Mountain bike what features to look for

[Gad-Westy]

I fear this maybe a huge can of worms but looking for a bit of guidance.

I'd like to get a bike. Haven't had one in years so very out of touch on this stuff.

It'll be used for mixed road and off road use (country roads, farm tracks, bridle ways etc, maybe some forest trails). Nothing very serious planned at this stage.

Of the little I know about this subject, I do know that I appreciate having a lightweight bike. Not just for riding but for storage putting in car boot etc. I don't know what is current with gear changing but I know that I never got on with grip shift back in the day and much preferred triggers under the handle bars.

I'm about 5ft9. Seems I should be looking at medium frames but will listen to advice on that.

I don't want to spend big money on this. Might do eventually if I really get into it but for now this is about dipping my toes in the water and seeing how I get on. I like the idea of new in terms of getting something that is well adjusted and works out of the box with no messing around but I am open to the idea of used as well if that is where the real value is. Thinking something around £500 new or used. I need to budget a little extra for helmet and any clothing etc.

I'm not necessarily looking for specific model recommendations (but happy to hear them) but more what features I should be looking for. Wheel size, brake spec, suspension type, etc.

[Pilotguy]

saw a thread here very recently with lots of good things to say about a Trek Roscoe, search for that. Have a look at whatever Cube is in your price range, we had an Acid in the family until recently, that rode really nicely. If you’ve got £1500 (and can find one in stock) the reaction looks good.

[Gad-Westy]

Pilotguy said:

saw a thread here very recently with lots of good things to say about a Trek Roscoe, search for that. Have a look at whatever Cube is in your price range, we had an Acid in the family until recently, that rode really nicely. If you’ve got £1500 (and can find one in stock) the reaction looks good.

Cheers. £1500 way too much at this stage for me. I did have the Cube Aim Race on the radar though. Seemed to get some good reviews. As you elude to, stock for everything is an issue.

[Bill]

Given your planned use you might be better with a gravel bike. Basically a relaxed road shaped bike with fatter tyres.

[Gad-Westy]

Bill said:

Given your planned use you might be better with a gravel bike. Basically a relaxed road shaped bike with fatter tyres.

I'd seen these but must admit I don't seem to get on with dropped handle bars.

[Gad-Westy]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That's great thanks. I'll try and take a look at one.

[Bill]

They're good, but trail oriented and have 1x10 drivetrain so not ideal for road or bridleway.

[dcb]

Gad-Westy said:

It'll be used for mixed road and off road use (country roads, farm tracks, bridle ways etc, maybe some forest trails).

...

I don't want to spend big money on this.

...

Thinking something around £500 new or used. I need to budget a little extra for helmet and any clothing etc.

I'm not necessarily looking for specific model recommendations (but happy to hear them) but more what features I should be looking for. Wheel size, brake spec, suspension type, etc.

27.5 is a good wheel size I find. A happy medium between 26 and 29.
29ers are a bit more of a challenge to store in a car.

For brakes, I like cable operated disk brakes. They appear to have more stopping power
than rim brakes and aren't as hard to setup as hydraulic disk brakes.

For suspension, hard tail and a pair of padded shorts works well for me.
If you want the extra softness and weight of the full suspension, go ahead,
but I've never bothered.

Decathlon do some good bikes. Since they are constructed in cheap Portugal,
you get a lot of bike for your money. I have the Rockrider 520 and it's a great bike
for my needs (200 miles a month). Say £250 for the bike, a good lock and some
cycling clothes and you'll get plenty of change out of £500 to spend on something else
like beer and petrol.

[Kermit power]

dcb said:

For brakes, I like cable operated disk brakes. They appear to have more stopping power
than rim brakes and aren't as hard to setup as hydraulic disk brakes.

I think you're the only person I've ever heard say anything other than the complete opposite to that!

I've had both cable and hydraulic brakes. The cables were an utter nightmare, whereas the hydraulics have all essentially been fit and forget. You say that cable disks "appear" to have more stopping power than rim brakes". If you pull on hydraulics like you might've done with rim brakes, you'll almost certainly go straight over the bars!

OP, you could definitely do far worse than something like this.

Whatever you get, you're almost certainly better off going second hand in terms of VFM.

[louiebaby]

For the sort of use the OP suggests, I would be looking for something akin to a Canyon Pathlite, or similar.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/hybrid-bikes/touring-...

Although these seem to be beyond the specified budget, they're a hybrid with a bit of front suspension, tyres that are a bit knobbly but not too much, hydro discs, and a 1x drive train with flat bars.

This sort of bike is probably perfect for anyone who just wants to enjoy going for a bit of a ride, rather than being deciding to be specifically in a particular cyclist "camp".

[PDP76]

Decent drive train.
Minimum xt
Air shocks, far easier to adjust for weight and comfort.
Hydraulic brakes. Self adjusting and not fannying around with cables.
Comfy seat - fizik charge etc.
Aluminium frame.

That’s the basics really.

[DaveyBoyWonder]

PDP76 said:

Decent drive train.
Minimum xt
Air shocks, far easier to adjust for weight and comfort.
Hydraulic brakes. Self adjusting and not fannying around with cables.
Comfy seat - fizik charge etc.
Aluminium frame.

That’s the basics really.

I think with a £500 budget the OP might be pushing it for XT.

I think the good thing with buying a bike, even a relatively entry level "good" bike for £500, you can't really go wrong these days. I'd look at your needs, decide on the main things you want (do you need suspension, fat tyres, loads of gears etc) and basically pick a bike that has a nice paint job. Regarding gearing, a 1x setup on a mountain bike is a good all-round setup as the spread of gears will be pretty large. It sounds to be like the key thing is getting the right genre - you say drop bars like on a gravel bike aren't for you (me neither but I have one!) but it sounds like maybe a hardtail mountain bike with big tyres may be a touch OTT. Maybe look for a rigid mountain bike or a flat bar gravel bike/hybrid type thing. I've only had a very cursory look at Evans but this might tick your boxes? https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/pinnacle/cobalt-... Would do the road thing ok, off-road and even some red/blue type XC stuff without too much bother and everything inbetween...

[gradeA]

As has been said, I think maybe a flat-bar gravel bike would be the sort of thing your after. Ignore the poster above talking about XT and air forks - you won't get that new for £500..

Something like the Sonder Camino flat bar (it's well over your budget but cheaper similar bikes are available) would be ideal.

https://alpkit.com/products/sonder-camino-al-v3-ap...

[Kermit power]

louiebaby said:

For the sort of use the OP suggests, I would be looking for something akin to a Canyon Pathlite, or similar.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/hybrid-bikes/touring-...

Although these seem to be beyond the specified budget, they're a hybrid with a bit of front suspension, tyres that are a bit knobbly but not too much, hydro discs, and a 1x drive train with flat bars.

This sort of bike is probably perfect for anyone who just wants to enjoy going for a bit of a ride, rather than being deciding to be specifically in a particular cyclist "camp".

Bearing in mind that the OP is talking about including bridleways and forest trails, I suspect there's a risk he'd rapidly outgrow that sort of bike.

It's always worth remembering that the bike industry has a vested interest in creating as many different bike niches as they can, in the hope of selling more bikes to any given individual.

Whilst the Pathlite may be a little lighter than a hardtail mountain bike, and yes, the hardtail may be slight overkill if the OP never moves beyond the gentlest of stuff, the reality is that probably 90% of the difference between the two comes down to the tyres. If it were me, I'd go for a hardtail, and just add on a pair of much less knobbly tyres to start with, in order to eliminate a lot of rolling resistance. That way, he only has to compromise a little bit starting out, in return for being able to keep the bike for a lot longer if he does decide he likes the gnarly stuff.

The other possibility is that he might then spin out on the MTB at relatively low speeds, but again that's easily and cheaply remedied by fitting a larger front ring.

[nickfrog]

PDP76 said:

Decent drive train.
Minimum xt

XT was always my go to.

Then I tried SLX in 12 guise. I'll never go back to XT, I knew it was essentially the same thing but not quite and I now know it's the same thing. If anything I am tempted by Deore next time.

[lufbramatt]

I'd just look for a 29" hardtail. try to get hydro brakes and a 1x drivetrain. Currently though, unless you want to trawl through endless secondhand adverts it's more of a case of what you can find in stock rather than choosing specific models.

At £500 you're more likely looking at SRAM SX/ Shimano altus/ Acera/ microshift than XT.

re. gravel bikes/hybrids... I love smashing down bridleways and singletrack on my CX bike, but I'm very aware that it's not really the right tool for the job despite being surprisingly quick. You're constantly having to pick your way through roots and being rattled around by the rigid forks. but it's addictive and simple trails take on a new challenge. Last week I got up two steep, rooty climbs on it that previously I've only been able to do on my full sus MTB- massive feeling of satisfaction. I would defo be more comfortable on a 29" hardtail with fat tyres.

so although you can do some decent off road on a drop bar bike, I wouldn't advise it, and you'd probably be better off with something with wide bars, a degree of suspension and fat tyres.

[DaveyBoyWonder]

nickfrog said:

XT was always my go to.

Then I tried SLX in 12 guise. I'll never go back to XT, I knew it was essentially the same thing but not quite and I now know it's the same thing. If anything I am tempted by Deore next time.

I'm the same - every bike I get seems to be slowly moving down the Shimano/SRAM catalogue. Had a GT Zaskar with loads of XTR bits when I was in my late teens and now my main mountain bike is dripping in some kind of relatively low/mid spec SLX equivalent - I don't even know what model it all is as it just works!

[budgie smuggler]

DaveyBoyWonder said:

I'm the same - every bike I get seems to be slowly moving down the Shimano/SRAM catalogue. Had a GT Zaskar with loads of XTR bits when I was in my late teens and now my main mountain bike is dripping in some kind of relatively low/mid spec SLX equivalent - I don't even know what model it all is as it just works!

Same, I've gone from a mix of XTR and XT, to SLX and now onto Deore. Money's better spent elsewhere IMO.