Hard tail up to £1000
Discussion
As per the title, my budget will stretch to £1000. I am after an all purpose hard tail. Looking at specs, a lot of bikes come with SR Suntour forks, which always used to be a bit cheap and nasty. I’m assuming they have come on a long way since I last rode! I do have a bit of an aversion to them due to my past experience but I’m willing to accept that might be out dated!
The voucher I have limits me to wheelies.com, tredz.com, cycle republic and Halfords. I’m about 6ft so smaller models are out.
I’ve been looking at the Merida big nine limited and the cube reaction TM. Unfortunately the boardman Mht 8.9 is out of stock in my size. Any other suggestions of bikes to consider?
The voucher I have limits me to wheelies.com, tredz.com, cycle republic and Halfords. I’m about 6ft so smaller models are out.
I’ve been looking at the Merida big nine limited and the cube reaction TM. Unfortunately the boardman Mht 8.9 is out of stock in my size. Any other suggestions of bikes to consider?
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Merida-Big-Nine-Limited-M...
How about this.
Merida always seem good value. I’ve got a Merida Hardtail that’s had dogs abuse for two years and shows no sign of wear. I’m six foot and well over 100kg.
How about this.
Merida always seem good value. I’ve got a Merida Hardtail that’s had dogs abuse for two years and shows no sign of wear. I’m six foot and well over 100kg.
IPK said:
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Merida-Big-Nine-Limited-M...
How about this.
Merida always seem good value. I’ve got a Merida Hardtail that’s had dogs abuse for two years and shows no sign of wear. I’m six foot and well over 100kg.
I've had a Merida full-suss for a few years and it is much better than the similar priced Giant it replaced. They are decent bikes from my experience. How about this.
Merida always seem good value. I’ve got a Merida Hardtail that’s had dogs abuse for two years and shows no sign of wear. I’m six foot and well over 100kg.
Are you fussed on whether its a 27.5" or 29er? Forget Suntours, for 1k you are way past all the cheapy stuff.
I would take a nice long look at the Vitus Sentier VR those shops stock it, you get better kit than the equivalent Merida Big Nine (nothing wrong with Merida, they make good bikes).
I would take a nice long look at the Vitus Sentier VR those shops stock it, you get better kit than the equivalent Merida Big Nine (nothing wrong with Merida, they make good bikes).
Thanks for your replies. The voucher is an insurance payout to replace stolen bikes. I can have a voucher valid for Halfords/cycle republic, one for wheelies/Tredz, or 20% less in cash.
That does eliminate certain brands, trek, Vitus for example. I’m a bit bewildered by the choices available.
If Boardman release their new range soon, does that mean that other brands are likely to be releasing soon as well? I want to get out and enjoy my new bike but maybe it’s worth waiting a few weeks?
That does eliminate certain brands, trek, Vitus for example. I’m a bit bewildered by the choices available.
If Boardman release their new range soon, does that mean that other brands are likely to be releasing soon as well? I want to get out and enjoy my new bike but maybe it’s worth waiting a few weeks?
Does your employer have a cycle to work scheme?
If so I'd be tempted to take the cash, accepting it's 20% less, as you should be able to save over that by a long shot just using the scheme.
If not, the 2020 kit is hitting the southern hemisphere so a lot of the 2019 stuff is starting to come off retail highs, eg cycle republic started their summer sale this week, which is code for "make way for new gear", with 15%'s or more off a lot of stuff.
If so I'd be tempted to take the cash, accepting it's 20% less, as you should be able to save over that by a long shot just using the scheme.
If not, the 2020 kit is hitting the southern hemisphere so a lot of the 2019 stuff is starting to come off retail highs, eg cycle republic started their summer sale this week, which is code for "make way for new gear", with 15%'s or more off a lot of stuff.
I would be tempted to take the 800 cash instead and maybe add in a couple of hundred yourself and you can have a much bigger choice available to you. That way you can get the bike you really want, even a second hand bargain.
Canyon as mentioned are great value for money. Paul's Cycles have great deals on last year's models etc.
Canyon as mentioned are great value for money. Paul's Cycles have great deals on last year's models etc.
I am also looking to buy a sub £1000 hardtail on this scheme later on this year so I am going to pay attention to this thread!
At the moment I am considering one of the Giant Talon models - I am pretty sure I want to stick to 27.5"
I learned from buying my first road bike that going outside of these schemes is a false economy (especially if you are in higher tax bands)
I ended up buying a Planet X for £500 given it was better value than a £500 bike from other brands, but when you use these schemes and compare like for like, the actual cost is obviously much lower given the tax savings
At the moment I am considering one of the Giant Talon models - I am pretty sure I want to stick to 27.5"
I learned from buying my first road bike that going outside of these schemes is a false economy (especially if you are in higher tax bands)
I ended up buying a Planet X for £500 given it was better value than a £500 bike from other brands, but when you use these schemes and compare like for like, the actual cost is obviously much lower given the tax savings
http://www.bikebargains.co.uk/
Is a pretty good aggregator site for what’s available where, but, some sites (CRC/ Wiggle) are slow to take things off when they’ve run out, so don’t bank on what comes up being available.
If you can hold on for a few weeks, the 2019 stuff will really come down in price...
Is a pretty good aggregator site for what’s available where, but, some sites (CRC/ Wiggle) are slow to take things off when they’ve run out, so don’t bank on what comes up being available.
If you can hold on for a few weeks, the 2019 stuff will really come down in price...
24lemons said:
Thanks for your replies. The voucher is an insurance payout to replace stolen bikes. I can have a voucher valid for Halfords/cycle republic, one for wheelies/Tredz, or 20% less in cash.
Not really an answer to your question, but I had one and used it with Wheelies, and was happy with them.Zooks said:
I was also looking for a Boardman MHT 8.9.
The guy in Halfords mentioned theres no stock around as the 2020 models are due out soon. He seemed to think mid July ish.
Out of interest what vouchers are you using?
I have a Boardman MHT 8.9 29er. The guy in Halfords mentioned theres no stock around as the 2020 models are due out soon. He seemed to think mid July ish.
Out of interest what vouchers are you using?
Been doing 100 miles a week on it since April through forest tracks and road on my commute.
It replaced a Giant Talon 29er which after a year and 3000 miles wasn't holding up at all well.
The Suntour front shocks were leaking, had a rear hub failure due to water ingress, bottom bracket gone, had a knocking feel through the head stem, & starting to feel creaky.
The Boardman feels way better and a lot stiffer and the brakes are better. The frame is a work of art and all the components are better quality compared to the Giant. Converted it to proper tubeless, fitted a better saddle, have done about 1200 miles on it so far with no problems at all. I believe that it has cartridge wheel bearings compared to cup and cone on the Giant? not sure but the wheels run way smoother. Only one cog on the front so it's much easier to clean.
Halfords messed up on their click and connect to my local store, it never turned up so I had to go and collect it by car from another store. They discounted it from £1000 to 850 for my trouble so I was quite pleased in the end. I don't intend to do any maintenance whatsoever (other than cleaning and lubing the chain) so I spent £50 of the £150 I saved on a Halfords maintenance plan. You can have 4 services a year, used one so far, gears were going out of sync, they did a good job and cleaned the bike too!
Superb bike, recommended
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 6th July 11:14
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.NS-Bikes-Eccentric-Lite-1...
Slightly over-budget and whilst it may not win in specs, it has very modern geometry and would be my pick over the generally conservative Boardmans as a bike to have fun on.
24lemons said:
How do x-fusion forks stack up against suntour/Rockshox/manitou?
I've found they compare favourably, but obviously it depends on the model and those particular ones are quite a recent model, but they have adjustable compression and a cartridge damper so I'd bet on them being good. Certainly I'd take an X Fusion over the cheaper Rockshox offerings which aren't much good compared to the better Suntours which are nothing like those of old. I don't have any real experience of Manitous cheaper offerings, but their high end stuff is excellent and excellent value.Well I caved in and bought one! I went into Halfords yesterday on the off chance and found they had a Boardman 8.9 on display. With a 10% flash sale plus £100 off for the display model I had enough left to replace my dads bike and put some towards a new bike for my mum. Quite pleased with that. Hopefully I can test it out tomorrow! Thanks for all your help!
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