£1k hardtail from Evans through CTW scheme
Sumner
Posts: 10
Evening All
I'm a lapsed mountain biker who recently clambered (gingerly) back into the saddle and instantly remembered what he'd been missing.
Before I exhaust the generosity of friends with bikes to lend I intend to take advantage of the cycle-to-work scheme to buy a sub-£1,000 hardtail for weekend cross-country riding. I'm an inelegant, unsympathetic rider with limited mechanical nous, so the bike will need to be solid, well made and reliable.
Unfortunately, through the scheme I'm obliged to purchase through Evans Cycles, which, in Central London at least, means patchy support/advice from shop staff and little opportunity to test-ride. It also - unfortunately - rules out the Boardmans and Carreras that I've seen frequently recommended in response to similar queries.
My shortlist, gleaned from a combination of this forum, a trip to my local Evans and an admittedly ill-educated analysis of online specs is as follows (all are for '09 spec bikes which I'm limited to by Evans and/or the CTW scheme):
- Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc (£979) or Expert Disc (£880) - I 'm not sure the extra £100 on the RRP for the Pro spec is worth it, but perhaps its worth the extra £60 after the CTW tax credit?
- Trek 6700 Disc (£1,000) - spec looks good on paper, but does it hang together? I see the '08 version received a lukewarm reception in reviews.
- Pinnacle Evolution 2.0 (£1,000) - another relatively good spec on paper (if I can get over the lurid paintjob) but I know nothing about Pinnacle's bikes or reputation.
- GT Zaskar Elite (£980) - I owned a Karakoram way back in the mists of time and it served me reasonably well...would the Zaskar be worth a look?
- Genesis Altitude 2.0 (£930) - is a steel frame a backwards step? I thought it was a case of aluminium or carbon fibre these days?
- Canondale F5 HS33 (£950) or F4 (£900) - I remember Canondales as being the best money could buy, but at this price range their specs seem off the money. Is there more to them than meets the eye?
Its painfully apparent that what little I thought I knew about mountain bikes is desperately out of date, so whatever advice anyone's able to offer would be most gratefully received.
Thank you
Antony
I'm a lapsed mountain biker who recently clambered (gingerly) back into the saddle and instantly remembered what he'd been missing.
Before I exhaust the generosity of friends with bikes to lend I intend to take advantage of the cycle-to-work scheme to buy a sub-£1,000 hardtail for weekend cross-country riding. I'm an inelegant, unsympathetic rider with limited mechanical nous, so the bike will need to be solid, well made and reliable.
Unfortunately, through the scheme I'm obliged to purchase through Evans Cycles, which, in Central London at least, means patchy support/advice from shop staff and little opportunity to test-ride. It also - unfortunately - rules out the Boardmans and Carreras that I've seen frequently recommended in response to similar queries.
My shortlist, gleaned from a combination of this forum, a trip to my local Evans and an admittedly ill-educated analysis of online specs is as follows (all are for '09 spec bikes which I'm limited to by Evans and/or the CTW scheme):
- Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc (£979) or Expert Disc (£880) - I 'm not sure the extra £100 on the RRP for the Pro spec is worth it, but perhaps its worth the extra £60 after the CTW tax credit?
- Trek 6700 Disc (£1,000) - spec looks good on paper, but does it hang together? I see the '08 version received a lukewarm reception in reviews.
- Pinnacle Evolution 2.0 (£1,000) - another relatively good spec on paper (if I can get over the lurid paintjob) but I know nothing about Pinnacle's bikes or reputation.
- GT Zaskar Elite (£980) - I owned a Karakoram way back in the mists of time and it served me reasonably well...would the Zaskar be worth a look?
- Genesis Altitude 2.0 (£930) - is a steel frame a backwards step? I thought it was a case of aluminium or carbon fibre these days?
- Canondale F5 HS33 (£950) or F4 (£900) - I remember Canondales as being the best money could buy, but at this price range their specs seem off the money. Is there more to them than meets the eye?
Its painfully apparent that what little I thought I knew about mountain bikes is desperately out of date, so whatever advice anyone's able to offer would be most gratefully received.
Thank you
Antony
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Comments
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The genesis is reviewed on this sit - and is very good in my opinion.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-09-34014
If steel isn't your thing, Genesis do alu versions of their bikes aswell.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gen ... e-ec017152
The Spesh and the GT are safe bets, and are more xc orientated. The trek could serve you very well.
Why don't you get in some test rides to see what you make of them.Now that we are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. ROMANS 15:10 -
Thanks, Whytepeak. I'll certainly try to test ride as many of the options as I can, though living in Central London, anything more than a spin around the block is hard to set up. Hence my eagerness to hear from people with experience of these bikes in their natural habitat!0
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I doubt you'll hear a bad work about the zaskar. Theres a few people with the old and new models and they all love them.0
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Zaskar is always a good buy. Also worth considering the Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo...... recent winner in the classic hardtail test!0
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Thanks, bigbenj_08 & guilliano. I'm intrigued by the Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo. Can it really hold its own against bikes retailing for 25% more, or would it require some upgrading of forks etc (which I'm unsure would be possible within the strictures of the Evans-operated CTW scheme)?0
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Sumner wrote:Thanks, bigbenj_08 & guilliano. I'm intrigued by the Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo. Can it really hold its own against bikes retailing for 25% more, or would it require some upgrading of forks etc (which I'm unsure would be possible within the strictures of the Evans-operated CTW scheme)?
Trust me mate go for the Gary Fisher it's incredible value and it rides amazing!!! the G2 frame is the best thing to come in the last 5 years!! the forks though not the best spec work great with this set up! essentially the Fisher is a trek bike as they bought them out some time ago hence the Bonranger finishing spec! And to top it all it looks the dogs!!!!
ITS A NO BRAINER!!!!!!
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Thanks, Robert. The Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo is on the (not so short) "test ride shortlist", along with the Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc, Trek 6700 Disc, GT Zaskar Elite and Genesis Altitude 2.0.
Quite what sort of a test ride I'll be able to arrange remains to be seen, but as a few other people on this forum seem to be looking at trail hardtails in the sub-£1,000 bracket, I'll post my thoughts...however banal and/or uninformed they might turn out to be!0 -
You can always pay extra in cash if you want a more expensive bike.0
