Help needed with first MTB Hardtail purchase

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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aserota
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:31 pm

by aserota

Hi All,

I am currently a keen road cyclist, but due to my work (I'm currently a travelling farmer) I am in serious need of a MTB. I am currently travelling around the UK with my Focus Cayo Pro in the boot which runs 23c tyres and simply can't be used on farm roads. I have a good understanding of road bikes and their components and am quite happy building track and road bikes myself; however I have never ventured into MTB bike builds.

I currently own the current bikes;
Planet X Exocet - TT Bike
Focus Cayo Pro - Daily Road Bike
Spesh Allez - Pub/Shopping Road Bike
Spesh Langster Steel - Track Bike

My budget is extremely flexible from £0 upwards to £2k if really necessary. I love riding a light bike, but this MTB will be my daily commuter (on farm roads) so needs to be strong and reliable. I am unlikely to ever race on the bike, but would like to go offroading around 3 times a week and put the bike and myself through its/my paces.

My desired spec list would be as below, but I would really appreciate some assistance as I am not experienced with the MTB groupsets at all;

- Carbon/Lightweight Alu Frame
- Front Suspension Fork (recommendations welcomed)
- Shimano XT or equivalent groupset
- Clincher or Tubeless Wheelset
- Aluminium finishing kit


I have seen the new boardman range of hardtails which could be interesting;
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_em17.html (although I'm unsure on the price yet)

The focus ravel also looks pretty tasty;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/focus-raven-60-2011/


Can anyone offer any assistance?

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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Stolichnaya
Posts: 2621
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:55 pm
Location: Vienna, AUT

by Stolichnaya

Planex X / On-One ususally has some interesting deals/builds.

Huge bang for the buck can be found at CUBE these days.
Not sure if CUBE is available through any dealers in the UK directly, but you can find some places online within the EU that carry them.

Canyon is also a brand to check out.

andrewh8877
Posts: 79
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:51 pm

by andrewh8877

If used as daily commuter on farm roads, I would assume easy fire-raod type riding and plenty of mud? For this I would recomend something totally differnent to your spec above, steel HT, rigid forks, maybe carbon ones, either singlespeed or hub-geared.

If you have a budget of £2k, £500 should get you a reasonable rigid ss (maybe bits from fleabay/classifieds and the other £1,500 will get you a decent ali frame with bouncy forks and SLX/XT drivetrain which you won't wreck prematurely by riding chewed-up muddy farm tracks every day. Last year's Kona Kula Delux (scandium frame, Rebas, XT etc) new on fleabay for around £1,200.

aserota
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:31 pm

by aserota

Just looking for one bike (no longer need to commute); these two seem the best brand new bike atm. Which one would you chose and why?

One-One 456 Carbon
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOCAR456X ... td-edition

Boardman Pro Carbon 2011
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65499#dtab


7speedbandit
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:59 am

by 7speedbandit

Stumpjumper 29er. Excellent ride.

Alexdsz
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:52 am

by Alexdsz

So... I plan on making my first purchase on the carbon MTB hardtail world in the coming months, so I would like some input from more experienced riders.
I currently own a aluminum road bike and ride it around 4 times a week. I probably won't be able to ride trails as much as I'd like, but I do love it (I had the oportunity of doing so on some friends' bikes in the past) and want to seize an opportunity of buying a great bike MTB bike on my interchange this next semester.
Anyway, I've been checking Rocky Mountain's Vertex 950 RSL and Specialized's Stumpjumper Comp Carbon 29. Which one you guys like better? Any other suggestions?
Thanks (in advance) for your thoughts!

limba
Posts: 956
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2003 4:24 am

by limba

I'd buy the one with the better warranty.

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chucklight
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:47 am
Location: Liverpool

by chucklight

I'm riding an alu Boardman HT which I've managed to shed off lbs to a level below where carbon HT's start for a fraction of the price, they're usually around 23+lbs out of the box for around £1500 or more.

I can't comment on longevity/quality/design personally only on what I discovered whilst I was researching myself. I couldn't find a cheap enough option and was concerned about frame failures in the future. The weight issue though something I was interested in was too much of a compromise for myself.

Within reasonable price range if I could choose any carbon frame it'd be a White 19c or 20c, they're gorgeous to look at and British.
Everyone seems to think that Scott Scale 35's, 30's and upwards are the best mainstream carbon frames out there.
Rocky Mountains are also very lovely looking and quite rare.

A lot depends on what you have to spend but stretching to get a carbon frame with lower end components is a bad idea in my opinion, especially if you wont be able to upgrade in the future. If money isn't an issue then there are a million possibilities a lot of which can offer you slightly different experiences.

The 29" issue is a tough one, I'm sure others will be able to enlighten you further.
Bike: 2012 Boardman HT Pro MTB - 21.838lbs / 9.906kg (for now...)

Alexdsz
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:52 am

by Alexdsz

chucklight wrote:A lot depends on what you have to spend but stretching to get a carbon frame with lower end components is a bad idea in my opinion, especially if you wont be able to upgrade in the future. If money isn't an issue then there are a million possibilities a lot of which can offer you slightly different experiences.

The 29" issue is a tough one, I'm sure others will be able to enlighten you further.


Well... I want a 29" for the speed. I am coming from a roadie afterall. I'm planning on spending around US$3500. I don't know if I should put it all on the stock bike or spent less and upgrade it. The Rocky Mountain Vertex 950 RSL seems to cost about $3k, so I'd have $500 for upgrades (pedals, grips, maybe a saddle...).

On the subject of upgrades, I like thick bars. What do you think about using handlebar tape instead of grips to make it the thickness I like? I was think about using Lizard Skins dsp tape for it's tackyness.

Any thoughts?

limba
Posts: 956
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2003 4:24 am

by limba

Some guys think the Lizard tape is slippery when wet. It shouldn't be a problem if you wear gloves.

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the_marsbar
Posts: 1051
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 5:23 pm
Location: Denmark
Contact:

by the_marsbar

A stock bike costing 3500 USD probably won't have a great wheelset, so you'd want to upgrade that.

Grips: Get ESI chunky or extra chunky.

Alexdsz
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:52 am

by Alexdsz

the_marsbar wrote:A stock bike costing 3500 USD probably won't have a great wheelset, so you'd want to upgrade that.

Grips: Get ESI chunky or extra chunky.


Based on looks only, I really like Crankbrother's. Anyone around ever rode them?

DJT21
Posts: 381
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:35 pm

by DJT21

Have you considered a CX bike?

Also, at your height I'd be tempted by a 29er.

It depends on the trails you'll be riding, but a rigid 29er sounds like it might be up your street.

The On One Scandal is a decent, lightweight frame. On One also do rigid carbon forks. Try Merlin, or one of the German shops (Rose bikes for example) for an XT groupset and brakes. Hope Hoops are hard to beat for wheels, get them with some Stans rims.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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chucklight
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:47 am
Location: Liverpool

by chucklight

Grips are easy sorted, ESI Chunky as someone already stated. Nothing else comes close.

Consider these:

Running 1X11 speed
http://www.scott-sports.com/gb/en/produ ... -900-sl-l/

http://www.scott-sports.com/gb/en/produ ... mium-bike/
Bike: 2012 Boardman HT Pro MTB - 21.838lbs / 9.906kg (for now...)

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