What MTB with 'normal' (ie not disk brakes) for £450

adeyboy

Mornin' all.

I want a hardtail without disks as I don't believe I need them for the type of riding I'll be doing, I'd rather the 'money' went elsewhere on the bike and I want to swap in my wheels off the old bike which has semi-slicks on. I really also want a bike with mudguard/rack mounts.

So... I have £450 tops..... Trek 4500 looks a decent bet. Any thoughts folks?

Many thanks for taking the time to read!!

A

supersonic

First thing that sprung to my mind was that Trek. Instead of discs the money has been put into lighter parts and a 9 speed deore drivetrain. Nice bike.

adeyboy

Thanks for that Supersonic. Everything I can read about it suggests it should be a good 'un. I'm pleased it's a Trek too as my LBS who have been great with my road bike, purchased last year, deal with Trek.

supersonic

Give it a quick try out, see how you get on.

Wish there were more V equipped bikes at this price - they are lighter, and fit the bill for a lot of riders.

This is the joker in the pack:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=25443

Great fork for that money!

BoardinBob

Disc brakes at this point are not necessarily a compromise elsewhere

Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 down to £450

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-8-1-34963132/

Tora fork
27 speed X7 drivetrain
Juicy 3 brakes

A much better buy than the Trek

adeyboy

Yep, will try it out absolutely. I agree about the V Brakes. I'm sure discs are 'better' in the sense that they are more powerful, but there is no choice anymore. V Brakes have been good enough for 10 years or so...... and I'm convinced they will suit me better.

BeOne looks interesting actually - a pal has one of their road bikes and is very pleased -so I would have no worries about getting if I thought it suited/could try it out.

adeyboy

BoardinBob wrote:

Disc brakes at this point are not necessarily a compromise elsewhere

Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 down to £450

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-8-1-34963132/

Tora fork
27 speed X7 drivetrain
Juicy 3 brakes

A much better buy than the Trek

I don't want disc brakes though. I appreciate your point, but I am trying to avoid a thread where everyone suggests a disc bike for the money!!

BoardinBob

Unless your only riding in dry weather and you'll never encounter any mud, why would you want to avoid discs :?

supersonic

My Vs are better than my discs in the mud ;-)

Good pads and rims can make quite a difference!

But as mentioned above, budget bikes can pile the money into a cheap set of hydros and neglect other areas. Swings and roundabouts.

That Decathlon bike is superb value though.

adeyboy

BoardinBob wrote:

Unless your only riding in dry weather and you'll never encounter any mud, why would you want to avoid discs :?

Like I wrote in the original post, so I can get my wheels from the old bike in.. but also, weight, knowing my way around non-disc brakes, and despite the link you posted, I'm suspicous of disc brakes at this price point. They are a gimmick at entry level and no doubt a welcome addition higher up; in the middle, for £450, I'm not at all convinced it is the wisest use of the cash.

Remember when V Brakes came out, all the talk was of them being too powerful!! They'll do me for riding the lanes in the winter to keep road bike in good condition, cruising the canal towpath/cycle path with the wife and the odd bit of fire road/forest track pedalling.

BoardinBob

adeyboy wrote:

BoardinBob wrote:

Unless your only riding in dry weather and you'll never encounter any mud, why would you want to avoid discs :?

Like I wrote in the original post, so I can get my wheels from the old bike in.. but also, weight, knowing my way around non-disc brakes, and despite the link you posted, I'm suspicous of disc brakes at this price point. They are a gimmick at entry level and no doubt a welcome addition higher up; in the middle, for £450, I'm not at all convinced it is the wisest use of the cash.

Remember when V Brakes came out, all the talk was of them being too powerful!! They'll do me for riding the lanes in the winter to keep road bike in good condition, cruising the canal towpath/cycle path with the wife and the odd bit of fire road/forest track pedalling.

Hmm

Doesn't sound like you need a mountain bike at all. You'd be better off looking at a hybrid.

for what it's worth the Avid Juicy 3 brakes on the bike I linked to are far from "gimmicks". They are superb brakes that are found on bikes costing three times the price of the Rockrider.

I would definitely have a think about whether you need a mountain bike. A good hybrid with a rigid fork and decent tyres sounds more in line with what you'll use it for.

Northwind

Your reasons all make sense. Unfortunately the bike industry doesn't At this price point most customers expect discs, so even though it'd make good sense to go with Vs it'll really limit your choice.

Are there still any 08 Rockhopper Vs kicking about? Under your budget (£400-ish, they were) but great buys

blablablacksheep

Are there still any 08 Rockhopper Vs kicking about? Under your budget (£400-ish, they were) but great buys

sorry mate i nicked the last 19" 08 rockhopper from evans lol. got it for 390:)

maybe ebay might have some though i seen them selling like hot cakes and they priced between 400+ even second hand due to demand for them.

adeyboy

Northwind wrote:

Your reasons all make sense. Unfortunately the bike industry doesn't At this price point most customers expect discs, so even though it'd make good sense to go with Vs it'll really limit your choice.

Are there still any 08 Rockhopper Vs kicking about? Under your budget (£400-ish, they were) but great buys

Hmmmm, a few months late then I guess. Any thoughts on the Trek? Here's the spec etc http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/mo ... ies/4500e/

Oh, how about a Hardrock Comp?

Thanks again.

Northwind

I don't know that Trek but based off the spec it doesn't look too good, dart 3 at this price and not much else that jumps out as being particularily brilliant... Speclists don't tell half the story of course but on paper, it's saving on the brakes but you're not really getting much in return. Nicer drivetrain than many bikes in that segment but then, I'd sooner have an alivio 24 speed setup and a better fork.

Then again, you can find 08 models for £350.

So, all in all, indecisive handwaving

passout

Try Merlin Cycles. I'm sure that used to do a Malt 1 with Deore and Vs...good value.

blablablacksheep

Try Merlin Cycles. I'm sure that used to do a Malt 1 with Deore and Vs...good value.

sadly this wrong, i tried merlin after the hype about how good they are and found them un helpfull, was told rather i must admit sarcasticly that i cannot afford their malt 1 bikes for anything less than 600 quid.

so unless you got 600 quid, not inclu p and p then merlin isnt te right people .