Which mountain bike is a better buy? Silverback vs. GT

[NINER_boy]

In that price class, I would say have a good look at the best warranty and aftersale service.

 

That would indicate the best bike for the budget

[dee_biker]

Save up ! And buy a Silverback storm 29er !! Best spec bike for your money .. You wont need 2upgrade later.. The titan 29er range is also very nice priced.. Good luck!!

 

Please guys. This is not what he asked. The Storm is a 25k bike, and his budget is 8k. Sorry to sound a bit full of ****, but I shake my head when someone asks for advice on a bike with a X budget and you advise them on a bike 3 x X.

 

This is what he asked for (shot JohanPre44):

 

Just bought my wife a Sola 4 (paid under R7000), very nice bike. Reason for buying the Silverback was:

1. Air fork (can be tuned to work with my wifes weight, and its lighter than the coils)

2. Shimano Hydraulic brakes (prefer them over other brands)

3. And my wife loves the color scheme!

 

10 speed drivetrain would have been amazing (and also added couple of thousand to the price), but the Shimano 8 speed is very dependable (been running the same drivetrian on my bike for almost 2 years). Only issue with the 8 speed is the step between the 2 largest gears at the back is quite big, on 10 speed there is lots more inbetween.

 

Things that may be better on the GT:

1. Hubs (may have sealed bearings, cant see on their site, know the hubs on the Zaskars are sealed bearings)

2. 9 speed drive train (lots of non-shimano parts though)

 

My 2 cents is to always get the best fork for the price, and an air fork in this price range is hard to pass by.

 

If it was my 8k Jonno, I would buy the Silverback.

Edited April 3, 2014 by dee_biker

[Fabian46]

Hi, very good question...so Im going to throw a slight curve ball. I have a GT Zaskar Pro 29er, but also have a Jamis Full sus 26er.

 

Had a choice between a Silverback and the Jamis...Jamis won hands down for price and spec. I know this might not be what you wanted to hear....but believe me...its worth a check.

 

Bike Basement in JHB were the distributors\agents. The prices were very good when bought mine.

[Squier]

Silverback also have a brilliant after sales service.

 

True, cracked my frame a while back and had a warranty replacement in no time.

[Marius]

I started out with a GT, bomb proof but mo*r heavy, if there was Silverback when I started, I would have gone this that as you get better components / value for your money.

[CraigCCW]

My first 26" MTB was a GT Avalanche 3.0, and I really loved that bike. What made it such a great bike was that I did not break the bank when I bought it, which allowed me to get into mountain biking. As I started enjoying it more and entering more races, I started to upgrade the wheels, brakes, seat, and shock on the bike.

 

In the end I had a really great bike that was literally bullet proof.

 

GT is a fantastic brand, but I believe Silverback is a brand on the rise, and they are still in the process of making a name for themselves in the MTB business. That is why their bikes are really well equipped for the price.

 

In Dec 2013 I bought a Silverback Sola 1 and have been very happy with it.

 

My advice to you would be if you want a well equipped bike for a good price, then Silverback would be a good choice. If you want a really good bike and established brand with "okay" equipment for the price, then go for GT.

[zack33]

I also have a question. I found interesting models on the website http://www.bike4you.co.uk aand wonder whether to buy something with their offer. What do think about these mountain bikes?

[Wendy]

My 5c worth. I bought a GT Zaskar (woman specific) about 4 years ago. It was 13k and I got it for 11 because it was "last years model". I looooove my bike. No clue about specs, but I love the name and the colour and all the bits on it.

Sometimes that's all it takes.

 

Good luck OP. I don't think you will ever get decent advice from so many different opinions on here. Everyone has their loves based on so many different aspects. Take your 8K and go and see who will give you the best bargain for your bucks, if you love it, you will always love it (till you have more bucks of course).

 

Enjoy mountain biking. Im a roadie who likes mtbing because I love my bike.

[Brogue]

http://www.cyclefactory.co.za/index.php/bikes/29-mtb/sb-sola4-2014-detail

 

GT is "sexier" than Silverback,

 

BUT (and that's a BEEEEEG Butt) (see my play on words there, haha).....

 

You also need to consider after sales service and manufacturer warranties. Silverback will offer the original purchaser a LIFETIME warranty on an alu frame. http://www.silverbacklab.com/upload/2011_website_SILVERBACK/pdfs/WARRANTY_2011.pdf

 

GT not so much.

[Rouxenator]

About GT warranty, I am on my 3rd frame - bought a Karakoram 3.0 that I cracked after 10,000km, then got a Zaskar frame that lasted 6 months, then another Zaskar which I currently have and its still going strong 8 months later.

[@ndy]

I like silverback for a few reasons.

 

1. They are an SA brand. The design office is here they are tested here. They are German owned and for international marketing reasons fly the German flag.

 

2. They have a proper R and D philosophy, they don't just go to china and pick a bike from a manufacturer and put a label on it they design test and develop their products.

 

3. The value for money regarding the spec is better than most of the mainstream brands..

 

4. I'm no engineer but I work with composites and it is refreshing to see a brand design a bike around the build material and not succumb to marketing hype i.e. The storm is their premium carbon hardtail and the vida the aluminium. They look different as they should knowing that the properties of both materials are significantly different.

 

By the way I do not know the guys at silverback although I did meet one of their designers once. I do not own a Silverback, I ride and love my Santa Cruz , Silverback is just a brand I like.

 

 

 

[Smurfy]

Got a Sola 1, best buy for your money. Well speced and lighter than most other popular brands in the same price range. Very good aftersales service.

[Rouxenator]

I'm a beginner and this would be my first mountain bike with my highest price being R8000.

Got a Sola 1, best buy for your money.

Yeah... just one little problem, the Sola 1 is selling for R16000, which is pretty much double his budget.... Having been in the exact same situation 3 years ago I recommend the Karakoram, it was the best R5k I ever spent.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Rouxenator