Mountain Bike Purchase Advice
3 watchers
May 2019
8:32am, 9 May 2019
1,488 posts
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RunningRonnie
I have a nice road bike that I've had for about 5 years now. Had some very nice rides on it, but I just don't use it all that often as I'm not very confident on the road or with high mileage runs. I really fancy doing some local trails. There are a couple of forests near me with dedicated, graded mountain bike trails. I'd be staying clear of the red routes though! I intend to keep my road bike, but considered getting a mountain bike too. It's probably a bit silly buying a second bike when I've got 2 in the garage that I never use (I've got an older hybrid in there too that I always intended to get rid of). My budget would be around £750. Can anyone give me advice on the first things to look for (such as desired weight, component types to avoid, etc)? Also, do I want hard-tail or full sus? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each? |
May 2019
10:20am, 9 May 2019
2,993 posts
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K5 Gus
Here's an article to start you off off.road.cc It suggests that you should avoid full suspension unless you're spending £1000+ In general rear suspension will make the bike heavier than a hardtail, so you'll have to work harder on the uphill, but you'll get a smoother ride on the downhill. Lots of people buy a MTB then hardly ever use it, so there are some great bargains to be had 2nd hand if you know what you're looking for - but a bit of a minefield if you don't know what's what. The Decathlon bikes get a pretty good review as being value for money I think, decathlon.co.uk Hopefully others that know a bit more than me can help with some more specific points, or answer any follow up questions after some more reading and research |
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May 2019
10:35am, 9 May 2019
2,994 posts
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K5 Gus
The Boardman bikes also seem to be good value for money, this one seems to be right at your price range, might be worth a look if you have a Halfords near you halfords.com |
May 2019
11:14am, 9 May 2019
7,732 posts
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GordonG
RR - does the manufacturer of your road bike make an equivalent MTB? if you liked their road version, it's probably a good starting point.
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May 2019
12:26pm, 9 May 2019
7,447 posts
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larkim
For £650 I can recommend the Voodoo Bizango at Halfords. Consistently good reviews, lightweight with a decent air fork and a modern 1x11 gear setup. It's a 29er (i.e. has 700c wheels, the same size as most road bikes) so rolls well over trails such as you describe. I've just been around Llandegla MTB centre on the red run and it was brilliant. halfords.com With a British Cycling £20 membership you can get 10% off at Halfords too, so that brings it down to closer to £600 with budget to spend on a decent helmet etc. or even a dropper seatpost (my son reckons that's the best thing he ever bought for his bike) Boardman bikes also represent good VFM and good specs. BC 10% discount available on them too at Halfords. For a hard tail in your price range, I'd be making sure as a minimum you get:- - air fork (ideally Fox or Rockshox, but Suntour's air forks are on a par with the main brands, its just that their lower end coil forks are the cheap end of the market) - under 13kg if you can - 1x gearing, ideally 11 but 10 is good too - hydraulic brakes Both SRAM and Shimano drivetrains are reliable, ditto for brakes. Tektro and Hayes brakes can be a bit more suspect. There's confusing choices to be made about wheel sizes - broadly 26inch MTB wheels are old fashioned (though many still love them) and new bikes don't come with them. The two wheel sizes are 650b (or 27.5") and 700c (29er). I'm not competent enough to really be able to feel much difference, but broadly 29ers are supposed to roll nicer / faster but have bigger (and therefore heavier) wheels so are a bit less nimble. I'm not sure it makes any practical difference to most mortals, though some people get hung up on the difference. For that sort of money you won't get a good enough spec'd full suss to make it worthwhile. There are some decent models around £1000 that are good enough entry level full suss though. Calibre's offerings a Go Outdoors are good VFM. Halfords range is good, and whilst you might get an idiot setting the bike up for you in store don't be put off by their reputation - the bikes you get are good VFM in terms of components. |
May 2019
12:47pm, 9 May 2019
1,089 posts
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oumaumau
I'd stick some nobblys on the hybrid and see how you get along on the trails, at least to start with. I bought a full sus bike a few years ago, but never use it -it's overkill for the local trails and heavy compared to my 20+year old Specialised Rockhopper which is for all intents and purposes the equivalent of a modern hybrid. Just my 2 penny-worth |
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May 2019
1:03pm, 9 May 2019
7,448 posts
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larkim
I suppose that depends on the hybrid - if that's rigid with not much tyre clearance it won't get on too well at a MTB trail centre. But I reckon you're right overall - the bikes you can buy today at reasonable prices are the equivalent of high end bikes from just a few years ago, and when MTBs first came on the scene they were all rigid, and people managed just fine! |
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May 2019
1:53pm, 10 May 2019
1,489 posts
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RunningRonnie
Thanks all! I did consider using the hybrid. It's not a great bike though. Would I put fatter tyres on or new wheels entirely? bikeradar.com |
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May 2019
1:58pm, 10 May 2019
7,466 posts
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larkim
Sounds like the frame wouldn't give much clearance for anything too wide ("In terms of tyre clearances, the Gryphon can take up to 28-30c tyres (we tried Continental’s top touring 700x28c). A little more room in the chainstays would have allowed more options for canal path-friendly rubber.") 30c there is 1.2inch - generally you'd expect about 1.8inch, or more realistically 2inch+ tyres for MTB (as I understand things!) |
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May 2019
1:59pm, 10 May 2019
7,467 posts
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larkim
i.e. it's not the wheels, it's the frame which will be the main restriction.
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