What bike after 8 years away from mtb's !?!

lew_boi

Hi all,

well first off i'm fresh new on here ! As said i'm making a return to mountain biking after 8 years or so give or take. Looking for a second hand hard tail back to basics type bike. Abit of a do it all type, if there is such a thing these days !?! :?

Have always rode full sus in the past (gt lts ds, mongoose teocali comp, specialized enduro expert, turner 6 pack (on 24's ?? :roll: , orange 222 etc..... free ride type riding you could call it) but now looking towards more fitness type road/fire road/single track type riding, with a few days at Dalby and the like thrown in for good measure. Must be a ride all day sort of bike rather than a full on xc race whippet. I'm no racing snake myself either, about to turn 28, 5'10 and 16'4 stone, not all fat mind but a good beer gut hence the new fitness regime (hate the gym but love biking !)

So any ideas what would fit the bill ??
Budget is £700 but dont mind buying used as long as its good cond. and spec.

Possibly :
orange p7
on-one inbred/456/steel/carbon/ti etc...
ragley
cube ??? maybe abit racey ??
etc, etc...... any ideas welcome as seems to be a mine field thesedays !

Thanks,

Lew

bails87

You could still go for FS if buying second hand.

Giant Trance, Anthem, Trek Fuel EX, Specialized Stumpjumper, Boardman FS etc.

oodboo

I bought a 29r recently (don't know if I've mentioned it much) and I've been suprised by how capable it is. So I'd suggest this:
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1275/ ... ml?mfid=52

Little bit over budget but just thought I'd get that in before everyone else tells you to buy a canyon or a rockrider.

lew_boi

Could go full sus again i know but really fancy a mega simple hardtail and as the riding i'll be doing wont be as harsh as in the past think this could be better suited. Tried a mates p7 (mega spec. more than i could afford) months ago and loved the way it rode. Also got a mate with a carbon on-one so going to
try and blag a ride on that too ! Although carbon will probably be out my price range.

Still unsure of 29ers having never rode one although not sure on 2nd hand prices as the £700 is pushing it already really :shock:

lew_boi

Could go full sus again i know but really fancy a mega simple hardtail and as the riding i'll be doing wont be as harsh as in the past think this could be better suited. Tried a mates p7 (mega spec. more than i could afford) months ago and loved the way it rode. Also got a mate with a carbon on-one so going to
try and blag a ride on that too ! Although carbon will probably be out my price range.

Still unsure of 29ers having never rode one although not sure on 2nd hand prices as the £700 is pushing it already really :shock:

Mccraque

My mate just picked up one of these for £770 in Halfords and loves it.....

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/review-boardman-ht-team-12-46330

And another mate picked up a 2nd hand Boardman 2010 Pro for £475 in mint condition. Both worth a sniff.... the one above having 120mm travel and having more of a trail feel to it. The Pro having 100mm and a distinct racey feel to it

ElliesDad

+1 for the Boardmans, the Team mentioned by Mccraque retails at £849 so would need a 10% off voucher to get it for £770 and I think the online vouchers have stopped now.

Another cracking Boardman is the Comp HT at £650, I have one and its great on the trails but also light and quick on roads and fireroads. Pound for pound you won't get much to beat them spec wise unless you go second hand!

largephil

Ragley Mmmbop?

cooldad

largephil wrote:

Ragley Mmmbop?

Why you trying to sell one?

largephil

Actually yes.

Also, OP said hes after a second hand back to basics type do it all hardtail. Mmmbop is a great choice for that brief.

KernowCB

I did the same as you a couple of years ago and soon regretted not going for full sus again. I would say whatever you get, be it a HT or FS, get somwthing that you won't get bored of. Especially considering your previous bikes!

Of the bikes already mentioned, I don't think you can go far wrong with the Boardman.

The range of Canyons may also interest you http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes ... tml?b=2539

bails87

For Halfords, if you join British Cycling (£20) you can buy Halfords gift vouchers at 10% off. So pay £20, then buy £850 of vouchers for £765, saving £85 and buy the bike with the vouchers.

lew_boi

Boardman defo seems a popular choice. When looking initially i wrote these off choosing to look at the big names but they do seem to offer great value for money. Whatever i go for will be second hand i think for the same reason.

Have thought long and hard about the f/s v's h/t thing and the more h/t's i try the more i enjoy them, suppose only time will tell on that note ! and as for the bikes i've had in the past, they were the days when i didnt have mortgage to pay, car to run, mrs n young un' to support etc...etc....etc.... even when i did start driving my bike was worth 3 times more than my car :shock: Sadly them days are gone.

Phil, really like the look of the mmmbop. How do these climb, ride all day etc... Never had anything to do with them but they seem to get some great reviews.

Cheers guy's, Lew

largephil

Hi Lew, the Mmmbops are a well-balanced bike on the whole. They climb and descend well, and have pretty slack geo on the head angle and handle well. It’s a pretty light but rigid frame, so the rear end does get lively when descending fast over rocks but that just adds to the fun. I've never had a problem riding mine all day. Can get a little 'saddle sore' doing several days in a row but that’s after switching straight from the comfort of the full suser. Given a few weeks to get used to the HT, that's not a problem. I have mine set up with 160's, the frames recommended for 130-150mm but with the 160's set up soft, I just about get away with it. I do get some front end lift on really steep sections (generally ok for most climbs though) but the RC3 Ti's more than make up for that on the downs. I've had one as my second bike for the last 18 months and it’s a great bike (I just can’t justify having 2 bikes anymore so I'm getting rid of one). Here’s a link to the frame detail:

http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ragley/D2VHoxmMhiUCMLiYGqnUlBpLslc4IjWroz5QPly0No6WWOFuCuIAH1IXnYUf/mmboppages.pdf

stuisnew

Voodoo bokor?