Merida one twenty 800d £1100
Discussion
you wont get much better value for money than that. they are popular on the continent but not as well known here. spec is about par for the money. x-fusion shocks are used on the lower end lapierres without much complaint.
cant say i would really go for a carbon mtb personally, one big stack and you just dont know what damage you have done to the bike. the same applies to a road bike but the chance of a big stack is somewhat lower unless you are racing.
cant say i would really go for a carbon mtb personally, one big stack and you just dont know what damage you have done to the bike. the same applies to a road bike but the chance of a big stack is somewhat lower unless you are racing.
the value of a carbon fibre mountain bike is lost on me unless you are racing cross country at a high level.
on a road bike, carbon is lighter and ispopular because manufacturers use a carbon weave that is designed to be stiff (to aid power delivery) and yet flexible enough to eliminate some of the road buzz so its more comfortable than aluminium. on a mountain bike, especially a full sus, the shocks take care of the vibration issue and the carbon is usually quite thick to take the abuse so they are not that much lighter compared to the equivilent alu frames.
if you are really hammering a descent, you are going to hear stones and things hitting the frame all the time, yes the carbon is strong but personnally in the back of my mind, I would be thinking if those stones are doing any damage to the frame, just look at a regular mountain bike to see the paint chips. As i said, the chances of you crashing on a mtb are higher so the chances of you damaging a frame are higher and once a carbon frame has taken a big hit, you have to bin it.
i'm sure lots of people with more disposable income than me will tell you they are fine but i cant afford to replace a bike if I crash and i feel secure with alumimium. my full sus weighs 25lbs too, so i dont see much of a weight issue.
on a road bike, carbon is lighter and ispopular because manufacturers use a carbon weave that is designed to be stiff (to aid power delivery) and yet flexible enough to eliminate some of the road buzz so its more comfortable than aluminium. on a mountain bike, especially a full sus, the shocks take care of the vibration issue and the carbon is usually quite thick to take the abuse so they are not that much lighter compared to the equivilent alu frames.
if you are really hammering a descent, you are going to hear stones and things hitting the frame all the time, yes the carbon is strong but personnally in the back of my mind, I would be thinking if those stones are doing any damage to the frame, just look at a regular mountain bike to see the paint chips. As i said, the chances of you crashing on a mtb are higher so the chances of you damaging a frame are higher and once a carbon frame has taken a big hit, you have to bin it.
i'm sure lots of people with more disposable income than me will tell you they are fine but i cant afford to replace a bike if I crash and i feel secure with alumimium. my full sus weighs 25lbs too, so i dont see much of a weight issue.
In my clique of cycling buddies, CF has been very popular with 5 people buying frames. None of them have lasted. Some are now back on the trails after lengthy and expensive repair. One bike has been replaced 4 times on the lifetime warranty. 2 were insurance write offs.
Strangely these guys still swear by them and have taken measures like bonding old tyres to the bottom bracket.
The only Merida I have tried belonged to a world champ and it is a beautiful bike (Sally Bigham) , her boyfriend fixes my bike!
Strangely these guys still swear by them and have taken measures like bonding old tyres to the bottom bracket.
The only Merida I have tried belonged to a world champ and it is a beautiful bike (Sally Bigham) , her boyfriend fixes my bike!
Edited by Gooby on Thursday 17th November 17:01
My brother has an awesome CF MTB - a Scott Genius LTD. It's a fairly old model now, about 5 year I guess, but it's spookily light. It rides really well too - it absorbs bumps like a limo.
But I'm not sure that I would have one - I like to buy things that I think will last forever. Truth is, I usually sell them on long before I've really even broken-them-in, let alone broken them. I have a fairly lightweight ALLOY HT at the moment but his full sus Scott must be 3Kg lighter still. That is reflected in the price to be fair (it was 3 times the price of mine).
Having said that, I have toyed with buying one second hand off Ebay - sometimes they crop up at fantastic prices. For half their original price. One day I might be tempted. As said, it is fantastic to ride, no doubt, and you don't have to be an expert or racer to appreciate one either.
But I'm not sure that I would have one - I like to buy things that I think will last forever. Truth is, I usually sell them on long before I've really even broken-them-in, let alone broken them. I have a fairly lightweight ALLOY HT at the moment but his full sus Scott must be 3Kg lighter still. That is reflected in the price to be fair (it was 3 times the price of mine).
Having said that, I have toyed with buying one second hand off Ebay - sometimes they crop up at fantastic prices. For half their original price. One day I might be tempted. As said, it is fantastic to ride, no doubt, and you don't have to be an expert or racer to appreciate one either.
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