UKC

Hi All,

Did a bit of mountain biking as a kid but didn't ever have a proper bike with suspension. Have got into road biking over the last couple of years but after a few visits to trail centres and hiring mountain bikes I've decided to look into getting one. Want to get a hardtail I think.
Looking for:
Recommendations - something decent but not breaking the bank (no more than £900, but hopefully less).
Stuff to look out for, e.g. what is worth extra cash and what isn't, is a 29er worthwhile etc.

I've seen these:

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/saracen-mantra-expert-12?bct=brows...

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/focus-black-forest-29r-2-0-12?bct=...

http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3008

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/kona-cinder-cone-hardtail-mountain-bike-id67...

Which is a better buy? Pros and cons etc. Any (helpful) insight welcome.

Cheers,
Paul

In reply to PTatts:

probably most important thing is to ride a few different brands and see if you feel more comfortable / bond with the handling on any particular brand first.

In reply to PTatts: Current best buy hardtail is Voodoo Hoodoo, £500 from Halfords. http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/review-vo...

Downside is you get it from Halfords who aren't renowned for their technical expertise so you may have to readjust gears and double-check everything after you take delivery.

At that price try and get something with a Reba on the front. 29er hardtails almost certainly a good idea if you are tall, and may well be still if you are of average height.

In reply to PTatts:

To reply to your question of which isthe best of the four you have chosen , the canyon has the best spec by far.Best shifters,brakes,mechs and wheels.

Best thing is to at least ride the bike before you buy it which can be difficult with some online only retailers.

Of the bikes listed so far, the Voodoo would be my first choice with money left over to upgrade the wheels to something lighter and more durable.

The spec on the Canyon though is great and the Reba fork is much better than the Recons on the other bikes you've listed. The only weak point is the brakes - Avids can be OK if you get a good set, but too often they end up being unreliable and need lots of attention. You can get a new set of Shimanos for around £80 though and you could sell the Avids for around £40 so if you don't get on with them it's not a disaster.

29ers are better on some terrain and worse on others despite what the manufacturers who want to sell you the latest greatest thing will tell you. In most situations differences are marginal one way or the other and remember the fastest bike in the world only goes fast when you sit on it and pedal. Spec for spec a 29er will be heavier though as there is more metal in the frame and forks and the wheels will be heavier, more flexible and weaker. Whether or not this actually makes any real world difference though is debatable.

Finally it's worth looking around second-hand. Plenty of people go on holiday to Centre Parks or similar and get very excited about the whole cycling thing. they go home and buy a grands worth of bike which they ride twice and then forget about. You can often pick up virtually unused bikes for less than half what they cost new. A friend of mine got an immaculate Scott Genius which sold for £2800 and he paid £900 for it and got all the original receipts etc so not stolen.

In reply to PTatts:

I would steer well clear of all halford brands of bikes (don't mean to offend anyone).


When i buy i AVOID the following things whatever type of bike i buy
* Brake and gear levers as one piece units..
* Cranks where the chain rings are not replaceable individually (look for Allen key bolts around the crank)
* Disk brakes which do not use hydraulics.. Either go for rim brakes or full hydraulics (The extra cost of hydrualics is well worth it for the stopping power)
* Frame size thats to big. ruins goo off road riding.


I'd look at going into a branch of Evans if there's any near you, because all the ones i've been to the staff are very helpful and give excellent knowledgeable advice. Much better than youll get from any halfords store. another one to look are is Leisure Lakes bikes.

Both these shops stock massive ranges of different manufacturers and one of the leisure lakes has a test track behind the store to go trial the bikes (well did last time i went)

In reply to PTatts:

Cheers for the advice all, pretty green on the subject so good to get some ideas. Think I'll have to do a trawl of some bike shops next week. Any further advice welcome. Also, sizing wise, obviously I'll try some out but I'm 5 11ish, and my roadie is a 56cm frame, what kinda size should I be looking at? 18in?

Thanks,
Paul

In reply to PTatts: http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/bikes/mountain-bikes/merlin-bikes/mer...

There is an ex-demo crush going for £999 https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/offers/