Sub £1000 mountain bikes?

[Dunkield]

I am just getting back into a bit of cycling, I have sorted myself out with a decent (enough for me) road bike, but I would now like a reasonable mountain bike.

I don't want full suspension, it will just be riding trails and tow paths but I would like something as light as I can get in my budget - I'll be looking at good nick second hand same as I did for the road bike.

Oh I should mention I don't want anything lairy, black is good - white/yellow etc isn't.

 

I have been chasing a few Cube Ltd Race's on the Bay, but would like some other suggestions as there aren't many about.

[libs]

My Specialized Hardrock was amazing for the year I had it, never missed a beat over about 200ish miles. Lived outside for 6 months without a spot of rust. I spent about 350 on mine, but for a few more beer tokens you could have hydraulic brakes, suspension lock off and various other bells and whistles. Thoroughly recommend the model.

 

However I can't comment on the longevity of it because some little ball sack kicked my conservatory door in to steal it.

[david_r]

I've always had Specialized MTBs. Mainly as they come with a five year warranty I think on the frame. I snapped one after a couple of years and it was replaced in 72 hours, no questions asked.

 

Check out www.wiggle.co.uk and Evans Cycles usually have some good deals on bikes (there after sales service though is **** though).

 

With MTBs, I'd advise going for something with a good frame/fork combo. They generally put **** forks on to keep costs down. The groupset will wear out/break soon enough and will need replacing.

 

What's your budget?

 

EDIT: I'm a muppet. Just seen the budget in the title. You should be able to get a decent bike for that money, plenty of choice.

Edited April 23, 2012 by david_r

[Dunkield]

What I am after is a £1k ish (new) bike, but probably could justify spending any more than say £600 or so used price.

I don't mind if it's not the latest spec, I would prefer older spec but better quality for the money, if that makes sense.

[ack-ack]

I used to be a Marin purve. The bikes of my day that were going for a grand can be picked up for a few hundred quid now on the bay. Still a great ride if a little on the heavy side by modern standards but I'd rather do a few hundred on a former great than a monkey on modern contraption.

Edited April 23, 2012 by ack-ack

[BangBangNik]

+1 for specialized. Try looking at last years models. You can usually get a couple of hundred a least knocked off cos the stickers are in different places. My current bike, specialized stumpjumper should have been £2k and I got it for £1400.

[SPARKIE]

I've got a scott aspect fx15 bought it new about 16 months ago at the time the new model was coming out so i managed to get it cheap but it had better spec than the new bike. it seems a very good bike for the money with xt gears and hydrolic disc brakes its full sus but the suspention has a lever on the handle bars that you flick and it locks the rear off making it a hard tail.

 

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=630&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=QJghWbR-sYdlOM:&imgrefurl=http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/aspect-fx-15-2008-mountain-bike-ec001258&docid=mxKGnujChYFxzM&imgurl=http://www.evanscycles.com/product_image/image/b37/9c8/947/24353/product_page/scott-aspect-fx-15-2008-mountain-bike.jpg&w=419&h=276&ei=tsaVT-erJcrW8QO51M2FCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=561&sig=111392820088982593700&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=183&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:69&tx=120&ty=79

[Raja Clavata]

If you are 5'10" or taller then I would suggest you consider a 29er hardtail. I'm so glad I got one of them over the standard 26".

 

My first recommendation would have been cube, specialized are ok but I pumped for a 2011 Trek Paragon. That's £1500 of bike you can pick up for £1000 now. I like the colour scheme too and certainly in preference to what can be garish alternatives.

 

Check out the spec and reviews.

[Browning 425 clay hunter]

I've got an orange g3 hardtail and love it. This years model is £850 I think. I use it for generall riding and trails and it's never missed a beat.

 

I've got mates who have cubes and while they highly recomend them they have both had issues mainly rear hub and rear shocker.

 

Leisure lakes is a good place to look at a few what take your fancy

Edited April 23, 2012 by Browning 425 clay hunter

[mad1]

I just sold a haro sonix they have some excellent write ups and come as a good spec

[bullet boy]

Well Stu you be looking at something like a Specialized Rockhopper or something like that.

I bought a secondhand Orange Crush hardtail and IMO this bike is simply superb plus it's British made!

[Chard]

Specialized Hardrock

 

You could get a real go-faster bitchmutha model for that kind of money.

 

I've got a basic one, hasn't even got discs and they knock them out for less than £400. Billy Bargain.

[Dan73]

Specialized, Trek, Kona, Giant - all good.

 

The key thing is that the bike fits you.

 

I've wasted so much money (don't tell the wife) on some very expensive bikes, only to trade them in for something cheaper over the years because they didn't fit correctly.

 

How tall are you? I'm 6'3" and now ride a Trek 29er hardtail and, hand on heart, it the best Mountain Bike I've ever had. Consider 29er's - I've also got a 29er Singlespeed which is great fun.

 

Whereabouts in Bucks are you? I've got a mate who owns a couple of bike shops who might be able to help you out (in Milton Keynes).

 

Cheers

 

Danny

[Dunkield]

If you are 5'10" or taller then I would suggest you consider a 29er hardtail. I'm so glad I got one of them over the standard 26"

I am about 5'10" as it happens, I avoided the 26/29" question as I assumed it is a bit of a .177/.22 subject?

Part of my cunning plan was to see if the market was awash with year old 26" bikes as everyone jumps on the 29" train

Thanks for the PM

 

The key thing is that the bike fits you.

I know what you mean I have spent ages getting my road bike set up properly, but I am happy with it now, I think.

By my reckoning I need a 18", in fact one of things I am looking at a 16" bike and and 18" frame as a bit of project, then flog the smaller frame after. I am about as south as it possible to get in Bucks.

 

No mention of Boardman bikes yet? I know they have the Halfords stigma associated with them, but a few of their bikes get rave reviews.

[pimpkiller]

mine was £60 from amazon, its got wheels and everything

[Maidment78]

Cube are great bikes, but if you fancy off the shelf tried and tested full sus then specialised or giant are good for the money, try to keep realistic to what you will be doing as big travel suspension looks good but is terrible for long hilly cross country rides.

[landyboy]

if you want quality buy a second hand pace hardtail

[bullet boy]

Save that bit extra and get a British made quality bike in an Orange Crush-end of!!

[Dunkield]

Cube are great bikes, but if you fancy off the shelf tried and tested full sus then specialised or giant are good for the money, try to keep realistic to what you will be doing as big travel suspension looks good but is terrible for long hilly cross country rides.

I don't want full sus, I just don't need it - I am only looking at hardtails

 

I have just sold a project bike if you like, bought as bit of heap and stripped back to the frame and rebuilt from there. All I really fancy is the same gain with updated components and a lot lighter. That isn't just fashion thing, I have to carry it over gates and up/down stairs to ride where I like to go.

My growing concern is I will need to spend more money that I am prepared for something that might not get enough use, and having spent years taking the mick out of people for having bikes that just hang on the garage wall I can't afford to become one of them

[Raja Clavata]

In that case I re-iterate a quality 29er. Mine weighs ~27lbs with the 2.25 Rocket Rons fitted and on the road I regularly overtake people on dedicated roadbikes; when I rode with a colleague on a cyclo-cross jobbie I constantly had to slow down for him and trust me I am no Lance Armstrong

 

I did the ride home from work yesterday for the first time running Marathon Plus tyres on the existing wheels and clocked a time approximately 10% faster (~21miles in ~75 minutes) than previously when running the MTB knobbly tyres. So if I add another set of wheels I can run two tyre setups and have one bike that pretty much does everything (bar competing in triathlons I guess) that I could ever wish for.

 

So, if you pick the right bike it could be the only one you need to retain which probably better justifies getting the lightest, "bestest" and fastest option you can afford

[Dunkield]

Food for thought..

[Rimfireboy]

My specialized rockhopper's had some hammer off road over the years and still going strong. Orange are good and my friend had a univager which was also good. We used to ride them hard off road and they didn't break, and we've broke some bikes.

[jgguinness]

I too can throughly recommend a Specialized. I have a Rockhopper Comp, a couple of years old and its been great, never let me down and ive done some pretty serious off roading, up in Hamsterley Forest etc. Its a hard tail too.

 

I do fancy a Trek 8000/8500 though, they are a lovely bike.

 

As previously said, Trek, Marin, Orange, Specialized, some GT's are all decent bikes and will serve you well.

 

Jonathan

[ROY]

Kona Caldera Had mine 5 years now about £750 new jumped it , crashed it bombproof. Single track, downhill great jack of all trades and not too heavy for uphill...

 

http://www.konaworld.com/mtb_trail_allmountain_hardtail.cfm?content=caldera

[Maidment78]

If you have £1000k and just want a hard tail then you are going to get a good piece of kit, Orange are ok if you like that sort of thing,,

 

You could do a lot worse than getting a Santa, very solid, fast, rigid as hell and although not that important for you they do look the dogs,