Is it worth spending extra on a first bike

joemoeboe

Hi I am new to the forums but been lurking on them for some time.

I want to get back into mtb having moved to Sheffield. I am really interested in the Boardman Team hardtail priced at £849 but have just seen that the model down, the Comp is reduced by £100 to £649. I would really like to know if I worth spending the extra? Given that if I didn’t I would have £200 to spend on goodies and kit to enjoy when out and about on the trails.

I want a versatile all-round bike good at climbing and still lots of fun on the downhill’s. All though I am a beginner I plan on doing more the just the tow paths and want a bike that I am not going to want to replace after just one year.

I know I can get good deals looking at second hand bikes and othe bike brands from my LBS but the is some thing about the look and feel of the boardmans that make me keep coming back to them.

Thanks in advance.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

waby1234

Boardmans are great. Buy the best you can afford.

joemoeboe

the difficulty is that i can afford both but i really want to know if it works out as value for money cos that extra £200 I would buy better kit in terms of helmet and lights etc. rather than making do with cheeper stuff and borrowed kit.

benpinnick

The main difference you'd notice is in the frame and forks, actually, mainly in the fact that the frame is a newer tapered headset model. Other than that, the other differences would not be great. I dont think you'd tell much difference on the trail.

70\ʹspenguin

If i was only sticking to the Boardmans then i would get the team over the comp, as you can always get the extras as you go along and slowly build up.

Alternately you could spend £750 on this http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/kS1/a5 ... m-7-0.html (which has better everything on it - by some considerable margin) and still have some pennies for a helmet and a few bits.

Rushmore

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=75504

Get that...


job done.. Happy days..

EDIT _ Get that one above mine.. HOLY CRAP!! RS Sid, and XT Groupset for that money?!!?!!??! WTF?

JayKay3000

Depends what you ride eh, but it's worth getting the team if you are going to ride it a lot because everything is a little better and might hold up for longer over time. Rock Shox are better than Suntour for example. It does look like you are trading better forks for less gears in the team version. 20 is probably OK as long as there is a granny ring for climbs.

The cheaper version will probably be fine though if you want a fun trail weapon that you can huck about without worrying as much about.

Don't worry too much if all your m8s have full sussers because I can keep up with my friends on my hardtail when the terrain is not too rocky.

Fitness, rider skill and confidence are what comes into play. What you ride only aids confidence, it won't create skill but I'd be going home with the team version.

anj132

Depends.

I might be tempted to get the team if the following month I have a spare £100/200 the following month I could spend on equipment.

If you aren't likely to have more cash in following months, then I would spend the £200 on equipment. If you shop around you can make that £200 go far.

I don't think you'll go wrong with the comp, it's a good bike and I doubt you'll see £200 worth of difference. I think equipment will go much further especially with winter coming up.

JayKay3000 wrote:

Depends what you ride eh, but it's worth getting the team if you are going to ride it a lot because everything is a little better and might hold up for longer over time. Rock Shox are better than Suntour for example. It does look like you are trading better forks for less gears in the team version. 20 is probably OK as long as there is a granny ring for climbs.

In what way would it hold up better over time?
Spending more doesn't mean parts will last longer. RS better than ST is a really bad example. Better to compare actual models not just brand names.
Less total number of gears but the comp is 9 speed (11-32 & 22/32/44) and the team is 10 speed (11 - 36 & 27/42) so not such much in terms of ratios.

supersonic

The Comp has always been £650. The Team is not worth the extra over the Comp in my opinion. The Epicon fork is better than a Recon TK, and the rest of the parts aren't worth the extra.

kammybear

The £650 Boardman is equiv to a £1000 "branded" model as it were approximately.

Just get that and upgrade it as you go along.

But if you can afford it, just get the £850 model. It's easier to upgrade lights and accessories than it is a bike...

bloghog

I would start with the lower model, that way you can start out and see how you go. When you initially start out there seems to be an endless list of kit you need, shoes, helmet, shorts, base layers, waterproof gear, gloves, lights etc.

Get six months riding in all weathers under your belt and then upgrade with a better understanding of what upgrades you want and what will suit you and your riding. After riding through a British winter most of the stuff will be worn out anyway

shigllgetcha

I went with a fairly cheap first MTB carrear vulcan out of haldords. That way I figure I can slowly upgrade stuff if feel the need or it wears out, rather than buying an expensive bike and realising its all wrong for what I want to cycle

Cant say I wouldnt have been interested in a more expensive bike if I had more money though