There was a very nice looking BMC on here a week or so back at what I thought was a great price
Just bought an emtb or I may have had it myself
After having my beloved 2011 boardman pro stolen today
I’m in the market for a new bike.
I’m after a Hardtail. Nothing to fancy.
Up to about £1000. Would buy used size medium
Any recommendations ?
Cheers Andy.
Oh and a good fuc..n lock
There was a very nice looking BMC on here a week or so back at what I thought was a great price
Just bought an emtb or I may have had it myself
Can’t help you with the bike, but this gives you good guidance on locks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxIbAFnmsIQ
For 1k you can get a lot of bike if you go for nearly new, loads being sold with massive discounts and in pretty much new condition these days, but i would say you need to work out what you want, 27.5, 29" wheels, 100mm to 150mm travel, etc, etc. If you work out what you're after then it narrows down where to look?
Paul’s Cycles are always worth a look as they normally have loss or 2018 models in discount
They have some very nice Marin just now
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
scott scale carbon hardtails can be had on eBay for not a lot of money
29’ers bring the trail alive, just saying... ;-)
I was looking at the Boardman range but then spotted a youtube review of a Voodoo Bizango, checked one out at my local Halfords and bought it. I've done around 400miles since the purchase, mostly off road including a white knuckle-ish shred around Bedgebury and I'm glad I went the 29er route. It eats up the miles along shingle and gravel, is no slouch on tarmac and is only mildly tricky on the technical single trail.
Try Rutland Cycles... I bought a carbon framed Giant XTC 29er for half price as it was last year's model.
As an example, this is a bloody bargain, if you can stretch the budget a bit.
https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes...e-black_373464
Sent from my OnePlus 6T using Tapatalk
When my second Orange Evo got stolen Wheelies of Swansea were offering 20% off their bikes if i paid cash but i fancied a rock lobster tig team sl which was a hot poop hard tail at the time and sold direct from Merlin Cycles at just over £1000
In 2010 i fancied a full suss and got a Giant Anthem X4 from wheelies discounted from 1400 to 1120 which i was chuffed with.
I don't think there are many bad bikes these days but that Scott Scale carbon jobbie looks an exceptional buy.
Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk
Westbrook cycles has decent sale prices if your interested
Me and a few mates have Scott scale carbon bikes and they can easily build into sub 20lb bikes
Last edited by speedypro1111; 20th April 2019 at 14:46.
Are diamond back mountain bikes any good ?
Diamondback used to make nice bikes, they even had a Titanium offering. Ive not seen them featured in the mags recently.
For a bike under a grand I would be looking at a big name 2018 model discounted for 2019 like Scott, Orange, Giant, Specialised, Trek, BMC, Marin etc Also eblag is full of bikes that have literally done sub 100 miles. My neighbor picked up a pre owned bike with a computer fitted 35 miles, half price £700 down to £350.
The key thing with any bike purchase is buy the right size, it doesn’t matter how much it costs if its too big ( usual mistake) it will never deliver the performance a correctly sized bike provides.
Bikeradar do some good top ten mtb’s and since you asked, here is their test of £11,000 worth of locks used and abused
https://youtu.be/BxIbAFnmsIQ
Thanks. I looked at the Scott scale 720 on Rutland cycles. Looks excellent only size m left though. I’m 5ft 11 so think a large is suitable ?
- - - Updated - - -
Thanks. I looked at the Scott scale 720 on Rutland cycles. Looks excellent only size m left though. I’m 5ft 11 so think a large is suitable ?
Scott website here https://www.tredz.co.uk/size-guides/mountain-bikes
Shows at 5’11 large, so you are spot on with your thoughts. When you draw up a short list, have a quick look at the sizing for that model as some frames come up small / large. Im a Small on one bike XS on another two and M on my Yeti!
I’m 5’10” on my Scott scale 720 imedium size
I prefer to raise the seatpost
But 5’11” is borderline your best bet is going to see what you prefer yourself
You may actually prefer the medium size
I am the same height as you and always go for a medium in mountain bikes and large on road bikes. I like the slightly smaller MTB as it is easier to move around on.
I have a Santa Cruz Chameleon which I’ll be selling shortly, spent the last few years indoors on my turbo trainer.. can send details if your interested? Will be probably half your budget..
Can't go wrong with a Specialised Rock Hopper imo
If you're going used then there have been quite a few changes in mountain bike tech / standards etc in the last few years... if you go back too far you could be left with something that's getting towards obsolete...
For example, head back 10 years and almost everything was on 26" wheels... now it's all 27.5 or 29" (with various plus sizes).
Most serious bikes are now 1x as opposed to 3x10 / 3x9 chain sets of several years back.
Geometry is changing... in recent years, everything's starting to get longer, lower and slacker... head angles of 66deg which would have only been seen on a downhill bike 5/10 years ago.
Most decent bikes come with a dropper post or at least the routing to fit one - an essential once you've ridden one!
People are tending to ride bigger bikes now - I used to be of the opinion that sizing down gave you something more 'flickable' but with more modern geometries, a longer bike actually gives you a lot more stability when things get steep and with a super-short stem you don't lose that 'fun' factor in the twisty stuff.
I guess I'm saying that while you can get an absolute bargain if you go back far enough but bikes are really that but more capable now so don't go back too far!! I sold my 2010 Yeti ASRC5 (a £4,500 bike in its day) in particularly mint condition for £600 a while back but the YT and Cotics I have now are so much better to ride I don't miss it at all.
There’s a good spec sheet here;
https://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m15b0s7...per_Sport_2019
When I was looking to buy I got a bit blinded by all the info available from other brands in the same price bracket, but the Specialized range looked to have better hardware for the money
Review here;
https://www.mbr.co.uk/buyers_guide/s...khopper-372980
At that sort of price, it's worth looking at some of the bigger chain stores as well... Go Outdoors in particular has a really good range of extremely good value and really well rated bikes... a mate rides the Bossnut, their full suspension £1k offering and it's incredible for the cash...
Something like this would do the job nicely... proper RockShox forks, 1x10 groupset, dropper post etc etc... Also check out Vitus (which I think is Chain Reaction Cycles 'own brand') and the Pinnacle and Voodoo bikes.
MBR's Bike of the Year Awards are a very good starting point.
A few things to remember from the choices shown:
1. How long are you going riding for, aluminium frames can be harsh over longer journeys, the older you get the harder they are on your back and legs as well, which is why i went for an 853 steel frame (Cotic Solaris).
2. Wheel size can be important, if you're doing miles, then 29" can be good, if you're doing technical with lots of switchbacks and so on, smaller tends to be better, i use my full suspension for that stuff, it's 27.5". I do use the 29" hardtail for tech stuff, it's good on the downhill for that stuff.
3. Secondhand is always the way ahead these days, if you have 1k, then i'd say look at spending 75% of that on the bike, 25% on modifications (hit chainreactioncyles, merlin cycles, etc for bits you may need to upgrade).
4. Don't get anything with SRAM Guide R brakes, they are absolute rubbish!
I got a steel Pipedream Sirius about 3 years ago. It has 26" wheels but provisions for 27.5 via the frame dropouts.
It has an xtr drivetrain albeit 3x9 but they're by far the best I've used.It also has tubeless tyres on mavic rims and hope hubs plus decent Reba forks.
But the brakes were Avid Elixir and were awful, front and back so i swapped them for Deore which are superb.
I had been looking for a Whyte on Ebay but they were all either too far away or a bit too expensive.
Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk
Off all the innovations over the past few years ie 27.5 and 29 inch frames, taper steering and/or through axle forks, fat tyres, dropper posts, no front mech etc etc press fit bottom brackets never seemed like a good idea to me.I'll stick to external bottom brackets.
Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk
Buying a bike online is always a risk especially if it's used. Why not visit your local bike shop, talk to them, and start a relationship with them. Most will have an assortment of used bikes you could try before buying, and can give advice on sizing and set-up. Also, you'll need them if you ever need to get anything fixed.
Any views on Kona ?
I can highly recommend Ghost hardtail MB’s. Build quality is excellent.
Eg. https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/.../rp-prod178773
Last edited by geoffcotton; 28th April 2019 at 07:38.
On a similar budget to you, I went for a £500 Vitus Nucleus 29er and pocketed the £500 change. The only real world improvement you could get for spending the additional £500 would be a 1x drivetrain. I spent some money on a dropper post and ended up with a superb budget hardtail for £650.