What mountain bike?

[satans worm]

OK, I'm thinking of taking up a work scheme that allows me to buy a bike, effectivly tax free giving a saving of 40pct!
The max we are allowed is GBP1,000, I think we may also be limited to buying through Evans cycles, although I need to confirm on that.
I currently have an ageing Diamondback Apex (around 10 years old) that I added some Judy Rock Shocks to about 9 years ago(!!). I upgraded bits and pieces at the same time (ie 9years ago) so it has a fair amount of old XT stuff, Coda cranks, DX pedals, race face riser bar and seat.
I'm going to keep the bike as a spare, so was thinking of going full sus this time
Thing is alot of my riding is just on the road, although I like to think I will be going to Thetford forest for a few trips a year, and possibly other off road trails.
I am not going to do any racing, im way to fat and old to do that, but i do enjoy (or did a few year back!) doing all day rides and would like to think I will do them again.
Part of me thinks full sus is OTT for my needs but never having had one the temptation is to buy one!

What do people think, full sus or hard tail, again?
I know a grand is not going to get me top spec bike but what should I look for for that price?

Thanks

SW

Edited by satans worm on Friday 5th June 19:22

Edited by satans worm on Friday 5th June 19:24

[Gazzab]

Doesnt sound like you need a Full Suss and in fact it might hinder.
For £1000 you get a not great full suss but a very good hard tail (Trek, Specialized, Orange, Boardman etc...)

[satans worm]

Just looked that hybrid bikes, can you do soft off roading with them such as riding across fields/ rough tracks or are they strictly smooth roads only?

[insanojackson]

i just sorted me a specialized rockhopper disc on this scheme today £587 it cost. It got the best bike under 600 quid in mtb magasine recently and was reccomended to me by a few people lately.

http://www.specialized.com/gb/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp...

[Panclan]

I too brought a Rockhopper disc this week, £557 from Berkshire Cycles, now I just need to get fit enough to ride it properly

[longblackcoat]

Full suspension for £1000 is possible, but for that it'll be heavy and not that great. I think there's a Boardman model at around £900 which may well be the only one worth riding in this category.

A £1000 hardtail, on the other hand, will be very nice. Merlin do some nice bikes, as do On-One; both British-designed with some really nice bits, they're expectional value as they're mail-order only.
Boardman (from Halfords, but don't let this put you off) do a VERY nice hardtail for £1000, which is astounding value, weighs very little, and rides very well.

[Henry Hawthorne]

If the majority of your riding is on the road, do NOT get a full sus. It's hard enough work riding a hardtail on the road (rather than fully rigid), let alone having extra squishiness.

[insanojackson]

Henry Hawthorne said:

If the majority of your riding is on the road, do NOT get a full sus. It's hard enough work riding a hardtail on the road (rather than fully rigid), let alone having extra squishiness.

but if the suspension has a lockout then it ceases to become an issue

[Henry Hawthorne]

insanojackson said:

Henry Hawthorne said:

If the majority of your riding is on the road, do NOT get a full sus. It's hard enough work riding a hardtail on the road (rather than fully rigid), let alone having extra squishiness.

but if the suspension has a lockout then it ceases to become an issue

True, but why would you want the extra weight when you're riding road 90% of the time?

Get a decent hybrid/road bike for the road, keep the MTB for Thetford.

[anonymous-user]

lots of very nice hardtails around for £1K, if its mostly for road use i would try to stick with 100mm travel at the front, anything more is overkill and adds weight. also if its for road use, try to find something without disc brakes, they are far heavier than v-brakes and all that rotating mass is noticeable... everyone tends to think discs rule but to be honest, if its on road and you value speed and efficiency, go "v"!... pick up the phone, speak to merlin www.merlincycles.com and see what they can do for you, custom builds are a speciality of theirs...

[Gazzab]

If its not for massive hard hills dont bother with full suss, even with lock out you get more flex (plus more weight).
If its for the road then dont bother with front suss or disc brakes.
If its for commuting then buy a commuting bike.

[RobDickinson]

Kina daughing at the government helping people buy 6 inch fullys to get to work on....

[anonymous-user]

RobDickinson said:

Kina daughing at the government helping people buy 6 inch fullys to get to work on....

its tenuous to say the least but on the wider scale, it gets people onto a bike and keeps them fit (till they break an arm trying to land a huge jump!)

[Roman]

If you are mixing road and off road and buying through Evans the Felt Six comp looks a good hardtail.

Light (26lb) and XC focussed it should still feel quite sprightly on road when locked out and running slicks and the carbon seat stays should help dampen some trail buzz on all day rides. I think the frame and mag forks more than make up for the cheap chainset (which can easily be upgraded later anyway)

They have a nice Felt full suss for the same £999 but like most at this price point, at looks quite 'all mountain' (heavy) as opposed to XC focussed so I'd imagine they'd feel a bit of a chore to ride on road.

If you're not restricted to Evans I think the Boardman FS bikes look great value.

[mackie1]

I'd look seriously at the Boardman Team from Halfords if you can. Superb value! I got a Trek 6300 through cycle2work and I'm rather happy with it.