My first MTB - help me choose it

androo4519

I've been borrowing a friend's Specialized Hardrock for rides where my Ridgeback hybrid won't go and it's okay but old and clunky and not mine. He's on a Trek Fuel... but I'm not spending that sort of money though I tried one on a demo day and nearly persuaded myself.

I want my own MTB now and will spend up to £900 on a hradtail I guess, though a bit cheaper would be better.

I'll be riding bridleways, XC, local tracks. No racing or really tough stuff, though you never know! I don't often get driven to trails so I'll be riding on the road often too.

WHICH ONE TO BUY?

The Trek 6300 seems like an ideal spec to me, but I'm open to persuasion. Also like the look of the Genesis Core 20/30, which I can get locally. I want it to be LIGHT. I don't need a super-stable beginner bike (a lively ride is fine by me), and I have no brand loyalty.

I'm going blind reading all the specs! Any thoughts?

Dgh

I've got a Scott Aspect 20 (2010 model), very nice bike.

rockmonkeysc

Boardman hardtails are excellent value. Don't think you will get better for the money. Carrera Kraken is very good as well.

androo4519

I almost decided that the Scott Aspect 20 would be my bike, but I can't buy it locally since my LBS stopped dealing with Scott. I quite like the look of the Boardman/Carrera bikes but I hear so many warning tales about Halfords' setup and service that it puts me off. Plus I like the idea of supporting my local bike shop rather than a multinational.

wordnumb

androo4519 wrote:

I quite like the look of the Boardman/Carrera bikes but I hear so many warning tales about Halfords' setup and service that it puts me off.

So buy from Halfords or wherever is cheapest and then pay for it to be set up by a proper bike shop.

(Well, the correct answer is learn to set it up yerself, obviously...)

Dazza2280

The Carrera Fury looks like the bargain of the year just now, a whole lot of bike for £530, have to agree with wordnumb though, have it set up by someone who knows what they're doing. Having said that i'm about to buy an Orange G3.

androo4519

The Orange G3 looks pretty nice and worth adding to my list. They're 'made' just up the road from me in Halifax I believe.

supersonic

Nah, they are made in Taiwan ;-)

androo4519

>Nah, they are made in Taiwan

Hence the inverted commas! I just meant it's a local company.

pumpers

I'm in exactly the same dilemma as you Androo !

I'm thinking of an Orange P7 S , excellenty spec, excellent price and excellent reviews. It's also a nice matt black, very understated which is jsut what I want.

I'm off to test ride one friday so if you haven't got yours by then I'll let you know if I've bought one and what i think !!

pumpers

androo4519

So I visited the bike shops and that made it a lot easier. The Trek 6300 didn't do it for me in the flesh and it ws the Orange G3 that grabbed me, so I ordered the 2011 model. Of course they didn't have my size, so I have to wait a bit, hopefully not too long!

androo4519

Turned out they can't get me a G3 before the end of November (and who knows if that's likely to be true?). Drat. I'm gutted. I don't really have a plan B so I'll have to start looking all over again.

rockmonkeysc

For something a bit different how about a Charge Duster? Good steel frame, reasonably light & very tough. I know someone who rides one & he likes it so much he now owns & races a titanium one. I have seen one taking some pretty heavy abuse but also flying up the hills, very impressive.
They also come in a lovely shade of turd brown if you fancy it!

androo4519

Thanks for that suggestion. Looks pretty good. But after the disappointment of losing the G3, I was susceptible to persuasion and the shop had a G4 in my size. Far more than I intended to pay, but it's a lovely, light, well-specced bike, they did me a good deal, and I really had my heart set on an orange. Pick it up on Friday!

aaron lingard

One of my friends has a Cube not sure which one but it was £1050, very very light bike and looks amazing in white and lime green.

jon1993

ive got a carrera kracken and its great 3000 miles through every condition not 1 problem the only thing i would say the forks are ok for road and trails buttttt anything heavier they arnt great to much mud/grit they dont like it and get into them id recomend the bike but upgradeing the forks so maybe a carrera furys more up your street for that little extra money. if your not bothered about looks halfords doo voodoo bikes which are prity high spec but look not so good have a look anyway.

Mental Mickey

Perhaps this would be a good buy?

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1540&rs=gb

hainman

i have a genesis core20 and have no complaints its a crackin bike for the money!

dubcat

I am loving my 2010 Rockhopper sl and am starting to think it is actually a pretty good platform for upgrading too. I thought of spending up to a grand on my first bike but decided to spend less on a hard tail bike i can upgrade and keep for xc and then in a year or two spend more on a second bike which will be full suss and aimed at riding trails.

Shaggy_Dog

androo4519 wrote:

I'm going blind reading all the specs! Any thoughts?

And so you will. Don't worry too much about the specs, particularly the gears. Gears wear out pretty quickly so all those dazzling parts will end up worn and sloppy and eventually need replacing. The key to a good gear change is the initial set up by the mechanic who builds your bike, good gear shifting technique and regular maintenance.

With that out of the way you have frame, fork, tyres, wheels, brakes and finishing kit in that order of importance. It's impossible to judge how good a frame is by reading the manufacturer's jargon, but it helps if the frame has a long warranty, the two you mentioned, Trek and Genesis, have a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects on frames and offer reduced price replacement if you have a crash.

My favourite 2011 hardtails are the Trek Cobia and Genesis Latitude 00, nice handling bikes with a good mix of quality parts and manufacturer backup. It's unlikely a Trek or Genesis dealer will offer a poor aftersales service as both manufacturers are very picky about who they do their business with

JumpRocker234

ANY Cove bike the best bike light and strong and about your price range