Purchase Dilemma

WilkoTE

Been avidly reading many posts on this forum for 2-3 weeks now. I have weighed up the pro's and con's of many bikes, but just cannot seem to narrow down a single bike that would be most suited to me.

I will be mainly using the bike for a 10.2 mile daily trip to and from work. I will also be using the bike for lengthy days out in the countryside, with my girlfriend. Namely gravel and public cycle paths.

I have recently been pre-dominately fixated on a good Hydrolic Full Disc Hardtail. My budget is £500, and at a push I will stretch to £550.

I want the bike for quick and efficient commuting to work and back, and I want something slick and comfortable for rough terrain also.

I have the following Hardtails on my short-list;

GT Avalanche 2.0 HDisc

Boardman Sport 09

Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc 09

Carrera Fury 08

And finally, mainly due to the price, I have the following Full Sus on my short-list.

Giant Yukon FX 2

I am unsure if the Full Sus will suit my long commutes to work and back. I am also unsure which hardtail, in the long-run, will last well and still do all the tasks I need it to do, with no hassle and little maintenance (or more to the point, buiild-quality).

I am not very well clued up, but would like to make a brilliant and well-thought out purchase outright, so I have no need to upgrade in the future.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Also looking on comments regarding the Yukon FX 2 for general commuting purposes.

Thanks,

Chris

supermonkey

Don't get an FS.

Try out the hardtails and see which suits you. Of the ones you've mentioned I'd go for the Fury or Boardman.

Also these are going for £550 at the moment:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/giant-xt ... 44993.html

You can also get a Genesis Core 20 for about £550 if you shop around.

The Northern Monkey

FS + commute = nono.

De look fore a nice HT in your price range

keirtristan

+1 for the Core 20.

Both the Fury and Boardman are good bikes at the price. Also worth considering the Rockrider 8.1 from Decathlon.

Si78

Hi,

Ive got a Boardman Sport, very nice bike, chuffed to bits with it.

Of the bikes on your shortlist I would say that the Fury offers the best value. From what other people on this forum have said, it has a better fork than the Boardman.

The spec on the GT and the Specialized isnt quite as good as the Boardman or the Fury.

Si

WilkoTE

Appreciate all the helpful comments, thank you kindly.

I'm kinda swaying towards the Boardman at this point, if i'm honest. The Giant XTC 3 is also up there with it though, and I love the look of both.

I had hoped the Fury would come back down to £400 after what has been said, but obviously wasn't one of the included bikes in the latest Halfords sale.

The Core 20 is also tempting me, and I did manage to find one at £550. I am not a huge fan of the colour, is my only problem. I may change my mind once I see it though.

Good news is, my budget has now been stretched to £600.

I've been looking at a Cube Attention, as they look unbelievably nice, although the obvious downside being the poor fork and hiked price. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Larg ... elID=30539

I also found a very well specced and reduced price Pinnacle Peak 4.0 at Evans. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec018104

I think as someone obviously stated, a test ride is a must. Only problem is, a couple of those above are not available in any of my local shops.

Decisions are tough with so many great bikes to choose from.

MrChuck

Just to be awkward... why are you looking at mountain bikes at all? IMHO they make pretty poor commuters if you're on tarmac and gravel paths: heavier, soggier (tyres + suspension), under-geared etc etc. for no good reason. You'd be better of with something lighter and faster- take a look at Boardman's hybrid range.

Si78

WilkoTE wrote:

Good news is, my budget has now been stretched to £600.

Any chance you can squeeze out another £100?

Boardman Comp is £699...Just as sexy looking as the Sport, but with lighter frame, better fork, better brakes, better drivetrain.
I wanted it but couldnt add cash to my £550 cycle2work voucher

But then again, £700 opens up a whole new world of bike possibilities!

Si

Si78

MrChuck wrote:

Just to be awkward... why are you looking at mountain bikes at all? IMHO they make pretty poor commuters if you're on tarmac and gravel paths: heavier, soggier (tyres + suspension), under-geared etc etc. for no good reason. You'd be better of with something lighter and faster- take a look at Boardman's hybrid range.

Ive fitted some michelin semi-slicks to mine for riding to work. Were only a tenner each (52% off) at chainreactioncycles. Make a world of difference on asphalt.

I then refit my knobblies at the weekend. Bit of a ball-ache, but only takes me half an hour.
Next step will be investing in a second set of wheels/brake rotors/rear cassette that will be fitted with my knobblies, so a wheel change will only take a minute.

The Boardman hybrids are nice bikes ( a few lads at work have them ), but imho if you can only afford to own one bike, a H/T MTB will do a bit of everything.

Si

WilkoTE

Not awkward at all, I can understand why you mentioned it. My girlfriend lives very close to Derby and is also an avid rider, we will obviously be spending a fair bit of our time in the Derbyshire countryside and generally riding along dirt trails and such.

By all means I would probably be best fitted to a Hybrid for every day commuting purposes, but would not want to sacrifice a good solid ride on the weekends.

MrChuck

Si78 wrote:

The Boardman hybrids are nice bikes ( a few lads at work have them ), but imho if you can only afford to own one bike, a H/T MTB will do a bit of everything.

Si

That's true, but there's nothing to suggest the OP's interested in MTBing:

I want the bike for quick and efficient commuting to work and back, and I want something slick and comfortable for rough terrain also.

Where rough terrain sounds like:

Namely gravel and public cycle paths.

Unless I've misunderstood! So I'm going to stick to my suggestion of something other than an MTB. But of course you're right that an MTB will do everything and road tires would certainly help.

WilkoTE

Si78 wrote:

WilkoTE wrote:

Good news is, my budget has now been stretched to £600.

Any chance you can squeeze out another £100?

Boardman Comp is £699...Just as sexy looking as the Sport, but with lighter frame, better fork, better brakes, better drivetrain.
I wanted it but couldnt add cash to my £550 cycle2work voucher

But then again, £700 opens up a whole new world of bike possibilities!

Si

600 is the max limit, to be honest. I was looking into the cycle2work scheme, but my employer has no desire to participate.

700 would also open up the possibility of a Focus Black Forest, which is a jaw-dropper in every respect. Unfortunately, my budget won't stretch.

I already have a second set of wheels, so will take your semi-slicks idea and run with it. Hadn't really thought of being able to utilise those, actually. Cheers for that

Apologies MrChuck, I didn't really word the fact I would be gradually breaking myself back into MTBing. I plan on using it for dirt trails, and general countryside rides. Obviously will get into participating on some bigger rides once I ease myself back into it.

Sorry for any confusion.

Si78

MrChuck wrote:

Si78 wrote:

The Boardman hybrids are nice bikes ( a few lads at work have them ), but imho if you can only afford to own one bike, a H/T MTB will do a bit of everything.

Si

That's true, but there's nothing to suggest the OP's interested in MTBing:

I want the bike for quick and efficient commuting to work and back, and I want something slick and comfortable for rough terrain also.

Where rough terrain sounds like:

Namely gravel and public cycle paths.

Unless I've misunderstood! So I'm going to stick to my suggestion of something other than an MTB. But of course you're right that an MTB will do everything and road tires would certainly help.

I agree that a nice hybrid would be much more efficient for commuting.... I regularly get pi$$ed on by hybrids / road bikes on my way to work :oops:

But I wouldnt like to attempt any rough surfaces or kerbs on a hybrid / road bike. And bugger me, the tyres are sooooo thin! :shock: lol

The last time I rode a racer (many,many,many years ago) I got the front tyre stuck in a gap on a manhole cover and went flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyying lol

Si

MrChuck

WilkoTE wrote:

I didn't really word the fact I would be gradually breaking myself back into MTBing. I plan on using it for dirt trails, and general countryside rides. Obviously will get into participating on some bigger rides once I ease myself back into it.

OK, a hybrid's not really the go then! The Boardmans still look pretty good VFM though.