First mountain bike purchase

Hobgobl1

Hi all,

I am looking to purchase my first mountain bike, I haven't ridden a bike properly since I was about 15 (10 years ago now!) and even then it was just a cheap bike from down the market.

I am keen to pick myself up a decent but entry level budget bike to try and get back into riding - given my amateur level I won't be doing any 80k rides just yet but I want something that will cope with 16km there and back to the hills around here and then be good for a couple of hours round the hills in the mud.

Having done a little bit of research I think I would like 29er and I have a max budget of £500. The two that I am looking at are:

Merida Big.Nine 40
http://www.cyclesuk.com/10494580/products/merida-big-nine-alloy-40d-2014-white.aspx?origin=pla&kwd=&currency=GBP&gclid=CjwKEAjw1ZWgBRD-n6ew0oan1xwSJABAbf8pQ0kN6V49zWd_OI9UGdhrKMSL-rXkAFHxJ9Vgs_svVxoCawDw_wcB

Cannondale Trail 6 29er (the 2014 seems better value at the moment, I can't see a big difference between 2014 and 2015)
2014 - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/trail-6-29er-2014-mountain-bike-ec053947
2015 - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/trail-6-29er-2015-mountain-bike-ec071451

Which would be the best best from the above? Or am I looking at completely the wrong thing and missing a better option?

Thanks in advance!

The Rookie

Links to specs are traditional.

Why do you think you'd like a 29er, its a big call to make without riding one. At this price point 29ers suffer on spec, if you consider a 27.5" then it opens up the Carrera hardtails at Halfords.

Hobgobl1

Thanks for the reply Rookie. Tradition noted, links attached.

In terms of the 29 option it was for 2 reasons really:

1. my uneducated view on things is that it seems this is the way things are going? So makes sense to get in on this from the start - who knows I may want to upgrade in X years time.

2. I live in Shropshire, so anything to help with the hills here is a great advantage

cooldad

Hobgobl1 wrote:

Thanks for the reply Rookie. Tradition noted, links attached.

In terms of the 29 option it was for 2 reasons really:

1. my uneducated view on things is that it seems this is the way things are going? So makes sense to get in on this from the start - who knows I may want to upgrade in X years time.

2. I live in Shropshire, so anything to help with the hills here is a great advantage

29er is how things went a few years ago. 650b is the newish fashion statement. Who knows what the marketing guys will come up with next.

The Rookie

Hmm well carrera have just gone 27.5, Specialized are just going towards 27.5 after committing everything (near enough) to 29er and so have Giant, 26er's meanwhile still make up by far the biggest percentage of sales. I certainly wouldn't say it was where it was going now, it may have been trying to go there 2 years ago!

29er doesn't help with hills as such.

compared to a 26er, a 29er broadly has these advantages
1/ Rolls with slightly less drag all to do with tyre deflection and hysterysis and a small contribution from wheel bearings
2/ Has slightly more traction due to the shape of the tyre contact patch
3/ Is more stable due to the larger rotating mass
4/ Is slighlty more comfortable as the larger diamter rolls up or down any feature over a longer effective distance
Disadvantages
1/ Heavier wheel (spokes, rim, tube and tyre) so a heavier bike
2/ More rotational inertia so adding to above it is slower to accelerate (braking isnt really effected as there is plenty of braking power)
3/ More 'cumbersome' feeling in tighter turns, so much so that a £4K Trek superfly elite felt noticeably cumbersome after my homebuilt Carrera (link in sig).
4/ Larger turning circle (its longer, harder to fit in a car as well!).
5/ Tyres are more expensive (at this price point you may well have to swap on better rubber)
6/ The increased cost to build means other areas suffer to pay for it, more noticeable at your price point.
Of your two,
The Merida has a fork you would see on a £350 26er (It's on the Carrera Vulcan), very cheap brakes and the drivetrain is also at circa £300 26er level.
The Cannondale is a stinker, the fork is at a level you'd see on a £200 bike and has no place on there, its worse than a rigid fork as it has no damping (you wouldn't drive your car at speed off road with no shock absorbers!) and will bounce a rider around all over the place like a pogo stick.

I'd either stick with a 26er, or look at the latest Carrera 27.5 (really a 27 but the 27.5 looks better for marketing as its halfway between 26 and 29.....except the 29 was really 28.5 anyway!)

Hobgobl1

What Carrera do you recommend then? Something like the new Kraken?http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/carrera-kraken-mountain-bike-2015#sizeguide

The Rookie

The Kraken is a good bike although it has been downgraded recently (forks and brakes) to help pay for the 27.5 wheel setup (I would guess).

Compare the spec to the Voodoo Hoodoo 26er which has a better fork, better brakes and similar drivetrain for less money.

If you really want bigger wheels (be sure you do) for a bit more money this is a very good offering.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... in-bike-20

Hobgobl1

Rookie, how would you compare your suggested Voodoo against the Trek x-caliber 7? http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/x-caliber-7-2015-mountain-bike-ec066116#select I can see the 2013 version of this got 4.5 stars in a bike radar review.

A bit more than I want to spend but if these are a decent step up from the others I have suggested I don't mind watching these for a while to see if the price drops a little.

The Rookie

I'd rate the Bizango as better than that Trek, not hugely so, but it shades it in most areas.