Saracen Mantra MTB

cod58

Hi All
Apologies in advance if I am wasting anyone's time. Just wanted to ask what peoples opinion was of the following bike.

http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p82872/Saracen-Mantra-2016-Mountain-Bike.aspx

I am predominantly looking for it to be used on roads at the moment, then building up to trails/dirt tracks as I get more into it. Would like to get something that suits for my current needs and wouldn't need too much, if anything, doing to it to take it to the next level when I'm ready. Thought this one looked pretty much okay for both, at entry level anyway.

Due to funds I am limited as what I can spend on a new bike and this and other similar sites are my best option due to the fact that they allow you to pay monthly, some on interest free, so may be able to make my budget go that little bit further and I don't want to have to try and save up before I can get a bike, maybe later when I want to get a better one.

I know there are going to be better bikes out there for the money, buying new or second hand, but I don't have a lump sum available at the moment to do this and it would take me too long to get it.

Just after general opinions at the moment

Many thanks

Cod

cooldad

Terrible fork and the rest is pretty low rent.

You do better at Halfords, Decathlon or Go Outdoors and sticking it on credit card.

Like
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-two ... ke-p383858

richk

I've got an older version of this. I've replaced the just about everything except the frame & FD & it's now my frankenbike. I'll let you draw your own conclusion from that!

cod58

Thanks for the input, might give this one a miss then, what about and of the following as an alternative?

http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p84106/Giant-Talon-29er-2-2016-Mountain-Bike.aspx

[/http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p82677/Mondraker-Phase-29er-2016-Mountain-Bike.aspx

[url][/http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p83299/DiamondBack-Sync-4-0-27-5-2017-Mountain-Bike.aspxurl]

[/url][url][/http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p97591/Giant-Talon-3-27-5-2017-Mountain-Bike.aspxurl]

I would like either a 27.5 OR 29er but, as I have a relatively short inside leg, 28 inch, I think the 29er may be too large and would therefore go for the 27.5

cheers

Cod[/url]

The Rookie

Wheel size and rider size are independent, wheel size does change the relationship of the 3 contact points to each other.

The Talon is overpriced, you could get the same for about £100 less at the places been suggested to go to, any reason why your looking at one of the worst value outlets?
The Mondraker has an even worse fork, although it does still mange to have a damper.
The Diamnondback is about on a par with the Mondraker, just costs more.
The bottom link is dead

cod58

The reason I am looking at this specific site is that I am not in a position where I can spend any significant amount of money in one lump sum, they allow you to pay for the stuff you buy monthly, which is a better option for me, so I can pick up a reasonably good bike and accessories and then pay a bit every month, I intend to have it for a while anyway so why not pay for it gradually?
I am now pretty much set on the Diamond Back Sync 4.0 but am still looking to see if I can find anything else before I make a final decision

supersonic

The Sync is let down by the fork - they vary wildly, some barely work out of the box, some top out and ruin the ride - you may get lucky and get one that doesn't rebound at warp speed with a metal on metal crash (there is no hydraulic damping) but is hit and miss.

Halfords offer 0% finance on bikes over £399 - have a look at the new Carrera Kraken:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... ntain-bike

Fork is much better than the XCT, gets a rebound adjuster and is better made. Add in a decent frame, Shimano discs and Acera running gear and you have one of the better sub £500 bikes available.

lawman

The frame of the Mantra is one of the best out there for the price and it rides very nicely indeed. I'll agree that the fork is not great, and the rest of the spec is average rather than great, but the frame really shines through and is a nice bike to ride. The others have better spec but aren't likely to ride as well due to the lower-rent frame. Don't let the "best spec for least money" crowd fool you, the Mantra is a good, solid, starter mountain bike.

supersonic

Just a general comment, not aimed at anyone in particular - do we really see poor(er) frames at the £400 plus price point? Depends how we define it, and what we mean by 'riding well'. Most frames seem to be butted or hydroformed and of good quality, though geometry can vary of course. The trend seems to be towards slacker, longer and lower but I don't think this always suits all riders. Some riders I feel will be better served with more traditional xc geoemtry for long xc rides and technical climbing. I think both types of bike still have a place. Stiffness seems to be a magazine jekyll and hyde speciality, one minute it is good for power transfer and good cornering, next minute a bit of flex is needed for comfort, traction and good cornering! Confuses the reader.

What does vary at this price, and this impacts directly on the ride quality, is the fork. No good having slacker and lower frames for descending stability if the fork won't grip because it has no rebound damping, or is firing back so hard it is bouncing you off the bars. This is why I will discount a bike immediately as an overall package for the serious or aspirational rider who wants to tackle harder terrain if it has no rebound damping as they just do not work. Maybe if you plan to upgrade, sure. But many people don't.

Luckily we are seeing more components that just work - is rare we get a hydro brake that completely fails nowadays, and the entry level Altus works nicely. However we still see some poor choices at this price - 7 speed freewheels, steel bars, poor quality cable discs, 28/38/48 chainsets - these can ruin ride quality too.

The Mantra I agree is a good bike for £400, it does have some damping and performs better than the hopeless XCT when the going gets rough, and the geometry will compliment those wanting to move on to harder terrain.