Roadie to MTB: what bike?
Discussion
I'm definitely a roadie, but I had a go on my cousin's Orange Clockwork trail hardtail last weekend and loved it. It was intended as a "gravel" ride so I bought my cyclocross bike, but it (or my skills) couldn't handle the muddy rooty trails and it wasn't enjoyable at all. "Gravel" in the `UK doesn't make sense to me because there aren't enough actual gravel roads, and I would ride them on my road bike anyway. Sooo, it's new bike time! Looking for advice and recomendations.
I've convinced myself that I need a hardtail mountain bike which will flatter my skills and make offroad easy and fun, but still be rideable on the road to link woodland trails together. I might occaisionally drive to a trail centre (Forest of Dean) for a day out. I have an old Kona Stinky 6 full-sus from 2009(ish) which scared the daylights out of me on some downhill trails at Aston so that will be up for sale to fund this. Took the wrong turn and ended up on a red having never ridden the bike before!
Price wise; 2 options: <£1000 on cycle to work scheme (Cycle Solutions) OR <£800 second hand. Could stretch the second hand budget a bit for the right bike and if I sell the cyclocross bike.
I'm not in a rush to buy, so I'm hoping that there will be some bargains come winter when all the bike boom people realise it rains in the UK...
Requirements:
-something interesting. I don't want a generic Specialised, or Giant etc. My road bikes are all rare and interesting so don't want to ruin the collection
-round tubes and a classic look would be nice. But modern geometry
-dropper post (loved this feature on the Orange)
-slack head angle for stability, and I like the look of these over an "upright" fork
-1x wide range gearing
-wheel size... 27.5" or 29"?? what are the pros and cons? (I'm 5'7") guessing medium frame in most models.
-what travel forks should I be looking for?
The world of MTB is overwhelming with so many definitions and categories. If you can give me any pointers: what are some good models to be looking out for or avoiding, features to consider/avoid. Thanks for your help!
I've convinced myself that I need a hardtail mountain bike which will flatter my skills and make offroad easy and fun, but still be rideable on the road to link woodland trails together. I might occaisionally drive to a trail centre (Forest of Dean) for a day out. I have an old Kona Stinky 6 full-sus from 2009(ish) which scared the daylights out of me on some downhill trails at Aston so that will be up for sale to fund this. Took the wrong turn and ended up on a red having never ridden the bike before!
Price wise; 2 options: <£1000 on cycle to work scheme (Cycle Solutions) OR <£800 second hand. Could stretch the second hand budget a bit for the right bike and if I sell the cyclocross bike.
I'm not in a rush to buy, so I'm hoping that there will be some bargains come winter when all the bike boom people realise it rains in the UK...
Requirements:
-something interesting. I don't want a generic Specialised, or Giant etc. My road bikes are all rare and interesting so don't want to ruin the collection
-round tubes and a classic look would be nice. But modern geometry
-dropper post (loved this feature on the Orange)
-slack head angle for stability, and I like the look of these over an "upright" fork
-1x wide range gearing
-wheel size... 27.5" or 29"?? what are the pros and cons? (I'm 5'7") guessing medium frame in most models.
-what travel forks should I be looking for?
The world of MTB is overwhelming with so many definitions and categories. If you can give me any pointers: what are some good models to be looking out for or avoiding, features to consider/avoid. Thanks for your help!
You want Shimano SLX or sram Eagle GX really. XT and X01 would be ultegra equivalent and then sram XX1 axs and Shimano xtr being top of the range.
But you can’t go wrong with slx or Eagle gx. Both 12 speed 1X
Sram guide brakes are ok, as are the Shimano slx ones. Shimano are rather on/off and the sram are more controllable (imho). Shimano easier to bleed and mineral oil. Sram use dot fluid. Guide brakes had a bad rep a few years ago but the newer versions are fine.
But you can’t go wrong with slx or Eagle gx. Both 12 speed 1X
Sram guide brakes are ok, as are the Shimano slx ones. Shimano are rather on/off and the sram are more controllable (imho). Shimano easier to bleed and mineral oil. Sram use dot fluid. Guide brakes had a bad rep a few years ago but the newer versions are fine.
I would say deore groupset would be one to aim for (bit like 105 road groupset) on a sub £1000 bike. The 2021 deore also looks excellent.
Most brands make decent bikes, so be hard to buy a dud. I am also 5'7" and ride a small frame as prefer the extra stand over and its easier to ride a smaller frame off-road. At this height I would also pick 27.5 wheels for same reason 29" make more sense for taller riders.
At some point if you keep riding off-road you will likely want a full suspension bike so don't spend to much on your first hardtail.
Most brands make decent bikes, so be hard to buy a dud. I am also 5'7" and ride a small frame as prefer the extra stand over and its easier to ride a smaller frame off-road. At this height I would also pick 27.5 wheels for same reason 29" make more sense for taller riders.
At some point if you keep riding off-road you will likely want a full suspension bike so don't spend to much on your first hardtail.
A mate of mine has this - https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBOOSCSX/on-one-scan... - seems to tick quite a few of your boxes.
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