Sub £800 29er

neil_uk

Hi, I have trek fuel ex9 which is great for trail centres etc, but I'm now looking for a hardtail for more leisurely cross country rides, and figured i'd give a 29er a go.

I have a limited budget around £800max, so can anyone give me an idea of what I should be considering and worthy of future upgrades if I decide to keep it?

Cheers guys!
Neil

unquestioned

I bought a Trek Mamba from Alpine bikes for £700 but it's probably available cheaper elsewhere.

Happy with the bike & with your budget there is room for a few choice upgrades.

echowitch

My Cube Analog 29er (last years model) is great. Although I'd strongly suggest upgrading the fork. I put a Rockshox Reba SL on it and it's fantastic.

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neil_uk

Thanks for the 2 suggestions - I'll take a look at those!

How are you both finding the 29er ride compared to 26? better, worse, different?

MutantMeteor

The halfords voodoo bizango 29er won the best hard tail of the year in the latest mbr magazine with a 10 out of 10. Their overall comments were that at £600 it beat all the other hard tails at the £1k mark. There's a short video intro on the bike if you search on YouTube.

unquestioned

There's compromise with the 29er, or so I'm finding. It feels a bit less agile, can't seem to chuck it around aswell or dart through tree's but that may have a bit to do with confidence (or lack of)
I find it rolls much better, easier to climb the hills & seem to carry speed down them alot better. Also finding it easier to control & alot more stable on the rough stuff.

Overall I like it & with a few more rides I should improve a bit as I gain confidence.

echowitch

I find my 29er better than my 26er. But then I am 6'4" and it actually feels like it is the right size for me. The 26er always felt a bit too small. It took a little getting used to to begin with but now it feels great. I am trying a 26er full susser tomorrow (borrowing a friends whilst my 29ers fork is away being repaired) so I can compare the two from the 29er to 26er perspective.

unquestioned

echowitch wrote:

I find my 29er better than my 26er. But then I am 6'4" and it actually feels like it is the right size for me. The 26er always felt a bit too small. It took a little getting used to to begin with but now it feels great. I am trying a 26er full susser tomorrow (borrowing a friends whilst my 29ers fork is away being repaired) so I can compare the two from the 29er to 26er perspective.

I still had my 26er so gave it a try before I sold it, it felt tiny!

mcnultycop

Have you looked at the On One Scandal 29er, decent package for £800?

millermilla

Halfords have the Voodoo Bizango for £599 but if you order online you get £60 off when you spend £600 so do as I did and just order the bike with a £1.00 bell and you get the bike and bell for £540.99 They do seem to have very limited stock at the moment though.

neil_uk

unquestioned wrote:

There's compromise with the 29er, or so I'm finding. It feels a bit less agile, can't seem to chuck it around aswell or dart through tree's but that may have a bit to do with confidence (or lack of)
I find it rolls much better, easier to climb the hills & seem to carry speed down them alot better. Also finding it easier to control & alot more stable on the rough stuff.

Overall I like it & with a few more rides I should improve a bit as I gain confidence.

Well - that seems to reinforce my thoughts on whether I should buy one or not. I have my trek trail bike for tight twisty singletrack rides. I'm looking for something to carry speed over wider fire roads, and to smooth out forest tracks, and for less technical terrain etc. So yeah - I'm defo going to get one!

What I think I'll do is compare the suggestions here (cheers guys), and choose based on the best - frame, fork, wheels, and crankset, combinations. Things like mechs, bars, shifters etc aren't as much hassle or expense to upgrade.

Thanks for everyone's input!