Help required choosing a £450 MTB please!
Discussion
Hi all, Im looking for a bit of help choosing a MTB for my wife. The criteria is that it must be brand new (its a Xmas gift, secondhand won't go down well) and MUST be from Evans Cycles, for the very good reason that I get 50% cashback over the year through my Pru Health plan, which maximises the bike I can get for the money.
Budget is £450 absolute tops, and Im swithering between these 3, but as I cant find any info on which groupsets/components rank higher in a manufacturers range than the other, Im none the wiser as to whish is 'best', your thoughts on these appreciated:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/norco/storm-71...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/tan...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/jy...
Ive ruled out unisex (mens) bikes as she's petite so needs a designated womans bike to get the size she'll need. The only one the local shop had to actually see was the Norco, impressive but says made in Cambodia, does that mean it's cheap far eastern rubbish?!
Budget is £450 absolute tops, and Im swithering between these 3, but as I cant find any info on which groupsets/components rank higher in a manufacturers range than the other, Im none the wiser as to whish is 'best', your thoughts on these appreciated:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/norco/storm-71...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/tan...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/jy...
Ive ruled out unisex (mens) bikes as she's petite so needs a designated womans bike to get the size she'll need. The only one the local shop had to actually see was the Norco, impressive but says made in Cambodia, does that mean it's cheap far eastern rubbish?!
The Norco has the slightly better groupset by the looks of it (9spd instead of 8spd). Dunno about the forks, though I assume the XCT on the bottom two is better than the XCM on the Norco.
Don't worry about the Cambodia thing, 95% of bikes are made in Asia. You really can't be picky at this price range.
Don't worry about the Cambodia thing, 95% of bikes are made in Asia. You really can't be picky at this price range.
The Norco is a 29er, as your better half is petite the geometry may make for slightly more cumbersome handling but otherwise it has a lot going for it in comparison to the two 650b bikes; hydraulic brakes vs cable actuated, not supplied with plastic pedals, an easier smallest gear than the Cannondale and despite the XCM fork being 'lesser' than the XCT on the other bikes they have gone with 100 mm of travel rather than 80mm for the XCT selected for the others and IME having ridden bikes with both either one is a rudimentary spring loaded fork and do a very similar job (as opposed to pneumatic forks which cost 2/3 of your total bike budget+)
The longer wheelbase will affect it's nimbleness, which may be a total non-issue if you're not planning on attacking technical trails with her and the larger wheel size coupled with the extra travel on the forks will give better roll-over on small objects.
The longer wheelbase will affect it's nimbleness, which may be a total non-issue if you're not planning on attacking technical trails with her and the larger wheel size coupled with the extra travel on the forks will give better roll-over on small objects.
Thanks chaps.
The Norco has 650b wheels from what I read, it states in the spec the rims and tyres are 27.5", Id ruled out 29ers myself due to her size, I think smaller wheels will be more nimble and suitable for her.
Im going to visit a 2nd branch of Evams today to see if they have any in stock to look at (went to my local branch yesterday and the display models were mostly Pinnacle), though Im swaying towards Norco if the components are on the whole better.
The Norco has 650b wheels from what I read, it states in the spec the rims and tyres are 27.5", Id ruled out 29ers myself due to her size, I think smaller wheels will be more nimble and suitable for her.
Im going to visit a 2nd branch of Evams today to see if they have any in stock to look at (went to my local branch yesterday and the display models were mostly Pinnacle), though Im swaying towards Norco if the components are on the whole better.
It's hard to tell from a picture, but that Norco's frame looks to be quite sturdily built. If I'm right, that could mean that it is quite stiff to ride - and so hit the bumps harder.
The Specialized would be my choice. The frames even on their lower-end bikes such as this are beautifully made and are designed to soak up the worst effects of riding bumps.
The Specialized would be my choice. The frames even on their lower-end bikes such as this are beautifully made and are designed to soak up the worst effects of riding bumps.
Thanks, I have a Specialized myself and do like it a lot, otherwise that model probably wouldn't be in my consideration as for the price the spec seems lacking compared to the others - 16 gears, which is way behind and offers less flexibility, and mechanical as opposed to hydro disc brakes.
In all honesty she'd probably love any of them and never complain, it's me that's getting hung up on comparing technical specs and tiny detail!
In all honesty she'd probably love any of them and never complain, it's me that's getting hung up on comparing technical specs and tiny detail!
'14 Pinnacle Ramin One, reduced to £380, small only. (2015 is £500)
Well regarded. It's light for the money cos:
1x9 gearing. Single front 32T ring, still a wide range of gears though and no troublesome front mech or shifter.
Rigid. Cheap bouncy forks are rubbish. CroMo rigid is lighter and, with the tyres and ones limbs, provides ample suspension. You could add a 100mm air sprung fork later if you like and retain the geometry.
Shimano hydraulic brakes and good all round kit.
Well regarded. It's light for the money cos:
1x9 gearing. Single front 32T ring, still a wide range of gears though and no troublesome front mech or shifter.
Rigid. Cheap bouncy forks are rubbish. CroMo rigid is lighter and, with the tyres and ones limbs, provides ample suspension. You could add a 100mm air sprung fork later if you like and retain the geometry.
Shimano hydraulic brakes and good all round kit.
Thanks for all the input, took the plunge and ordered the Norco.
I went to 2 branches of Evans:
- Cannondale; plastic pedals, flimsy brake levers, cheap feel to seat pin and the like, lovely frame but everything bolted to it seemed a bit lower in quality and less well built for the same money.
- Pinnacle; 29er wheels and the fact it's a mens/unisex bike made it a no go purely for the fact she's small so I wanted smaller wheels and a frame with a standover/top tube more suited to her height/build, it seemed cumbersome even in the smaller frame sizes and limited gearing wouldn't help.
- Specialized; Just couldn't find one Specialized bike in any local bike shops to see in the metal and wasn't buying blind.
- Norco; only downside was the welds on the frame maybe weren't as polished and smooth as perhaps the Cannondale, but it seemed light and very well built with a good quality feel to all the components.
I went to 2 branches of Evans:
- Cannondale; plastic pedals, flimsy brake levers, cheap feel to seat pin and the like, lovely frame but everything bolted to it seemed a bit lower in quality and less well built for the same money.
- Pinnacle; 29er wheels and the fact it's a mens/unisex bike made it a no go purely for the fact she's small so I wanted smaller wheels and a frame with a standover/top tube more suited to her height/build, it seemed cumbersome even in the smaller frame sizes and limited gearing wouldn't help.
- Specialized; Just couldn't find one Specialized bike in any local bike shops to see in the metal and wasn't buying blind.
- Norco; only downside was the welds on the frame maybe weren't as polished and smooth as perhaps the Cannondale, but it seemed light and very well built with a good quality feel to all the components.
With Shimano MTB components in goes:
Tourney < Altus < Acera < Alivio < Deore < SLX < Zee < XT < Saint < XTR < XTR Di2
But decent suspension, finishing kit and wheels are probably more important than the groupset as all Shimano stuff works perfectly. Far more important than any of that is how the bike feels when she rides it. By all means buy her one as a surprise but then get her to try the others in the shop after Christmas and if she prefers a different one they should swap it if she hasn't just spent Boxing Day at a trail centre.
Tourney < Altus < Acera < Alivio < Deore < SLX < Zee < XT < Saint < XTR < XTR Di2
But decent suspension, finishing kit and wheels are probably more important than the groupset as all Shimano stuff works perfectly. Far more important than any of that is how the bike feels when she rides it. By all means buy her one as a surprise but then get her to try the others in the shop after Christmas and if she prefers a different one they should swap it if she hasn't just spent Boxing Day at a trail centre.
richardxjr said:
'14 Pinnacle Ramin One, reduced to £380, small only. (2015 is £500)
Well regarded. It's light for the money cos:
1x9 gearing. Single front 32T ring, still a wide range of gears though and no troublesome front mech or shifter.
Rigid. Cheap bouncy forks are rubbish. CroMo rigid is lighter and, with the tyres and ones limbs, provides ample suspension. You could add a 100mm air sprung fork later if you like and retain the geometry.
Shimano hydraulic brakes and good all round kit.
I love this bike and now the price is incredible, but a 29er will be very odd for shorter people.Well regarded. It's light for the money cos:
1x9 gearing. Single front 32T ring, still a wide range of gears though and no troublesome front mech or shifter.
Rigid. Cheap bouncy forks are rubbish. CroMo rigid is lighter and, with the tyres and ones limbs, provides ample suspension. You could add a 100mm air sprung fork later if you like and retain the geometry.
Shimano hydraulic brakes and good all round kit.
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