Looking for a new fun do it all bike.

ga-rat

Hello,

I am looking at getting a new steed, I think I fancy a fun trail bike thats good for a 1mile commute on road , but one that will give a massive grin on my local red and blue graded trails. I would also like to enjoy days out in the saddle with mates.... not sure I can really achieve all this, can I ? :roll:

I have narrowed it down to about 8....ish. :evil: Just to be awkward I fancy something a little different hence the Norco and the Saracen, something you don't see everyday, I realise I may be dropping some higher level components in order to achieve this. The Boardman bikes are here because of the sensible part of me says they really can't be beaten on price for the level of components.

I would appreciate any opinions you have along with any experience of riding any of them.

Here goes:-

Norco Charger 7.1
http://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/cross-country/charger/

Cube Acid
http://www.cube.eu/uk/bikes/mtb-hardtail/acid/cube-acid-275-bluenflashred-2015/

Giant Talon 27.5 1
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/2014.giant.talon.27.5.1/15005/66623/

Saracen Mantra Trail
http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/trail/mantra-trail

Kona Blast
http://www.konaworld.com/blast.cfm

Voodoo Bizango - I can only find this in an 18inch frame so probably to small.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/voodoo-bizango-29er-mountain-bike-18

Boardman Team FS
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/fs_team650b.html

Boardman Team HT
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_team650b.html

I realise they all have a compromise of sorts, some have tapered forks/headset, some have standard QR skewer some bolt through etc.

rockmonkeysc

The Norco and Saracen have nothing special to make up for the lower spec parts. They are noth budget brands as well.
The Boardman and Voodoi are by far the best.

ga-rat

RockmonkeySC wrote:

The Norco and Saracen have nothing special to make up for the lower spec parts. They are noth budget brands as well.
The Boardman and Voodoi are by far the best.

Thanks for your comment... The cube is pretty well specced. The voodoo can't currently be ordered in anything other than an 18inch though.

The Rookie

I agree, but they make some nasty budget bikes as well to cash in and ruin the good name.

Avoid the low end Norco's, they have proven rather unreliable and Evans rather unwilling to resolve the issues.

A real 'do anything' bike would be FS, but as you say red and blue only HT will suffice, a one mile commute you can do on anything (my neighbour used to do a 1.5 mile road commute on an 8" travel DH bike) and I'd be tempted to get a cheap used bike on slicks if I were you and keep the MTB 'special'.

The Parkwood is worth a look as well
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPWX5/o ... ntain-bike

However the Bizango is a superb bike for the money and rides much better than the sum of it's parts, how tall are you that you think an 18" is too small?

ga-rat

I am bang on 6ft but I have longish legs, I currently ride a large Scott Aspect. The forks are knackered on that though and it has a bent crank from a mate crashing into it and it has heavy mix and match wheels from the original pair being damaged.

It has done me very well but rather than having to spend money out on it I thought I would takes advantage of the cycle to work scheme, it has to be through Halfords, they have told me they can get most bikes but Evan's cycles, leisure lakes bikes, kona and Saracen are a lot easier and quicker to purchase through.

I have a £1000 Max limit, but I would be happier if it was cheaper and with the bizango in the mix its hard to justify a bigger spend unless its for the Boardman team fs.

The Rookie

ga-rat wrote:

I am bang on 6ft but I have longish legs

Hmm yes, long legs means long arms and so the top tube on an 18" may be too short, it has an offset seatpost and an 80mm stem already so not much scope there either, would still be worth trying to get a sit on one, otherwise my pick (given what you say) would probably be the Parkwood and as with all On-ones you can customise the build and avoid 'needing' any upgrades straight away!

ga-rat

The Rookie wrote:

ga-rat wrote:

I am bang on 6ft but I have longish legs

Hmm yes, long legs means long arms and so the top tube on an 18" may be too short

Sorry yes, forgot I had arms!!! :roll: They are quite long.

I did look at the on one website, I looked at the 456 Evo as it had a big reduction, I do like the look of the Parkwood though.. and the price. I think I will do some google-ing, see what reviews it gets and how comfortable it is out all day riding.

I have emailed the Halfords Cycle2Work team to see if they can source On One bikes, I have been told by Halfords they can source pretty much anything..... we will see. :? :? :?

The Rookie

ga-rat wrote:

Sorry yes, forgot I had arms!!! :roll: They are quite long.

Most people think it's leg length that is used to size frames (predominantly) when of course the seatpost gives a massive range of adjustment, but cockpit length has only a limited range of adjustment (about 60mm max without starting to significantly change how a bike rides) and the vast majority of people have arm length proportional to leg length, hence longer legs=longer arms=longer frame needed.

ga-rat

A nice short Kore stem and wider bars were the best upgrades on my Scott.

I do like the look of the stance, I love the fact they kept the price down by using cheaper gear components. These bits are easily upgraded when they wear out. The On-one is kept cheap in the same way.

ga-rat

I had a reply from the halfords cycle2work team, they told me they cannot get bikes from On-One . never mind..

They are being very helpful though, they asked for my post code. They are going to send me a list of LBS's that will take the c2w voucher..

I may be back on here asking for more opinions and advice... Sorry :roll:

ga-rat

oxoman wrote:

Giant Stance is worth a look at if you decide to go full sus.

I like the look of this... Have you got one yourself?