UKC

Is it worth getting a £1000 full sus boardman bike when the forums tend to say don't spend under £1500 on a full sus bike. Should I stick with the hard tail?..

In reply to Kerm:

Not bad advice although about the price, I havnt ridden the boardman I have also heard its one of the few full sus bikes worth considering in the sub £1000 price point. You could always check pink bike for some d3ecent bikes.

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1475179/ for instance

In reply to Kerm:

OK, here one data point...

I have a entry level hard-tail (Cannondale F6) which cost me ~£350 and which then got upgraded to RS Reba forks (~£250 from Merlin).
I also have a full-sus (Giant Trance) which was about £1200.

When it comes choosing which to take, it's about 50/50 depending on terrain. Yes the Trance is a full-sus, but the Reba air fork is much better than the XC32 on the Trance, and the Cannondale is much lighter.

So allowing for inflation (the hard-tail is older), the £7-800 HT gets the vote as often as the £1200 FS. If I get round to upgrading the Trance fork (say £300), then I suspect that it'll be FS all the way. Unless I'm anticipating significant carrying, in which case the HT may still have the edge perhaps.

Make of that what you will.

In reply to Kerm:

Unless you are spending a good amount of money on a full sus, don't bother. The other parts (e.g. drivetrain) will be much lower spec on a full sus when compared to equivalent price hard-tail.

Up-side to a full sus is that you could always upgrade the components in the future, but if you do this go for a brand with a proper lifetime frame guaranty (e.g. trek, giant).

IMHO go for a good hard-tail and save up for 'if' you feel to need to have a full sus in the future. If you've been riding hard-tails for a while already and still don't know if you should go full sus, then you more than likely don't need to.

In reply to Kerm:

It shouldn't ALL be about the price, they are both different beasts and will have pro's and con's at all the price points (ie you could spend £3k on a hardtail if that floats your boat).

If you are set on a full suss bike then the boardman is a good buy for the money and I'd certainly be looking at one of I decided I wanted a full susser. I wouldn't say you have to spend £1500 or above to get a good full suss bike. If you shop around in the sales that could become £1000. Components can be upgraded later, as they wear out.

In reply to Martin1978:

I don't think I'd ever buy an off-the-shelf bike again.

Find a good bike shop and build up from a frame (or do it yourself, with help). The bikes that have lasted were built this way (Bullit and 2x Giant VTs).

Spend the money on wheels (Hope Hoops, job done) and fork.

I recently bought a Commencal Meta AM HT1 hardtail and already have replaced the wheels, front brake and dropper seat post. (though it does get ridden hard!).

In reply to Kerm:

The big question is whether you need a full-suss, and the simple answer is that for the vast majority of off-road riding in the UK you don't . On the other hand, the place where it is really useful to have an FS are also the most fun!

I have both an FS and a HT and do similar mileage on them, though if I had to choose one in would be the FS, because it does give me more confidence on tricky descents.

I have to say I'd be inclined to stick with the conventional wisdom that £1000 is too cheap for an FS. You'd get a much better HT for that money, and might even find you can afford a dropper post, which I reckon is the most useful upgrade you can make

In reply to Kerm:

Two friends of mine have Boardman mountain bikes. One has the full-sus, one has the hardtail. Both really rate them, though the Monarch shock on the full-sus is giving one of them issues at the moment (that can happen on much more expensive bikes too, of course). The specs are certainly very strong for the price.

I agree with others who say that the Boardman might be a rare exception to the rule that full-sus bikes aren't worth buying under £1500. Both bikes are very XC-oriented so it's worth looking elsewhere if you're into anything a bit more "rad" (or likely to progress that way).

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Surely it all depends on HOW you want to ride them.

I ride the same Peak trails on long travel full suss and long travel hardtail.

The hardtail gives brutal and skin of teeth DH riding (and really enjoyable for that!), and I've even been faster on some DHs than on the Bullit, lol. The FS just makes it less dangerous and gives you way way more margin for error and is faster/fun on the all out really rocky stuff - I don't think I'd ever be faster on Cavedale on the hardtail, but then again....

In reply to Kerm:

Just my two pence worth,I have bikes in the garage that cost between 400 and 6,000.I can honesty say they all give me the grin factor.
Ok the cheaper one may not be the best spec,its heavier not as smooth sus,but I still keep up with the guys I go out with,still have a giggle.
I know this day and age cycling has gone thru the roof,its so much more expensive,but not everyone out there can afford the dream bike.Like must of us when we were young we bought "a Bike"then specced as we went or as things broke.

My advice,buy the best you can afford,if you want full suss then have it,there is a big difference in riding a hard tail and a full suss.Go for what your heart is set on.It may not be as fancy as some but after the blast through the woods you will be grinning just as much.

I know a few guys who ride out on the hills on Boardmans and enjoy them and from what I have seen can take a hit or two.

In reply to ChrisJD:

Some people ride around the shore route at Ladybower on a full-suss, others will be happy going down the beast on an HT, and 20 years ago I did Cavedale on a fully rigid. Ok I carried it at times, but I got down.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

That's not the point I was trying (and clearly failing) to make.

Riding the same route on a HT of FS will give very different experiences (not saying one is better than other), so it is important (for most people, unlike us who have multiple bikes) to decide which camp they want to be in - or at least start in .

In reply to ChrisJD:

My point is that there are only a few descents where I feel I really need an FS. There are plenty that I know I will enjoy more on the FS, and plenty where it will make no real difference, so you are paying (in effort as well as money) for something you don't really need.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

I think you have got need/want muddled up a bit


That's contradictory - if you are going to enjoy it more - then you need it! lol


Looks like we have different views on what a good ride constitutes - its all about the DH sections for me and being fast/close to the edge, so consensus on want/need is unlikely! (Note - I only ride off-peak in the Peak (and usually in the dark))

In reply to ChrisJD:

I'm reluctant to say you "need" an FS for any descent as you'll always get someone saying they rode it on a full rigid 20 years ago

If you are purely interested in DH then yes get a FS, but in that case you'd probably not be asking the question in the first place.

In reply to Chris the Tall:


LOL, for sure

In reply to Kerm:

Thanks for the comments. I'm not sure of the weight difference so I'm trying one out next weekend.