right then. out of my depth, only 2 wheels, what to buy (x2)

[edo]

after some scrotes emptied our shed last year the insurance paid out and my post xmas belly would suggest it is time to get new bikes.

I'd like hard tail mountain bikes, and the budget is MAX £1k per bike, but would rather not spend that much unless gets the dogs googlies...

welcome your input. are the larger wheeled jobies worth going for?

(one for me, one for my better half), both will be used on road and trail, but not hard core stuff in reality).

[edo]

PS, before, I had a Trek and my wife had a Marin..

[chrisga]

Not sure what sort of riding you do but you wouldn't go far wrong with one of these:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOOINX526/on_one_inbr...

Spending a bit more would get you carbon hard tail goodness too, but could be a bit OTT.

[edo]

great tanks, had never heard of them although all the components seem good.

[chrisga]

No probs, they are an English brand that design their bikes in the UK but have the frames made in the Far East. They seem open about that and they are generally reasonably priced so I guess they pass savings on to their customers. Not sure where you are, but they have a showroom in Sheffield if you are uneasy about buying directly off the internet.

I have had a steel framed inbred, as per the link above, and have upgraded the frame to one of their carbon ones. No probs with either, loved them both just fancied trying carbon.

Edited by chrisga on Tuesday 1st January 21:04

[BadgerBenji]

I have a 29er and a 26" wheel mountain bike, it's interesting as to which is best, the 29er is like driving a sherman tank it flattens the countryside and just keeps on rolling, whereas the 26" is the quicker handler, depends what you want the bike for, but if I was to buy just one, I would probably plump for the 29er.

[edo]

thanks. having read all the pros and cons of 26 v 29, I think I am veering toward 29 at the moment.

[anonymous-user]

Do you really want to spend £2k on two mountain bikes that are going to be used for a mixture of road and light trail riding? I'd try to work out how much riding yuou will be doing and where before making any decisions.

I'd look at something like the Boardman hybrids personally.
They will withstand a fair amount of unsealed surface abuse but should also have the capacity for fairly wide rubber (700 x 35)

If a hardtail is the answer, have a look at the Radon ZR 7.0 from bike discount. They are German and astonishing value for money and you can find all the sizing info online.

[Justin S]

Been impressed with the Decathlon bikes for Road, have a look at the MTB's and see what they have. Second the Boardmans for value, but then any bike shop you walk into and say you want 2 bikes are going to give you a favourable deal.

[edo]

Just been to local bike shop (Cycle Works).

Within budget they suggested Whyte and Specialized.

Would like to give business to local highstreet place if I can, what are views on these?

Specifically the Specialized Rockhopper and Whyte 529

[McFsC]

The Rockhopper is a superb bike, I had one for a few year. I treat it like crap and it dealt with it all.

[edo]

thanks, good to know.

So the next question, it it worth the extra to get this:

http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/mountain/ro...

over this:

http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/mountain/ro...

I think there is about 200 in it...

[BadgerBenji]

There really isn't much in it, between the two, have you already got shoes/pedals/clothes (cycling specific not suggesting you are a nudist), if you don't have them, save the £200 and get yourself well kitted out, decent clothes makes riding far more pleasurable than an extra £200 on the bike, as it's unlikely to be the last ever bike you buy and if the bug bites, it's surprising how quickly the want for a better bike turns into a need.

[blackburnlad]

Just bought a rockrider 8.1 from decathlon for 500 quid and loving it nice spec for price nice light hardtail

[edo]

First bike (mine), bought!

Evans in Guildford are feking useless - wont be giving Evans my money any time soon.

Cycleworks (Haslemere) are really helpful, knowledgeable and friendly.

i went in today with the intention of buying a 2013 Hard Tail Specialized 29.

I came out with a 2012 Full Sus Whyte which was half price!

Collect next week!

[edo]

[Gizmoish]

Beautiful bike. Massively OTT for light trail use and not exactly ideal for the road but its your money and it's a lovely thing.

[edo]

Yup, very much overkill, but really nice quality components and build, and should last a long time. Can lock out rear on road. Rides REALLY nicely.

I'm working on man maths that I saved a grand!

[Gazzab]

edo said:

Yup, very much overkill, but really nice quality components and build, and should last a long time. Can lock out rear on road. Rides REALLY nicely.

I'm working on man maths that I saved a grand!

There is some decent riding around that area where you can put a full suss to work....used to love the trails around Guildford,

[edo]

Gazzab said:

edo said:

Yup, very much overkill, but really nice quality components and build, and should last a long time. Can lock out rear on road. Rides REALLY nicely.

I'm working on man maths that I saved a grand!

There is some decent riding around that area where you can put a full suss to work....used to love the trails around Guildford,

Thanks yup - we have some great stuff round us in Haslemere and Hindhead now too. No excuse!

Should get the bike tomorrow or Tuesday.