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£1k for a mountain bike

garyi

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I would like to purchase a new mountain bike after working out mine is over a decade old and fits my son perfectly!

I have 1k not a penny more.

Its not for hardcore down hilling but the whole family has mountain bikes for flexibility, so road, tracks, gravel etc etc. Yes I could pay 300 quid but I want one for the next decade.

Was looking at Wyatt bikes in town which looked very nice. I note that the general trend seems to be towards a single sprocket on the front now?

Any recommendations at this price point?
 
The trend is indeed for a 1x11 layout. It saves weight and complexity, because you no longer need a front shifter, mechanism etc. Alternatives are 1x10 and 2x10. Triples are a thing of the past. Pay attention to what gears you get, it will have a bearing on what use you can put it to. 1 x 11 is great but you'll get a lower top gear than you may be used to. No problem off road, who ever used 32 or 34 x 11 off road anyway? On road yuo will run out of gears at speeds over 20-25mph.

At this price I recommend a hard tail. It saves weight and complexity over a full sus. At £1k a full sus bike isn't the best, a hard tail £1k bike will be a really nice thing.
 
Thanks gents

Steve yes not interested in rear suspension. I did ask about running out of steam at high pace and he did concede that it was possible. That being said I have only every managed 30 on a down hill road with a good wind behind me!
 
Jez taking a look at that its from Halfords. My experience of halfords has been consistently poor.
 
Not sure if they're still available, but I bought a Genesis Core 30 last year for around £750 and it's been very good indeed

I only use it for general cycling on road and rough track; I'm too fat/big/heavy for anything else really and I like my face the right way up too :D

They were c£1k but have dropped in price; think I got mine from Tredz or Evans; so might be worth having a look
 
Every time I see a Voodoo I think they look great. This one does too. All I will say is that it looks like a 29er, which is bloody big wheels if you are not especially tall. I Know I am old school but I prefer 26s, while acknowledging that these are a thing of the past I'd go to a 27.5 but not 29.
 
As Garyi says don't go to Halfords, go to a good 'proper' bike shop. They may even have some secondhand ones.
I had a Marin for many years but it cost me a lot more than £1k, but as I say maybe secondhand ?
 
Anyone serious about an MTB (and £1k is fairly serious) could be spec'ing the bike from the ground up and building it. Looking for deals on the frame and parts is worthwhile. My son could advise on the details but I can't. Naturally for an easy life just buy a complete bike.
 
Do you have access to a cyclescheme at work? That could help with the budget part a little.
Having had a very reliable (& expensive) full sus Marin for many years (still use it as a 'pub bike'), I bought one of the Calibre Bossnuts from Go Outdoors. Again, full sus so maybe not what you want, but very good vfm and has worked well so far, including a couple of trips to Austrian alps downhilling....which didn't break it but nearly did me!
They don't have a fancy name, but you'd struggle to find the same kit on another bike at anywhere near the price (even more so if you can cyclescheme it!)
 
Canyon. Wont get more for your money. Well regarded and will see them on basic family singletracks to gnarly Black route downhills.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/

Needs to be full suspension these days, preferable with lockout for the long road climbs - most come with lockout now. Why you wouldnt be interested in full suspension I dont know? Thats like buying a car with only the front shockers working! Gone are the days of wallowly rear suspension, unless its a Voodoo.

1K is around entry level, but should get you a fairly decent Canyon. I'd probably go with 27.5" rims, 29's are like wagon wheels and a bitch getting up steep technical climbs, and around 140mm travel geometry, you could try 120mm for more cross country type cycling, but the 140 is nice to have once you hit some flowing downhills. I would avoid 1 x10 gearing for what you need it for, opt for 2x10, 1 x 10 is great but unless you are a hardcore MTB'er, the 2x10 is just more versatile.

With cheap end bikes or budget bikes from big manufacturers, you get a lot less for your money and the weight of the bike is frustrating, its why I like Canyon , I will have a Canyon as my next bike (current is a Commencal Meta AM although havent been able to ride for a while sadly)
 
Anyone serious about an MTB (and £1k is fairly serious) could be spec'ing the bike from the ground up and building it. Looking for deals on the frame and parts is worthwhile.
IME this is an expensive way round. Like for like is about +50%, so unless you have a specific requirement or desire to build a bike I wouldn't go that way.
 
Why you wouldnt be interested in full suspension I dont know?
Because he has £1k max. I have yet to ride a £1k full sus MTB that rides half as well as a hardtail at the same money. I have a Kona Kula, now about 10 years old and probably about £750-worth back in the day. In spite of its age, I think you need to go to the best part of £2k these days to get a full sus bike that's better.
 
Because he has £1k max. I have yet to ride a £1k full sus MTB that rides half as well as a hardtail at the same money. I have a Kona Kula, now about 10 years old and probably about £750-worth back in the day. In spite of its age, I think you need to go to the best part of £2k these days to get a full sus bike that's better.

Although there is meritt in your principal, a full suspension is a proper trail bike, therefore it does an entirely different job than a hard tail. For example, you wouldn't take a Mini offroad or basic offroad say like a Jeep, same thing applies. So while a hard tail definitely has its place, the comfort levels are far reduced for doing anything other than basic and real basic at that single track and even that can get dull. an entry level full susser, or my favourite trick, buy last years models at huge discounts provides much more, they do everything. My full Sius cost 1350 and has done all the downhill runs in the UK, and Megavalanche in the Alpes. MegaValanche. Google it!

Granted, there is a weight offset to take into account, so that does bring the HT back into the equation, but once you've ridden a modern and well designed FS, you'll never go back, because there is no need too, and the day when he see's a little gnarly downhill in Wales and thinks, you know what, I'm gonna have a go at that, it will be a more fufilling experience! Faster, quicker, more control, bigger drop offs and without feeling like you've been buggered by a porn star when you get to the end.
 
https://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/c...JzVuWIc_8mWYZJsy1XGcDTGWeClZ6GxoCilkQAvD_BwE#

Just looked at this one in the local shop although they want 800 for it. Seems ok I like the little shifter to turn the forks suspension off.

That being said the handlebars are very wide, this seems to be the new thing as well. I have a bike from way back when GT something or other and I love the handle bars on that, I dont have very long arms!

Not enamored with this one to be honest, colour is puke nasty as well.

What should I be looking out for, back in the day for instance Deore LX or GT was a sign of decent gears, is this still the case?
 
I dont think I need a full suspension, or at least I am old and ugly enough to understand that engineering at a decent levels for rear suspension, costs more money than I am willing to spend for some weekend riding.
 
Although there is meritt in your principal, a full suspension is a proper trail bike, therefore it does an entirely different job than a hard tail. For example, you wouldn't take a Mini offroad or basic offroad say like a Jeep, same thing applies. So while a hard tail definitely has its place, the comfort levels are far reduced for doing anything other than basic and real basic at that single track and even that can get dull.
A decent hard tail is also a proper trail bike, to suggest that it can't handle anything beyond "basic and real basic single track" just isn't true. My name isn't Atherton but I've taken mine down a good number of black runs and held it together. Held it together until such point as the back wheel decides it wants to overtake the front, anyway, at which point I end up vaulting the handlebars. I've tried the same in entry level suspended bikes, and my Kona holds it together better, thanks. YMMV, and if I find a bike around £1500 that's better then i'll buy the thing, but for now a HT Kona outperforms me by a good margin and is a better ride that all the FS bikes I have ridden this side of £2k. Times move on, sure, and it's 2 years or so since I slung my leg over a FS bike, but back then my experience of cheapish FS wasn't great.
 
https://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/c...JzVuWIc_8mWYZJsy1XGcDTGWeClZ6GxoCilkQAvD_BwE#

Just looked at this one in the local shop although they want 800 for it. Seems ok I like the little shifter to turn the forks suspension off.

That being said the handlebars are very wide, this seems to be the new thing as well. I have a bike from way back when GT something or other and I love the handle bars on that, I dont have very long arms!

Not enamored with this one to be honest, colour is puke nasty as well.

What should I be looking out for, back in the day for instance Deore LX or GT was a sign of decent gears, is this still the case?

Im not a fan of wide handlebars eaither, but all the trail bikes come with them these days, I normally have to swap it, along with the stem to get my 'position' just right, being tall and preferring a more head down position takes a few tweeks. Some of the trail bikes have such short up right geomatry for AM riding, i.e my brothers Lapierre, I find completely uncomfortable, even more so when you hit a hill! Definitely try to sit on a few to get an idea of what suits you best.

The yellow is a good colour - it'll be easier to find you in the woods when you fall off and knock yourself out (happens to us all!)

Engineering has moved on, the even entry level rear shockers now are fantastic. I did see the Canyon starts at 1250, so probably a little more to spend if you want to get something spot on that will serve you well probably till you've either had enough or died.

A decent hard tail is also a proper trail bike, to suggest that it can't handle anything beyond "basic and real basic single track" just isn't true. My name isn't Atherton but I've taken mine down a good number of black runs and held it together. Held it together until such point as the back wheel decides it wants to overtake the front, anyway, at which point I end up vaulting the handlebars. I've tried the same in entry level suspended bikes, and my Kona holds it together better, thanks. YMMV, and if I find a bike around £1500 that's better then i'll buy the thing, but for now a HT Kona outperforms me by a good margin and is a better ride that all the FS bikes I have ridden this side of £2k. Times move on, sure, and it's 2 years or so since I slung my leg over a FS bike, but back then my experience of cheapish FS wasn't great.

You havent ridden many FS's then tbh, but as usual Stevie, you want to remain in the past! Its like that Dead or Alive song. The entry level Canyon FS would literally s**t all over your relic and you'd have an orgasm riding it (in comparison)! But if your Kona works for you and you have fun riding it, thats all that matters, keep on riding!
 


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