Looking at these for my first mtb...

Moominman2

Hi guys,

I'm a roadie but fancy getting into mountain biking. I'm not looking for anything fancy, but would like a nice hardtail for everyday use really...trail riding...but like the idea of downhill riding too.

The ghost bikes look most appealing, but there's so many models, I can't link them all! Also, I'd probably be looking at buying these used, as it'll be my first mtb.

I've been looking at these bikes...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ghos ... -prod81700
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ghos ... prod111478
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube ... prod114141
http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do? ... tAodpAsABA
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitu ... prod107035
http://www.canyon.com/en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3641

Any input would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Luke.

kajjal

What budget are you looking at ?

Let us know and you will get plenty of suggestions.

Moominman2

Ideally, I'd like to spend no more than £400 on a bike. That's looking at used bikes, so new, probably around the £700-£800?

Cheers

supersonic

The Cube is the standout bike there, but is more xc (ie racy) than the others really. Take a look at this too:

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b65s2p51 ... -SL-1-2013

You won't get anything that will be great at DH for this money. If you can up the budget to 950 then OnOne do some great all rounders that will tackle mild DH.

jimothy78

supersonic wrote:

The Cube is the standout bike there....

^He means the LTD, not the Attention.

Moominman2

Nice one, thanks for the input.

How does the ltd pro compare to the race? Here's a link to the pro...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... lsrc=aw.ds

And how about the SL version here...?- http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... prod114143

Will this be a good alternative to that race feel?

Also, would a 29er be worth going for over the standard?

That cannondale looks very nice too. So that could be a consideration also.

Thanks
Luke

The Rookie

The Pro is really heavy, by whatever standards Cube use, 3kg (or nearly 25%) is a lot of heft compared to the circa 12.5Kg of both the Race and SL.

The LTD's share identical geometry so the Pro, Race and SL are all as XC biased (racey) as each other.

Moominman2

Nice one, thanks for the info.

Luke

chrisw333

Bear in mind what SS said about them being racy. That means they are light and quick, but usually have a steep head angle and less travel than more 'trail' oriented bikes. Good for general xc, but less fun if you start looking at steeper stuff or mild DH as you suggest.

Chizzy82

Out of suggestions so far, it would be the cannondale sl1 for me, followed by the canyon, they are both well specified and relatively light.

But for me, I'd be tempted with this as a first bike: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-56 ... 93151.html

Significantly cheaper than the 2 above and way better specked than any £500 bike should be. Plus Decathlon are generally v good.

Briggo

Define your interpretation of mild DH.

Moominman2

Thanks for the info.

I do like the cube SL the more I look at them, and that cannondale is very tempting too...

That Btwin looks nice. How does it compare to the cube sl?

Thanks

ste_t

I had a Ltd sl 29. Fantastic bike for xc and anything pointing upwards was effortless. It did however scare me shitless riding down anything steep and/or technical.

Moominman2

Thanks for the reply.

Would a smaller wheel have changed that you think?

And would you recommend it for what I'm looking at?

They look really nice!

The Rookie

As asked above, define downhill for YOU......

ste_t

Moominman2 wrote:

Thanks for the reply.

Would a smaller wheel have changed that you think?

And would you recommend it for what I'm looking at?

They look really nice!

In 26" a Guy rode with with said itvwon't nervous as he'll on technical steep descents (North Wales natural riding,) but great for xc. 29" was good but plenty of pedal strikes on rocky bits.

Again, depends what you mean by 'downhill'

ste_t

Lovely predictive text there. Obviously meant was nervous as hell.

Long_Time_Lurker

I have an SL (smaller whelled version). I have yet to find anything that I won't ride down on it (although I may have not reached the bottom of the hill actually on the bike). More to do with poor technique than the bike though.
My friend describes the ride as 'twitchy'. It certainly isn't as sure-footed as his Orange Crush or my full-sus.
Good for long-rides across fields and through woodland trails, less so over tree-roots and when pointing down a sharp drop.
That said, it's had numerous trips to Hamsterly and has been ridden at Glentress and some place in Wales which i can't spell or pronounce.

Moominman2

Thanks for the replies everyone, it helps my decision.

I'm a novice to mtb, so when I say downhill, I don't mean anything particularly difficult or scary. I suppose I said DH in describing a bike that's a good all rounder.

Cheers again.

Moominman2

So, I have decided to look into buying one of these on the second hand market.

So...

Cube LTD- Likely to be an older model, so similar to this- http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... -11-40424/ or this one http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... -10-37120/

Whyte 901 - http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... -12-45614/

Ghost- SE 7000 - http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... -10-36151/

Ghost SE 6000 - http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... -11-40824/

What I'd like to know is whether these bikes are worth looking at, and what one would be best for my needs?

And if the whyte, is it worth spending the extra to get the 905? Here- http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/categ ... -14-47992/

And lastly, I don't think I want a 29er which is a shame as I like the look of the canyon grand canyon...So am looking at either 26 and 27.5, but am unsure which I should go with!

Cheers in advance,
Luke

rockmonkeysc

It all depends on the price, age and condition of the bikes.

Moominman2

Ok sure.

What if I was looking at these ones exactly...

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1507663889

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1514494726

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1619379497

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1338033511

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1430602364

Just so I can sum things up a bit better.

Thanks.

The Rookie

The third bike (blue/white Cube team ltd) is a frankenbike (put together from bits of other bikes) the forks for example are circa 2006-7 and the wheels are off a Carrera from Halfords, worth considering at the right price though (about £225 ish, not £300!)

Of those (noting they are not available any more!) the first Cube (second bike down) has teh best forks and that is the single most important component on a bike by far.

Moominman2

Thanks for the reply. I just wanted to see whether what I was looking at, was actually decent. I'll be looking to buy in early/ mid January, so I'll post bikes that are actually available around that time.

What do you think of the whyte 901? I really like the look of it. But if you're saying that the cube has the better forks, then I may as well just look at buying a cube ltd overall?

Sorry for being utterly useless at this...

The Rookie

The White is a nice bike, but it's Recon forks can't match up to two of the others which are on the better (stiffer, lighter and better damper) Rebas.

Briggo

The Rookie wrote:

The White is a nice bike, but it's Recon forks can't match up to two of the others which are on the better (stiffer, lighter and better damper) Rebas.

But as a complete novice, the difference I doubt would be noticeable at first.

I'd say get the Whyte the frames are excellent from my experience of having one a while back, by the time you're then pushing the fork to its limits you'll be more savvy to explore upgrading it and can get some nice Revs or something.

chrisw333

Briggo wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

The White is a nice bike, but it's Recon forks can't match up to two of the others which are on the better (stiffer, lighter and better damper) Rebas.

But as a complete novice, the difference I doubt would be noticeable at first.

I'd say get the Whyte the frames are excellent from my experience of having one a while back, by the time you're then pushing the fork to its limits you'll be more savvy to explore upgrading it and can get some nice Revs or something.

I agree. The whyte 901/905 has great geometry for all round riding and can be a fantastic bike. So long as it's in decent nick and a good price it is a really excellent option. I agree with Briggos commets re forks, I'd rather have the Recon on a decent 901 than, say, the Reba on a Cube.

Moominman2

Thanks for the replies all.

I think I'm set on purchasing either a whyte 901 or 905 in January then. I'll take your advice about the forks on board though rookie. And as briggo said, I'll know more of what I'm looking for when the time comes to upgrade!

So cheers again, roll on the new year, eh