2014 Rockhopper Pro Evo or Cube LTD Race

Billyb52

I have about 1k to spend on an MTB, and my research has led me to the Rockhopper Pro Evo 29er and Cube LTD Race 29er. They're about the same price. I want something that will hopefully last me many years. I don't ride incredibly hard or fast, but I want something tough and reliable.

Any opinions about which is best, or indeed any other contender in that price range would be gratefully received.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube ... prod114141

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec053577

Antm81

The cube has a better spec, as always try demo them first though

VolatileMike

do they have to be 29er?

how about a whyte 901?

kajjal

As above the cube has the better overall spec and fork. A test tide shows more than a spec sheet as you can see and ride the bike. if you decide you like a bike you can then do the price and spec comparison to see if it is a good enough deal for you. Also checkout any remaining 2013 bikes on sale as you can get some very good deals. My wife got a decent XC MTB reduced from £1,300 to £1,000.

Boromedic

Out of those 2 you mentioned I'd plump for the Cube over the Spesh.

If you don't mind direct buying and not trying the bike out first, then I doubt you'll get a better spec for that money than some of the Canyon MTB's:

In budget: https://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbike ... ml?b=3206#

Slightly over budget: https://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbike ... ab-reiter2

Worth a look, but bear in mind they sometimes have longish delivery lead times as they are built to order when they have no stock :-)

Thewaylander

test ride!

Spec only means so much, and most of it is wear and tear parts anyways, if a bike rides badly there is very little you can do to change that! most parts works so well these days that a lower spec for a better riding bike is no terrible thing.

chrisw333

For a grand the Rockhopper looks very, very average spec wise.

Test ride or not, that fork is never going to be as good as what you can get on bikes significantly cheaper.

The Cube is much better. But as others have said, you may do better still if you hunt around. Try Pauls Cycles for 2012/13 models and you may get a bargain.

if you're def after a 29er this Boardman seems light years ahead of the Rockhopper
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

Boromedic

I do kind of agree that a test ride is in many ways a great idea, and I'm not trying to flame anyone or cause a row. However short of trail centres or well located shops offering premium brand FS bikes to try and buy, you're pretty much limited to running around the shops car park which doesn't always give an accurate picture of how the bike will feel on a trail or XC. Especially true of Halfords and other urban based stores where I've been before.

For the budget set I would think the only places to try say the Cube, would be those kind of stores (I may however be wrong on this!), Canyon do a 30 - day no quibble return policy as long as you try the bike on a clean, dry surface (I know that's just the same as the above and not actually better!) but at least you can try it in and return it if it doesn't suit you without any fear. I'm not some Canyon fan boy, as yet I don't own one, but the price of their bikes is attractive when you're on a budget. Better spec initially saves money down the road I think (I've made that mistake before), and if you do your research right beforehand then the geometry similarities between so many sub £1000 bikes these days means you'd be hard pushed to buy a bad frame without reading about it somewhere. Most of them are pretty much carbon copies of each other, with minor differences. The only big decider then boils down to spec which for a given budget, wouldn't you be best to get the most for your money?

I do agree on searching for last years models at a bargain price though, that's how I got my Ghost which enabled me to budget a better fork straightaway. However the other improvements cost me more than just buying the next model up which in hindsight I wish I'd have done at the time. I never test rode the bike but made sure I had a fully covered return warranty should it be rubbish, luckily it's a great bike and the research I did beforehand proved to be bang on.

I'd have loved to support my LBS (and have done with other purchases, and maintenance etc.) but they only stock certain brands and models (such as the Spesh above) and I had no interest in buying that kind of high priced but stripped down spec bike or a Full Sus. Halfords can be a PIA as well as they tend to stock weird sizes and depending on which one you want you have to literally buy it to try it out. Can't speak for other shops on this though, some may be more accommodating than others. Good luck with whatever you purchase though mate, let us know and stay away from the Specialized!!!

The Rookie

As stated, the Boardman destroys both the Spesh and cube on spec, crucially the fork is massively better.

Boromedic

Yeah, the Boardman is a great bike but I messed up in my links and actually meant to post this:

https://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbike ... ab-reiter2

This Canyon is £100 cheaper than the Boardman, same fork with maxle and a slightly better spec plus it's 500 grams lighter and has a wider range of gears which may suit the OP (I know I prefer 30, but it's not everyones cup O chai). Plus it comes with a shock pump which saves another tenner or so (it all helps!).

You pays your money and takes your choice I suppose but the Canyon's full shimano drivetrain would also tick the last's a long time box over the FSA cranks and BB on the Boardman. The only problem may the the Avid brakes although the 5's if they're set up right with decent pads are very good. The Boardman wins this fight with Deore brakes, but you can't win em all :-)

Either wouldn't be a bad choice, and will probably serve you fine for a long time. First upgrade on either will probably be hubs/wheels as thats where they generally save money at this price range. Once you've ridden through a long wet winter your wheel bearings will definitely be worse for wear.

Like I said above, keep us posted on the choice you make, good luck.

rickbst170

I like the £1199 canyon. Compared to the spesh it absolutely blows it away on spec.

Boromedic

Yeah the Grand Canyon SLX is a great bike, well worth the money but I have to say the GC AL 6.9 is also a right bargain! Can't believe how light it is for the money either :-)

chrisw333

think the canyon has slightly steeper geometry than the Boardman?

Boromedic

chrisw333 wrote:

think the canyon has slightly steeper geometry than the Boardman?

Yeah very slightly, 70° vs 69°on the headtube, based on the OP's original thoughts he won't go wrong with either I'd have thought. I prefer the 69° headtube angle on my Ghost vs my mates Highball which is 70° but there isn't much in it. Both bikes are awesome deals.