Got £800 odd but no knowledge

slipslide

Hi all
I’ve been riding for a couple of years on a Boardman mx comp £600 from Halfords, I like the bike it’s a 27.5 with hydraulic brakes and weighs 11.8kg. I ride mainly trails, gravel, park roads all “off road” but I’m not bob Haro so no jumps. Just enjoy tearing it around and trying to get quicker while getting fitter, no road riding or commuting. The last few months the bike has been a mess. Broken chain, break problems gear issues you get the idea, kind of shaken apart.
So I thought I would treat myself. But tbh don’t know what to look for so I found a few options and thought I would ask for some opinions. I’m also open to any other ideas. I’m 6ft 1. I would prefer a light bike for storage and roof mounting.
Bianchi ethanol £850
The Ethanol 27.5 SX3 is a fast feeling carbon hardtail with very responsive steering. It’s an ideal cross country race machine that will have you wanting to hit the trails with speed. It looks outstanding and performs equally as well. Bianchi have spec’d the bike with RockShox Reba RL forks with 100mm of travel and Shimano Deore/XT 10 speed transmission for quick and crisp gear changes. Shimano M396 brakes take care of shaving speed when you need to. It’s a great bike that will see you through your first XC race or a fast day out with mates.
SPECIFICATION:
Frame: Ethanol 27,5" carbon, 1.5" tapered HT, PF30 73mm, seatpost diam. 27,2mm, low clamp diam. 31.8mm, bottom pull, PM 160mm bottom mounting dropout 12x142mm, internal cable routing inside DT
Fork: Rock Shox Reba RL 27,5" Solo Air Fast Black 100mm
Headset: FSA Orbit 1.5E ZS
Shifters: Shimano Deore SL-M610 10sp
Rear derailleur: Shimano XT RD-M781 Shadow Design 10sp
Front derailleur: Shimano Deore FD-M618-L
Crankset: FSA Comet BB30 38/24T, forged AL6061, BCD 104/64mm
Chain: KMC X10 EPT
Sprocket: Shimano Deore HG50-10sp
Brakes: Shimano M396
Rim Sunrigle Helix TR25 Tubeless Ready 27.5"
Tyres: Kenda Honey BadgerXC Sport 27,5x2.05
Rear Hub: Formula CL-26
Front Hub: Formula CL-25
Stem: Tec Obvius 3D forged Alloy 6061, +/-7°, 1.1/8", diam.31.8mm, 80mm for 15,17" and 90mm for 19-21"
Handlebar: Tec Obvius flat top DB Alloy 6061, width 680mm, diam. 31,8mm, 5° backsweep
Seatpost: Tec Obvius, alloy 6061-T6, diam. 27,2mm, 15mm seatback, length 350mm-15/17", 400mm-19/21"
Saddle: Selle San Marco Era Startup, carbon steel rail, 277x135mm
Orange clockwork in either 27.5 or 29 last years £800
The Clockwork 120 is refined for singletrack. The 120mm suspension and 27.5" wheel combo is ideal for those looking for quick handling and rapid acceleration. The Clockwork is a trustworthy trail buddy that'll stick by you when you're bombing twisting red runs, all the same as when you're on the granny ring just enjoying the open view.
The 2x10 SLX drive gives plenty of gear potential to get up and over practically any obstacle or incline, while the Mountain King 2.2" tyres are hot as fire over any type of terrain. All in all a substantial bike for leisurely riders and beginners, that can also withstand the abuse of more experienced mountaineers.
Frame and Forks
Frame: 6061-T6 Custom Butted OS Aluminium Tube
Fork: RockShox Recon Silver RL 120, Tapered Steerer, Maxle
Rear Shock: N/A
Drivetrain
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore Double
Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX Shadow + 11spd
Cassette: Shimano Deore Shadow + 10spd
Chain: KMC X10
Crankset: Shimano Deore Double 36-22t
Bottom Bracket: Shimano Hollow Tech II
Braking/Shifting
Shifters: Shimano Deore 2x10
Brakes: Shimano M506 160mm/160mm Rotors
Brake Levers: Shimano M506
Wheels
Rims: Alex MD19 27.5"
Hubs: Formula 15mm/Shimano 475
Spokes: Stainless Steel
Tyres: Continental Mountain King 2.2" F+R
Finishing Kit
Handlebar: Strange 0.5" Riser 750mm Wide
Grips: Strange Lock-On
Stem: Strange Stalk
Seatpost: Strange Post 400mm
Saddle: Kore Durox IE
Pedals: Kore Rivera Thermo
Model Year2017
Genesis core 20 £550
DateFrameALX7+ 6061 Double-Butted AluminiumForksRockshox Recon Silver RL, Solo Air, 120mm.Rear DerailleurShimano Acera RD-M3000Front DerailleurShimano Acera FD-M3000ShiftersShimano Acera SL-M3000ChainsetShimano Acera FC-M3000 / 40/30/22TBottom BracketShimano BB-ES300 73-118mmChainKMC X9CassetteShimano CS-HG300-9 / 11-34THeadsetPrestine PT-1800H ID:44/ID:44StemGenesis 60mm /+7degHandlebarsGenesis alloy / 740mm x 15mm riseFront BrakeShimano M395 180/160mmRear BrakeShimano M395 180/160mmBrake LeversShimano M395RimsWTB STP i23 TCS 27.5"Front HubShimano FH-RM35 32hRear HubShimano FH-RM35 32hSpokesStainless steel 14gTyresMaxxis Ardent 27.5x2.25"SaddleGenesis MTBSeatpostGenesis Alloy / 30.9x400mmPedalsGenesisGripsGenesis Loc OnOur Opinion
Ghost Kato full suspension £750 unsure about full suspension.
The Ghost Kato 2.7 27.5" Full Suspension Bike is designed to help you to dominate the climbs as well as you can dominate the descents. This is achieved thanks to many factors, including semi-hydroformed tubes and a forged chainstay yoke on the frame. This design ensures highly efficient power transfer and precise handling
Air Suspension Forks and Rear Shock
The Kato 2.7 Full Suspenion features 130mm travel RST Aerial TnL Air forks, an XFusion O2 Pro RL Air rear shock and a wide range 2x10-Speed drivetrain, so, you’ll be able to blast up the hills and stay in control on the way back down.
Frame: Kato FS AL alloy
Forks: RST Aerial TnL Air, 130mm travel
Rear Shock: XFusion O2 Pro RL Air, 130mm travel
Chainset: Shimano Deore FC-M6000 Hollowtech II, 34/24T
Cassette: Shimano CS-HG500-10-Speed, 11-42T
Shifters: Shimano Deore SL-M6000
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore FD-M6020, Side Swing
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore RD-M6000 Shadow Plus, 10-Speed
Front Hub: Formula DC 22 QR
Rear Hub: Formula DC 20 QR
Front Rim: Rodi Excalibur XC 584x19mm 32H
Rear Rim: Rodi Excalibur XC 584x19mm 32H
Front Tyre: Continental X-King PureGrip 27.5x2.2
Rear Tyre: Continental X-King PureGrip 27.5x2.2
Front Brake: Tektro HD-M285 2/2 piston hydraulic, 160mm disc
Rear Brake: Tektro HD-M285 2/2 piston hydraulic, 160mm dis
Handlebars: Ghost Low Rizer MTB, Width: 760mm; Rise: 15mm; Diameter: 31.8mm
Stem: Ghost MTB; Diameter: 31.8mm
Saddle: Selle Italia X-Base
Seatpost: Ghost Light DC 1; Diameter: 31.6mm

Sorry for the length of the post. If it’s to much info please let me know and I will edit it.
Thanks for all your help

larkim

Forgive me, but it looks like you've just taken £800 as a benchmark price and found every bike which has the biggest level of discount against it (and in some cases, isn't available as they have sold out of stock). I'm sure others would prefer links to the bikes too as it is difficult to see which ones you are looking at in all honesty!

For £800 you should be able to get a lot of hardtail, but equally you'd probably want to be investing in some knowledge as to how to look after a bike given your comments about how you've run the Boardman into the ground too!

slipslide

Yep. I can see how it looks. My choices were based on the fact that i have ridden the Orange and the genesis for a very short time as i met a couple of guys on them while ridding and we were discussing bikes, as i say i have no knowledge and they both felt good. But it was a VERY short time. The Bianchi was because it was a carbon frame and appeared light, which i really like the sound of. It was also the only carbon frame i could find in that price range, so an alternative option. And the Ghost is for the exact reason you state, big discount and full suspension which i had not thought about as i could not afford one, never ridden one and was unsure about maintainance. I have gone for older models though as i am happy to not be current and realise that whilst to me £800 is quite an investment in the world of bikes it isnt.
I didnt post links as when i searched the forum for information a lot of people posted that they would prefer bike information rather than links. Happy with whichever.
The knowledge side i am working on, i started with none and am getting better. I think i probably did most of the damage early on with the boardman, but i am learning.

kajjal

If you are confident second hand bikes provide very good value and can be found at much lower prices in nearly new condition. Also take your time with bike maintenance so you can do it properly. That way things last longer, are setup better and more reliable so you can just get on with riding the bike.

steve_sordy

Try a Whyte 605. Its a robust hardtail for under £750. So you will be able to put some wider tyres on it.

http://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/hardtail/whyte-605

The Whyte 801 is a much better bike for just over £800.

larkim

Isn't that let down by the xc30 fork though? You'd expect at least an air fork at that price point.

rumbataz

@slipside - I've just bought the Ghost Kato 2.7 FS from CRC at the 45% discounted price. I'm loving it as an MTB newbie. It's obviously a budget FS MTB bike but has some reasonable components on it, although the fork isn't that great. It is what it is and probably a good deal for the price it's selling at now. It certainly isn't a £1440 bike which is supposed to be the RRP, but at £800 I couldn't resist.

The brakes are very, very good, although I have replaced the pads with Tektro metallics as it comes with Tektro organics. The bike is very rideable and controllable. It's just a leisure bike for me and I didn't want a hardtail as I already have a decent hybrid with front suspension. I don't think it'll be suitable for serious MTB riding at all, but for casual, non-violent riding it's perfect.

Just be aware that you'll get almost no documentation with it and the user manual is in German and is a generic user manual. However, I'm just learning about MTB stuff from YouTube videos.

steve_sordy

rumbataz wrote:

............
Just be aware that you'll get almost no documentation with it and the user manual is in German and is a generic user manual. However, I'm just learning about MTB stuff from YouTube videos.

Every single "User Manual" I've seen that comes with a new bike is a CYA document (Cover Your 4rse). You may as well throw it straight in the bin. Even on an Enduro bike with 160mm of travel front and rear it says no jumping. The "User Manual" is seldom even aimed at the bike you have bought, just every single bike that the manufacturer makes. Like I said, they are a complete waste of time.

The best info I ever received with a bike was on a boxed YT Capra that had absolutely superb build instructions. I didn't need them, but they were very good indeed. Even a person without an ounce of mechanical sympathy could follow those diagrams. 8)

slipslide

Hi Guys
Thanks for the help after weighing it all up i have decided to take a punt on the Orange 27.5 so fingers crossed it will serve me well. My plan is then to try to get the boardman running properly and learn a bit in the process.
Thanks again for your help.