Claud Butler Alpina Review — Is It the Best Mountain Bike Under £500?

If you're shopping for a hardtail mountain bike around the £500 mark, you've probably narrowed it down to the usual suspects — a Carrera from Halfords, maybe a Voodoo, possibly a Rockrider from Decathlon. But there's a bike that keeps outselling everything else in our store, and it's one a lot of riders overlook: the Claud Butler Alpina.

We sell hundreds of bikes a year here at Discounted Bikes, and the Alpina 1.0 is consistently our best-selling adult mountain bike. So we thought it deserved a proper, honest review — what it does well, where it cuts corners, and whether it genuinely is the best MTB under £500 right now.

Who are Claud Butler? A quick history

Claud Butler is one of Britain's oldest bike brands, founded in London in 1928 and famous through the mid-20th century for hand-built racing frames. Today the brand sits under the Tandem Group (the same UK company behind Dawes and Falcon), focusing on well-specced, keenly priced road, gravel and mountain bikes. In short: it's a heritage British name, backed by a long-established UK bike company — not a mystery marketplace brand.

The Alpina range at a glance

The Alpina was completely overhauled for 2024, and it's a genuinely modern bike now. There are two models in the current range:

• Alpina 1.0 — the entry point. Alloy frame, 100mm suspension fork, Shimano CUES 2x9 drivetrain, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes. 
• Alpina 2.0 — the step-up model with upgraded components.

Both run 29" wheels and share the same updated frame and trail-focused geometry. This review focuses on the 1.0, since that's the one sitting right on the £500 line — but almost everything here applies to the 2.0 as well.

Frame and geometry: the biggest surprise

This is where the Alpina punches hardest for the money. Budget mountain bikes have historically been built around old-fashioned, twitchy geometry — short frames, steep head angles, long stems. The new Alpina takes its cues from modern trail bikes instead: a longer top tube, a slacker head angle, a short 45mm stem and wide 750mm handlebars.

What does that mean in plain English? The bike feels stable and confidence-inspiring when the trail points down, and the wide bars give you real control at speed. It's designed and geometry-tested for UK riding — everything from canal towpaths to trail centres — rather than being a generic catalogue frame. For a bike under £500, that's genuinely rare.

Sizing is straightforward: Medium (17"), Large (19") and X Large (21") frames cover riders from roughly 5'6" up to 6'4". Not sure which you need? Our Bike Finder will match you in 60 seconds.

Drivetrain: Shimano CUES is the headline spec

The Alpina 1.0 runs Shimano's CUES 2x9 drivetrain — a 22/36t chainset paired with an 11-36t cassette. Two things matter here:

1. CUES is Shimano's current-generation groupset, designed to be more durable and longer-wearing than the old Altus/Acera kit you'll find on most bikes at this price. Shifting is crisp and it's built to take abuse.
2. The gear range is huge. That 22-tooth small ring with a 36-tooth cassette gives you a proper crawler gear for steep climbs — something a lot of budget 1x setups can't match. If you're getting into mountain biking, or your local hills are unforgiving, you'll be glad of it.

Brakes, wheels and tyres

Stopping power comes from Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes. These are the workhorse brakes of the bike industry — you'll find them on bikes costing twice as much — and they're consistent, reliable and easy to maintain. At this price, hydraulic discs (rather than cable-operated ones) are a big win.

The 29" wheels are wrapped in WTB Ranger 2.25" tyres, which are a smart choice: fast-rolling on hardpack and towpath, decent puncture resistance, and enough grip for trail centre blue and red runs. The 100mm suspension fork up front takes the sting out of roots and rocks.

What we'd flag honestly

No bike under £500 is perfect, and we'd rather you buy with your eyes open:

• The fork is basic. It does the job for towpaths, bridleways and trail centre riding, but it's a coil unit — serious riders will eventually want to upgrade or step up a price bracket.
• No dropper post. Standard at this price, but worth knowing if you're planning steeper descents.
• It's not a featherweight. Like every alloy hardtail under £500, it carries a bit of heft compared with £1,000+ bikes. The modern geometry hides it well.

None of these are deal-breakers at £475 — they're simply where every sub-£500 bike saves its money. The difference is the Alpina spends its budget in the right places: frame, gears and brakes.

Claud Butler Alpina vs the competition

vs Carrera Vengeance (~£400–£450): The Vengeance is the default budget MTB, but the Alpina counters with the newer Shimano CUES drivetrain, a wider-range 2x9 setup, and more modern trail geometry. If you can stretch the extra, we think the Alpina is the better long-term buy.

vs Voodoo Bizango (~£600+): The Bizango is an excellent bike — but it's drifted well over the £500 mark. The Alpina 1.0 gets you most of the way there for over £100 less.

vs Rockrider (Decathlon): Strong value, but you're typically getting own-brand or older-generation components. The Alpina's full Shimano CUES-plus-hydraulic-disc package is a more proven spec, backed by a UK dealer network.

Verdict: is it the best MTB under £500?

For most riders — commuters who want weekend trail capability, returning cyclists, and anyone buying their first "proper" mountain bike — yes, we think the Alpina 1.0 is the strongest package under £500 right now. Modern geometry, current-generation Shimano gearing and hydraulic disc brakes is a spec sheet that simply didn't exist at this price a few years ago.

And here's the part that tips it: the Alpina 1.0 carries an RRP of £624.99. At that price it's a good bike. At £475.99 — a saving of £149 — it's the bargain of the category. Prefer more spec? The Alpina 2.0 at £522.99 (RRP £699.99) upgrades the build for less than £50 more.

Why buy your Alpina from Discounted Bikes?

• Price match promise — found it cheaper? We'll match it.
• Free UK delivery on all bikes.
• 0% finance — spread the cost with Klarna, Clearpay or PayPal Pay-in-3, or save up to 47% through the Cycle to Work scheme.
• 90-day no-quibble returns and a 12-month warranty.
• Rated Excellent on Trustpilot — a Shrewsbury-based family business shipping nationwide.

Shop the Claud Butler range →

Still not sure it's the right bike for you? Answer four quick questions in our 60-second Bike Finder and we'll match you to your perfect ride.

Prices correct at time of writing and subject to change. Check the Claud Butler collection for live pricing and stock.