yet another which MTB

ak12

Hi Guys

I've enrolled in my company's cycle to work scheme and have about £600 to spend on a MTB. Im pretty much a beginner so i dont expect to be careening downhill at break neck speeds! I'm looking at hard tails and i can ONLY buy from Evans as thats the agreement on my scheme so... after looking at the website i've done this search:

https://www.evanscycles.com/bikes/mountain-bikes_c/hardtail-suspension_type?priceIncMin=389&priceIncMax=626&sort=-price_inc_vat

and seen:

Trek X-caliber 8 2017 - £625
Cannondale Trail 4 2017 - £549

Are Norco Chargers any good?
Would you recommend any other bikes from that link?
What are the views on the 29 vs 27 inch? Should i even be worried about this as a novice?

Im pretty lost when it comes to modern MTB's.
Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

Asim

slc123

Hi Asim,

It all depends on exactly what you are going to do on the bike. I can give you some personal experience. I bought a Cannondale Trail 5 29er as my first bike about 5 years ago. It was OK, equivalent spec to that trail 4 you are looking at. I personally wasn't a massive fan of the 29er as I was doing a lot of more single track stuff that was quite tight. I decided to add a 27.5 Cannondale trail 4 about 3 years ago. More like a Cannondale trail 2 now looking at the spec on that one above. It's been a pretty good bike and I've enjoyed riding it after a few upgrades (tyres, pedals, handlebars and stem). It's a fantastic XC bike and will handle most things I throw at it. However, more recently I've been doing some more technical stuff and it is starting to struggle, so I've decided to start my own build, partly because I have become particular about what I want and because I want to see what it's like to build your own.

The point I am making is, if you are starting out I don't think anything is particularly wrong as you don't know what you are going to like and what suits your riding. There will definitely be better deals than others out there, but if you are tied into Evans then it is what it is.

I can personally recommend the Cannondales as a good starter bike, although I've run into problems with sizing and ability to upgrade parts, which has been a pain.

A friend of mine I rode with a lot had a Norco Sight, which was a damn good bike, but I've got no experience of the Norco HT's. Spec wise on that page you sent the Trek X Caliber looks to have the upper hand as it's a clearance bike and down from £800.

Good luck

ak12

Hi SLC

Many thanks for the detailed reply, I appreciate it.

As you've said , im just starting out so im not exactly sure what i'd like. I'll be starting off on local canal paths etc to get my fitness up and then trying out the entry level trails in my area.

There is so much choice out there even though im restricted to Evans.
Also within my budget are:

Trek X-caliber 8 2017 - £625
Cannondale Trail 4 2017 - £549

Specialized Rockhopper comp 29 2018
Specialized Pitch expert 650b 2018
Scott Scale 970/770 2017
ex display norco charger 7.2 2017

I think it'll be a choice out of the above. Im just sitting here dreaming about bikes until my certificate comes in!

Asim