather a better known brands used bike for same money like a used specilized rockhopper or the likes
@@vtecmossy So you'd be willing to downgrade to a coil fork, a 2x drivetrain, and Tektro brakes? I wouldn't.
Budget bike gang right here! So much fun to ride!
Love these videos everytime I feel like my hard tail isn't capable you guys release a video like this that makes me realise I can push my bike harder
A skilled rider can ride any bike well, unless a bite is do bad Tha ti's impossible, which means a bike that bends and folds and breaks as you ride it, yes those exist, but those are bottom of the line and not safe to ride especially for heavy riders, but very different to this Voodoo. Like those super cheap Wallmart bikes.
But a bike that fits and has a good geometry helps alot, with reducing fatigue and make riding it easier. But expensive does not mean good, nor budget friendly bad. It depends.
Nice one Rich (and Neil for the donner bike). Even budget bikes get us out there, and out there is worth it on two wheels 👊
I've been on a Voodoo for a few years now...Changed everything but the frame...Brilliant bike..Ha !
I’ve not long picked up a Fat Baz from Planet X, really impressed with the spec for the price, dodgy saddle as standard and the tyres aren’t the best for the woods, but it’s got me out again and I’m having great fun.
Been riding Cannondale Trail 7 Since October. $700 to start, upgraded to an airfork for $300
I’ve been riding my trusty Haibike Big Curve 9.40 for several years now. Even I got myself now a proper trailbike, the old one stays around for daily use and cardio runs. And maybe some rides through flatter terrain.
I ride a 13 carera vengeance with crank brothers pedals and panaracer fire xc pro tires with mt200 brakes and x brand 740mm bars and grips. Not a very good rider but I enjoy riding my £300 steed. Brilliant show
I have a carrera vulcan that iv spent some money o. To bring it up to speed, 1× drive train, rockshox air fork, wider bars and shorter stem, some continental Mountain King tyres and I absolutely love it.. Takes me everywhere I wanna go. Yes its a budget bike but its mine and I love it ☺️
Rocking a Cube Analog 2020 (Upgraded to tubeless and better Schwalbe tires along side with a Rockshox Recon Silver RL 2021). Im mostly riding light XC stuff and going on longer trips so the bike is really capable for all of that :)
The voodoo is a good little bike but definitely i like the fluffy little mech of hair spiking from the helmet🤩
I got hold of a Cannondale F9 for my son. Swapped out the wheels for sunringles with the red anodised hubs and fitted budget ClarksM2's. It runs beautifully on the trails and on a pump track. The Dart2 forks remain, but i had fun refurbishing them, and they will be upgraded as some point to something plush. Astronomical prices for eg Pivot cant be justified unless you are racing regularly. Thanks for this. How about a budget build series?
great vid, but i was impressed by the song choice at 4:20 , and checking the replay graph i guess i'm not alone. Now i'm stuck listening to that song on repeat. Killrude - Reload FYI
Yeah for the Voodoo👍👏☺!
The budget hardtail vids are the best
I have a Decathlon Rockrider 540, would be interesting to see such a test. In Hungary a budget cheap bikes meant less.then 250gbp
I have a Rockrider ST 520, hardtail, and it was €300,-. It does what it needs to do, and I think that's all that matters, because thanks to that bike I get to enjoy mountainbiking.
@@Yes_this_is_my_cat Same here. I wouldn't do anything proper crazy on it, but for what I do do, it's great.
I have One my self and pet me tell you its probably the best budget full suspension bike out there... Based on and old cheap but rellyable monopivo the rear works better than it was suposed on such a cheap bike That cames with a similar suntour xcr gork like the One on this vodoo... A great base for upgrades and we can increase travel on the front until 140 MMS though the steer tube is not tappered... I upgrades mine with a Shimano deore 2x10 grpupset and brakes with 180 MMS disc at front and continental tires... It can handle the trails on the test quite fine wothout breaking anithing and the rear sistem is quiet and noisly or clicking noises free it was Nice to see someone pusjing it hard
I bought a second hand st 540 s for my son. Upgraded the fork : recon rl air fork for 180 euros, new tires, cassette and grips. Very nice to ride and quite light.
Rich is such a good addition to the gmbn team
This is actually very cheap indeed, im loving the effort and honest review, quality content as always GMBN! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the support @jabe! Glad you enjoyed it !
@@gmbn no you must do the big jumps that would be epic 😎
My budget bike before my current 1600euros build was a late 90s Wheeler 3900zx on wich i put a better fork and a front disc brake and a modern cockpit and off course better tires. Cost me around 200euros and for the money it was a lot of fun!
Am honestly really chuffed to see that you guy´s do accept the challenge of dropping the bar for " budget " even lower ,
and still admitting they can be fun to ride :-)
My present 1 grand " cheapo " has already had xc pedals , dropper post fitted and getting 203er front disc and Mezcal,s done later this week ,
did have rockshox and shimano xt from stock , so the preposed " budget " was exceeded anyway ;)
raleigh talus 2 im shredding.....was abit scary after the front wheel worked loose after some trails!
Finally a video for most of us with budget hardtails.
Im rocking the vitus nucleus vrs 29er. It was 750 quid and for the price its a beast! A few upgrades like a dropper post and better tubeless tyres and its a great bike
I started with a Trek Marlin 6 in 2016. It has since had everything upgraded on it... except the metal of the frame...
Cheers bro.....I have the 2021 model 😎 but I doubt if it's that much capable like the voodoo
I just put a deposit on one of these. Hopefully I made a good choice to start on..
I have a norco storm 4 and it's an awesome bike for the price wide bars short stem just put new tires pedals and grips on it and it's awesome did need to replace a wheel thi but that was from a crash so pretty good
I have a Voodoo Hoodoo, the model before that. I've upgraded my haibike sduro LT with components and thrown the Haibike parts onto it. So I have 4 pots, swapped for SLX 1x11, wider bars and fox 34 forks upfront. Awesome for a little trail bike!
pilgrim has hai bike
@@BlackMamba-lt8oe ok?
I ride a focus cypress. From 2006 I use it for the Dutch trails blue and green works great so far
Rocking a Giant talon 2 atm.. I'm all over the place with that hardtail on the trails I'm riding at haha 😄
I have a stumpy comp alloy on order though, huge upgrade, should arrive next week 😎
Its not about bikes you ride but about ride your bike takes you on. 🤙🏼
Cannondale trail five. Upgraded most of it. Yet to go tubeless. And still need a dropper.. but she’s a beaut
Bought a 2019 GT Avalanche Sport. Added a Rockshox Judy 120mm fork, 40mm stem, 78m bars, Crank Brothers pedals, Bontrager Line Comp Wheels and Maxxis Ardent tires. Price, including purchase of bike used, is still under $1k. It rides very nicely now.
I might buy a Vitus Sentier or Canyon Stoic 2 in 27.5 so I can have two bikes one in 27.5 in addition to my 29er.
Hardtail for the win, I love my 2017 ragley cost me 550 quid used a few years back , got some super gravity casing tyres, 1x10 deore groupset, budget shimano brakes and a set of sun tour forks. Hasn't let me down yet! Easy to maintain, service everything myself down to the forks 👍
Upgrading to something newer hasnt even crossed my mind to be honest! I feel at one with the bike, like its part of me, you really don't need to spend thousands to have a solid reliable capable bike.
The noise of a budget bike going downhill is nostalgic
I'm getting into it all with an Greenfield Mount Kilimanjaro which i'm also having as a kind of restoring project
Great energy and a great vid, mate !
I have a bike that I got a couple years ago for $500 that was an old 2004 avalanche gt. The only upgrades that I’ve done are a $130 fork (because the stock one was completely collapsed) and some new pedals. I only recently upgraded to a full suspension enduro and it’s been an entirely different world
But it also depends a bit, it is doing great, but if you ride thst stuff too often its going be break more than it should. I just broke the axle inside the hub (not the axle that screws into the bike, but the thing in your hub that you put your axle that goes into the bike trough, it's both called a axle, idk why). And that was on a 150mm trail bike
The cheapest bike I have seen that still has 2 disk brakes is the Specialized Rockhopper (base). It sells new for $500-$550, mechanical brakes on 160 rotors front and rear, 2x8 Shimano TourneyTX rear derailleur, 100mm SR Suntour XCE front shock. I don’t know the geometry, but it’s a half decent XC style bike.
I have this bike and only changed the brakes and got rid of the front derailleur, and have had a blast of a time on it.
"I don't like it! I want my XC bike back.." Oh that had me laughing. Rich your presenter skills keep improving and you seem more relaxed. Great video keep it up.
I ride a 2019 trek marlin 6. Original suspension, upgraded to a sram eagle nx, installed a dropper, upgraded tires and better flats. I love that bike. I’ve put over 2k miles on it. Lots of rugged techy trail. I beat up the wheels a lot. That’s the one component that seems to not hold up. I need to ride tubes with high pressure to keep them in tact. Or buy wheels that cost more than the frame-which seems silly. It would be great to see something that speaks about how to get the longest life out of a wheel.
Ive got a kona lava dome and that thing absolutley shreds, i ride it more than any of my other bikes too
I have a Carrera Kraken, cheaper but still very capable...but the cheaper parts comment applies. Within 2 years I've had to replace the fork, BB, rear hub, the entire drive chain because they wear out quickly on anything rough. It's great fun to ride though, love the bike.