Sub £1000 Hardtail

bj639

HI folks.
I am looking to upgrade my mountain bike. Had a Trek 3900 for a few years now. V brakes and pretty poor (though I did manage the world champs course at Fort Bill on it!)

I will be mostly doing miles on country roads and lanes in an effort to lose some weight but having recently moved back to Yorkshire I want something that I could take up to nearby Dalby Forest now and again.

For my riding and budget I think a hardtail is the best option. I'm 5'11" and just under 17stone (fat git).
I can probably stretch up to £1,000

would appreciate any suggestions

curto80

I recently bought a 2013 Whyte 801 from winstanleys for £480. Great bike for the money, worth looking into in my opinion.

mcnultycop

On-one Parkwood

bj639

thanks guys.
I notice the On One is a 29'er. Not sure whether I fancy a 29'er to be honest ( I have no experience of them so its just gut feeling!). I did wonder if 650lb would be best for longer term future proofing?

this one is slightly over budget but i might be a ble to stretch if its worth it
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO456CDEO ... ntain-bike
its 26" but I get the feeling 26" are not as dead as some like to make out?

felix.london

bj639 wrote:

thanks guys.
I notice the On One is a 29'er. Not sure whether I fancy a 29'er to be honest ( I have no experience of them so its just gut feeling!). I did wonder if 650lb would be best for longer term future proofing?

this one is slightly over budget but i might be a ble to stretch if its worth it
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO456CDEO ... ntain-bike
its 26" but I get the feeling 26" are not as dead as some like to make out?

If you're after the carbon 456 I'd say the X9 is the one to go for. Better fork and a fair whack lighter...and cheaper.

bj639

how do the elixer and sram compare on that one compare to the all shimano on the other? Apples and oranges?

Noticed a few mentions of the Bird. They do the Zero 4 which is a little bit more again but seems well specced overall but the fork is an x-fusion velvet so again wondering how they compare to those on the on ones. I am a sheff wed fan though so the blue and white of the Bird is perfect!

of oucrse theres also the ever present boardman
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

chrisw333

I suspect the 456 may be a bit too hardcore for your needs. 140-150mm travel and such slack geometry may not be best suited to your riding.

The Boardmans are great value. The Birds look very nice indeed.

bj639

chrisw333 wrote:

I suspect the 456 may be a bit too hardcore for your needs. 140-150mm travel and such slack geometry may not be best suited to your riding.

The Boardmans are great value. The Birds look very nice indeed.

looking around, theres a few at that price point but they are 100mm forks. You think thats too little? I know the majority of the time thats plenty on roads and lanes, just thinkig if I do hit up Dalby or similar!

At the moment I am just trying to narrow down to a few then look in more detail (sometimes you cant see the wood for the trees!)

Seen these but not sure if they are any better than the options already mentioned or if they would suit for my needs?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... 0#features

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/lap ... e-ec054598

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b0s2p468 ... C-PRO-2013

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b0s2p508 ... E-630-2013

I appreciate all the help guys, for us novices its a minefield!

felix.london

bj639 wrote:

how do the elixer and sram compare on that one compare to the all shimano on the other? Apples and oranges?

Deore brakes will be better than the Elixir 3's (if my Elixir R's were anything to go by) but you can get a set of deore brakes for what you save (and sell the Elixir's as new)

The rest - like you say, apples and oranges if you ask me.

chrisw333

The bikes you quote are all decent spec and deals.

I terms of travel, 100mm would probably be fine. But I prefer 120-130 for more all round ability, hence my preference would be the Boardman or Bird (or Parkwood if you go 29er)

If this fits (large only available), this is a fantastic bike and fantastic deal - light quick, but great fork and geometry for trail riding.
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _2012_Bike

bj639

chrisw333 wrote:

If this fits (large only available), this is a fantastic bike and fantastic deal - light quick, but great fork and geometry for trail riding.
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _2012_Bike

I'm 5'11" so I think large would suit according to their charts

chrisw333

Best to try it if you can. They do have the 2013 in a medium also if needed. I'm not an expert on forks but I think the general concensus is the Reba on the 2012 is better than the fox on the 13.

benpinnick

Heres a review of the velvets if you are wondering...

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/forks-suspension/product/review-x-fusion-velvet-rl-2-14-48089/

bj639

benpinnick wrote:

Heres a review of the velvets if you are wondering...

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/forks-suspension/product/review-x-fusion-velvet-rl-2-14-48089/

that seems fine then.

I do like the Bird but it is the most expensive and might be too much of a stretch. Anyone know if they ever do sales or offers on their stuff?

felix.london

benpinnick wrote:

Heres a review of the velvets if you are wondering...

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/forks-suspension/product/review-x-fusion-velvet-rl-2-14-48089/

only 4.5 out of 5!?...wouldn't touch em!

cooldad

bj639 wrote:

benpinnick wrote:

Heres a review of the velvets if you are wondering...

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/forks-suspension/product/review-x-fusion-velvet-rl-2-14-48089/

that seems fine then.

I do like the Bird but it is the most expensive and might be too much of a stretch. Anyone know if they ever do sales or offers on their stuff?

As they are a brand new company, no. AFAIK they are built to order by Ben's delicate little hands.

benpinnick

How about 5% off and free shipping? UKSHIPFREE5

cooldad

I stand corrected. Not the first or last time I'm sure.

The Rookie

cooldad wrote:

I stand corrected. Not the first or last time I'm sure.

Not as sure as we are........

felix.london

benpinnick wrote:

How about 5% off and free shipping? UKSHIPFREE5

Nice. Then he might as well go in for the Zero.3 and get his config on!

bj639

ok update time. The goalposts shifted on this slightly as an unexpected spend came in so things are a little tighter now. I can still perhaps hit the £1000 mark but above that is probably no good. But I can now be paying cash so that might help with some discounts.

Locally theres not a lot of choice in terms of LBS (nearest ones are about 40mins drive each way) but I did visit one that was recommended. The thought the Scott Scale 760 would suit. They didnt have one in but they did have a slightly higher spec bike that was the same frame sizing. Had a quick spin, only on the roads around Hull but felt ok. Bike is priced at £999.99 but for cash they would do at £850 for me and throw in pedals worth £35 and discount first service to £15
The big plus point with them is its a local store so any problems are easier to deal with than online jobbies.
heres the bike spec:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sco ... e-ec056378

I also visited a local Halfords and attempted to try the Boardman Team HT 650b. they had one in but the tyres were flat the pedal fell off and I had to tell the guy that when he was trying to align the wheels and bars he was actually removing the headset!
Sufficed to say the build quality might be poor but a neighbour has a friend whos a manager at another store. its a bit further away but hes a proper biker so would make sure it got built right. Also I can get 20% off at Halfords so this comes in at about £680 instead of £850
heres the spec on that:
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -650b-2014
They also do a full susser at £999 that with discount comes to £800. I wondered if that was worth considering or if I'm just getting lured by it being full sus.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -650b-2014

I have had a good look online at other bikes, see whats in budget and suits my needs. heres a few below. most of these I couldnt try out though so that does concern me. While I think 650b would be better a few are 26" and most are 100mm.

I know theres a few but if theres any you think I should take off the list or others too look at more closely I would appreciate it.

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO456CDEO ... ntain-bike
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b0s2p508 ... E-630-2013
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _2012_Bike
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec042080
http://www.wheelbase.co.uk/bikes/mounta ... escription

I think the ghost I could also get through the LBS so could well get discounted like the scott to maybe £850
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ghos ... prod111480
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube ... prod114139

So many to choose from, would feel happier if I could just narrow it down a bit

thanks guys

felix.london

For the riding you describe and the budget you've got I'd be getting the On-One Parkwood (not on your list) or from your list the Whyte 905 or the Trek Elite 8.8


And being a..ahem..heavier gentleman you might appreciate the extra 20mm suspension of the Parkwood and the Whyte but I wouldn't discount the Reba/SLX/XT kit on the Trek either

Would still probably go for the Parkwood if I were you though for the Revs, Deore kit, dropper post and clutch rear mech

mintsauce5

I've got a brand new giant talon 27.5 0 for sale on the classifieds it's a medium 18" frame

chrisw333

I'd go for the Whtye 905 all day every day.

bj639

thanks for all the help guys. In the end I went and ordered a Zero 4 from Bird. Ben has been a great help and we managed to scrape together a deal that suited and I could justify budgetwise.

Should be here sometime next week and can't wait.

Shhould be an eye opener going from a £250 trek with v brakes and 60mm suspension to this.

Will post up more when I have taken it for a spin

felix.london

bj639 wrote:

thanks for all the help guys. In the end I went and ordered a Zero 4 from Bird. Ben has been a great help and we managed to scrape together a deal that suited and I could justify budgetwise.

Should be here sometime next week and can't wait.

Shhould be an eye opener going from a £250 trek with v brakes and 60mm suspension to this.

Will post up more when I have taken it for a spin

Nice..well haggled