First full suss, £1500 maximum budget - Boardman ?

uptown

I'd appreciate some advice as I'm about to buy my first full suss. Max budget is £1500, Boardman Pro is the favourite at the moment. 2 other contenders are the Lapierre Zesty 214 and X Control 310 which are in a sale at 1400 and 1500. I ruled out the Anthem as I felt my weight was too far forward

I don't plan on doing anything like drop offs etc yet, ideally want to keep the wheels on the ground. I'll want to do some trail centre stuff, plus general XC stuff and maybe the odd marathon.

I've had short rides on all of them but struggled to get a good feel as they were just car park rides.

Is the Boardman the best bet ? Like the Zesty but is it overkill for the type of stuff I want to do ?

roommonkey

I'm in the same boat - I too have the same budget and the Boardman Pro FS is on my list. I've got a Boardman hard-tail which is great but I want my next purchase to be right. The Boardman FS cannot be beaten on value and spec for the price but will it retain its value?

The other bike that I'm looking at is the Specialized FSR Pro, which come in around the same price and it's arguably a better frame (??)

Any help would be great...

gers84

Excellent spec, but heavy frame.

Personally I'd keep and eye out for reduced 08 09 bikes like this

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2009

http://www.rutlandcycling.com/10983/Mar ... n=pid10983

turpinr

i've had my anthem x4 for about a month now and am happy with my choice.i only paid £1120 for it though so that helped

Anonymous

Pretty sure the Boradman pro is lighter than a wolfridge. Quite a bit lighter in fact.
In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the wolf-ridge is a bruiser of a machine, and possibly not what uptown is looking for.

Boardman is a great bike. But don't get wrapped up in the whole "I don't do dropoffs" thing. They are a very common trail feature, and telling yourself you won't do them early on can make it harder to pick them up later on.

bails87

Not that a Boardman won't be capable of drop offs of course.

Pudseyp

Shop around..bargains aplenty to be had such as this if your a small
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s1p1723
Carbon frame..half price at £1,400...
The 2009/2010 bikes are being discounted so try the big online stores..the Trance arwe nice bikes..

Redmans

Ive got a 09 stumpjumper elite and have just bought an 10 stumpjumper comp my friend had just bought the boardman pro and it rides just as good maybe even better, Dont be fooled by well known brand names...

colint

I was in a similar position uptown and was lucky enough to be lent a Boardman for a couple of hours. It's fantastic, I'm inexperienced off road but felt really confident on it, you won't go wrong with the Boardman. I went with a 29er HT as it fitted me better and the larger wheels felt better to me, possibly because all of my off road riding has been on a cross bike, but even thoigh I love the 29er I'd love to have the Boardman as well

Bar Shaker

My FS Pro weighs in at 12.4kg with Mountain King Protections on it. It's an amazing bike and I would be spending £3k if I wanted to change it.

I initially looked on eBay and saw one go for almost £900 and another go for £950.

It's everything I wanted from an XC bike and is much more capable than me.

Anonymous

bails87 wrote:

Not that a Boardman won't be capable of drop offs of course.

Oh god no, I'm not saying that at all. It's a very capable bike and will handle all trail riding duties.

torgey33

Had same decision to make recently, 1500 quid for a light trail/XC bike, and was looking
at giant anthem x4, zesty 214, spesh fsr xc pro. Went for the spesh fsr xc pro on the
feel i got from demo, the looks and £250 knocked off with 12 months 0% @ Certini.
Been out several times on my local loops (weathers been a bit s#*t lately) and it has a great feel to it,
definately not as good as a HT on long steep climbs
but same or better on flowing single track and bombin` on the downs.

Pudseyp

If you don't mind an older model...this takes some beating for spec...
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s1p1501

Fox front and rear, XO/X9/XT carbon cranks, avid juicy ultimate, carbon bars and seatpost..etc etc....short travel so should be ideal for your needs

nick1962

"don't do drop offs"
You might not now but I guarantee that after a while you will be doing especially if you visit trail centres. Plus all other sorts of trail centre obstacle fodder!
With practice the Pro and many other decent FS bikes will give you the confidence to tackle stuff you'd probably never dream of at the moment.The ride is much comfier too.
Was in a similar position myself a while back and went for a 2008 Stumpjumper Elite. Great all round bike but I find now that I have improved my riding I wish I had something a bit more hardcore with a bit more travel,say 140mm...150mm..160mm....

Not saying you can't do any of this on a hardtail 'cos I do but it's not as much fun for me

uptown

Thanks for the replies. Re the drop offs etc, I suppose I mean no intention of trying them yet, but as I get better then I'm sure they'll come.

I decided on the Boardman, and had another quick ride on it today, despite the salesman in Halfords wetting himself and telling me he'd be sacked if anyone found out I was being given a test ride ! Unfortunately it just feels a bit on the small side, I'm not freakishly tall at 6'3" but the Large size didn't feel right, shame they don't do an XL.

From a bit more searching I've seen people recommending 29ers for tall riders, but I can't believe that's the only option. Reallywanted a FS, but all the 29er FS are way out of my budget. This is turning into hard work

rockmonkeysc

Giant Trance X3 is awesome, slightly over budget at £1600. They can be hard to get hold of at the moment but the new model should be in the shops soon.
Boardman FS pro does have an extremely good spec for the money and I have never had any problems with Halfords service.
I'm always a bit suspicious about these 2008/2009 bikes. If they are any good why have dealers still got them hanging around 2 years later? As I said the Trance is an awesome bike & Giant have sold out of them this year, must be a good reason why they have sold out.

colint

29ers are a good option for tall riders, but don't rule out conventional sized wheels just because the Boardman didn't fit. Lots of manufacturers do an XL size.

Anonymous

Are you sure it was small? A proper fitting mountain bike is nothing like a proper fitting road bike.
They tend to have a lot more seat post sticking out to achieve the right saddle height to pedal efficiently, so that you have room to drop the saddle for more technical stuff.
Also, they tend to be much shorter along the top tube than road bikes, to allow you to move your weight around freely.

It's also worth considering that some frame designs will be of different proportions, and some riders will prefer one kind of thing over another.
For example, I was talking with another Wolf Ridge rider on Wednesday, who loved the bike, apart from the short cockpit of the bike. He was looking to sell it after two years, because of this short top tube.
I, on the other hand, actually like the short top tube, and is one of the main reasons I like the geometry of the frame
It's all swings and roundabouts.

But, anyway, the important thing is, an MTB is not fitted in the "traditional" way.

Bar Shaker

I am 5'11" and ride a medium. The size feels perfect but I do have the seat quite high to work with my leg length.

I would be amazed if the big was set up correctly for you and would have thought you would be no more than a large in any bike. It might be worth sitting on a few different bikes but you should feel that you are master of it, not stretched across it.

Bar Shaker

I am 5'11" and ride a medium. The size feels perfect but I do have the seat quite high to work with my leg length.

I would be amazed if the big was set up correctly for you and would have thought you would be no more than a large in any bike. It might be worth sitting on a few different bikes but you should feel that you are master of it, not stretched across it.

uptown

Tried a Specialized today and decided the Boardman is just a tad too small, gutted as I really wanted one but it just didn't feel right.

Current front runner is the FSR XC Pro, reduced to £1250. I'm thinking the Zesty will be overkill at 140mm travel ?

Any final words of wisdom before I push the button ?

Bar Shaker

Its a good bike and not far behind, spec wise. Massive discs, so you should stop OK!

Solid re-sale value on Specialized bikes, should you ever wish to sell.