Am i being an idiot wanting a MTB?

steventheduck

Hi all,

I have had a mountain bike all my life, but don't do much real off-road riding. My last MTB was a Marin with full suspension. I want a bike that I will primarily be on the road with, but I'm not sure I can face having a bike that can't handle a few trails off the road with.

I thought that a hybrid might be the best choice for me, but quite frankly I have been looking round bike shops and every single one I've seen is boring and black/grey/beige. I'm a big kid at heart and am thinking that I'd rather have a good looking and futureproof MTB than some boring hybrid that inspires no passion in me. I may one day get back into riding a bit more off road again and don't mind putting in a bit more effort on the road for the pleasure.

Am I being an idiot? I have about 750 to spend on a bike.

xand_xand

Not at all. Get yourself a nice 100mm travel XC Hardtail and youl be able to plod along the roads if you need to and hit the trails when you realise what youre missing out on.

dhobiwallah

What does a hybrid do that a decent hardtail with slicks doesn't?

styxd

Get a cyclocross bike like The Boardman.

steventheduck

I will certainly have a look into bikes like that Boardman CX, sounds interesting...

@dohbiwallah: I honestly don't know. I've not had a MTB since I was a kid apart from that Marin one so I'm used to a very bouncy bike. Any hardtail would feel much the same to me until I actually start hitting the trails again.

Thanks for the responses. Would I be better trying to get a 29er than a 26er?

raymondo60

I've owned a Boardman Pro CX for over 2 years now. If I only owned one bike, it would certainly be the one. It really does handle all terrains and conditions apart from genuine 'Mountain Bike' territory. It also rides geat on the road. I do lots of towpath/trails/bridelways etc - it really does the trick.

Good luck

supersonic

I'm the otherway, I think an MTB is more versatile than a CX bike - but if for as stated above, towpath, light trails etc they are worth a punt. Drops, rocks and boulders and then the sus fork and wider bars do make a difference!

The Rookie

The Boardman Urban MTB sounds perfect for you, rigid forked MTB on wider slick tyres.

swelsbyuk

Just had an email from Halfords - the Boardman Urban is down to £599. Minus the NUS code and you're only paying £540 for it. I'm tempted myself!