What MTB (£1000 - £1500)?

jamescconnolly50NMEV6iND

Im returning to mountain biking nearly 20 years after i was really into it (im 35 now). Bikes have seriously gone up in value in my time away but looks like the options have also increased.

Il be doing a mixture of off-road trails, muddy fields etc but also putting some longer distance rides in so i was thinking about a hardtail 29er. Il need an XL size

I had my eyes on the Cannondale Trail SE 2021 but its not in stock anywhere. Most of the sites iv checked are low on stock. Is availability always this bad? Iv been checking Evans, Rutland Cycles, Chain Reaction and Tredz, is they any other good sites to look at?

Anyway, any advice or recommendations would be much appreciated.

karljeff72

Leisurelakesbikes have a Cannondale Trail SE 1 due in 20th Jan £1.599.99 in XL.

steve_sordy

jamescconnolly50NMEV6iND said:

Im returning to mountain biking nearly 20 years after i was really into it (im 35 now). Bikes have seriously gone up in value in my time away but looks like the options have also increased.

Il be doing a mixture of off-road trails, muddy fields etc but also putting some longer distance rides in so i was thinking about a hardtail 29er. Il need an XL size

I had my eyes on the Cannondale Trail SE 2021 but its not in stock anywhere. Most of the sites iv checked are low on stock. Is availability always this bad? Iv been checking Evans, Rutland Cycles, Chain Reaction and Tredz, is they any other good sites to look at?

Anyway, any advice or recommendations would be much appreciated.

No, it is not always this bad! We have the Covid-19 -pandemic to thanks for this. It was a combination of at least three things:
#The industry deciding that sales would fall, so they cut orders.
#Manufacturers suffering from production problems due to illness among staff.
#Members of the public on furlough deciding that in the lovely weather they might as well go out on a bike.

Not only did all the bike shops sell out, but the bike mechanics were swamped with folk bringing in bikes from the back of the shed, even from behind the shed for resurrection. It is not only bikes that are in short supply, or long lead-times, but components too. So even if you buy a clunker off the internet, you may not be able to get the parts to fix it!

It has been made a bit worse by some sellers in the EU deciding that they no longer wish to supply the UK market, which may be small for them. This is either a temporary action in fear of long queues at the channel ports, or a permanent move triggered by the extra bureaucracy (not tariffs, as there are none from the EU).

Most bikes in the world are made in the Far East. Many components too. And nothing has changed there, only that between the EU and the UK. So if you prefer to buy your Shimano (Japanese) components from an Italian company, you might have a problem or two. But there are many UK suppliers that will be happy to sell you Shimano components (even if they were all made in Taiwan).

jamescconnolly50NMEV6iND

Thanks for the response.

Had a browse and found these bikes;

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/bikes/hardtail-mountain-bikes/cannondale-trail-se2-sx-12spd-hardtail-mountain-bike-2021-emerald-fade__351038

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/bikes/hardtail-mountain-bikes/orbea-laufey-h30-29er-hardtail-mountain-bike-2021-blackpurple__348520

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Orbea/Alma-H10-29-Eagle-Mountain-Bike-2021/QDXE

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Trek/X-Caliber-9-Mountain-Bike-2021/P3OG

Any advice? Anything to look out for?

Thanks

reaperactual

All are decent with good spec. With the exception of the Orbea Laufy being more trail orientated with bigger travel forks than the others which are more in the XC category.

Boost thru axles are good for stiffness and a solid interface, the Trek has Boost spacing for stiffer wheels but quick release rear end, but nothing you'd ever notice while riding.

Suppose the 1x12 drivetrains are similar but would be down to your preference for Shimano or Sram as a brand.

The SLX/XT groupset is the upper level of Shimano's drivetrain range whereas the SX is the bottom of the Sram range. I hear the SX derailleur can be fragile under hard use with more basic features.

Brakes are similar in performance with the exception of the Cannondale being fitted with 4 pot brakes for better stopping power over 2 pot brakes which is nice touch but maybe not that necessary on an XC bike.

JBA

The Laufey looks like a great bike but is special order so I doubt you'd get one for a few months. The Orbea website has a message on it saying that due to Brexit they have temporarily stopped on line sales to the UK. Not sure how that will affect dealer suppy in the UK.
Trek is also pre-order unless you want an XXL.
The Cannondale is not in stock in any of LL's shops so I would double check availability. I'd also get confrmation of what fork is fitted. In the description it says RS 35 Gold RL but in the Tech Info it says 35 Silver R. SRAM SX would put me off though. Too many reports of it being easily destroyed.

The Alma is in stock in XL and is a cross country bike so fulfills your requirements by the look of it. The forks are fairly basic but at least they are air so will do what is required of them. That would be my choice with a view to riding it for a while and then possibly upgrading the forks and brakes.

jamescconnolly50NMEV6iND

JBA said:

The Laufey looks like a great bike but is special order so I doubt you'd get one for a few months. The Orbea website has a message on it saying that due to Brexit they have temporarily stopped on line sales to the UK. Not sure how that will affect dealer suppy in the UK.
Trek is also pre-order unless you want an XXL.
The Cannondale is not in stock in any of LL's shops so I would double check availability. I'd also get confrmation of what fork is fitted. In the description it says RS 35 Gold RL but in the Tech Info it says 35 Silver R. SRAM SX would put me off though. Too many reports of it being easily destroyed.

The Alma is in stock in XL and is a cross country bike so fulfills your requirements by the look of it. The forks are fairly basic but at least they are air so will do what is required of them. That would be my choice with a view to riding it for a while and then possibly upgrading the forks and brakes.

Typical, i was going to order the Alma today and its now quoting a delivery of July 2021.

Iv requested confirmation on the delivery date for the Cannondale.

Are there any other bikes you would recommend around the same price range? I could probably stretch to £2k for the right bike.