Hardtail MTB, £1000, Halfords C2W Scheme

[mcbook]

I've been toying with the idea of getting a MTB for a while now. I go to the local trails a few times a year and always hire a bike there. Anyway, I'm going to bite the bullet and use my company's cycle to work scheme to buy a bike.

I've seen videos of MBR's 2018 hardtail test which was fun to watch. Unfortunately, none of the winning/runner up bikes in the £1,000 category are available from Halfords or their associated retailers.

Brands I can get are:

Voodoo
Boardman
Trek
Canondale
Saracen
Specialized
GT
Cube
Whyte

I won't be doing any hardcore downhill riding but do want something that is more focused towards rough, muddy trails. Dropper post would be good. Plus size tyres would be good.

I've seen the Boardman MHT 8.9 which seems to get good reviews... any other suggestions?

Thanks

[InitialDave]

Does it have to be Halfords? Other bike stores also supply on the scheme, and the work involved in processing it shouldn't be any different.

[mcbook]

Yeh, the scheme is run by Halfords so it has to be them or an associated independent. Basically that gives me the list of brands above. I already tried asking them about Norco and Vitus bikes and they said no.

[caelite]

The Voodoo Bizango always seems to get a good writeup for punching above its weight in the <£750 category. Obviously a bit below your price target though, it was reduced last week on Cycle Republic (Halfords sister company) by 20% but that offer appears to be over.

[mcbook]

caelite said:

The Voodoo Bizango always seems to get a good writeup for punching above its weight in the <£750 category. Obviously a bit below your price target though, it was reduced last week on Cycle Republic (Halfords sister company) by 20% but that offer appears to be over.

Yeh, that's definitely an option. I could get the Bizango and save some cash. Just seems like a great opportunity to get a better bike for not much extra money (after the tax saving).

[sjg]

You can order online through Tredz including sale stuff without surcharge (as they're owned by Halfords too) which opens up some more brands. Other independents will take them on full retail stuff, they'll usually charge a fee on anything discounted though.

MHT 8.9 looks really good as a low-hassle option. Trek Roscoe 7 gets you plus tyres and a dropper post inside budget (you can spend the change on some other essentials). Cannondale Cujo 1 similar but bang on budget and some better kit.

[Dog Star]

InitialDave said:

Does it have to be Halfords? Other bike stores also supply on the scheme, and the work involved in processing it shouldn't be any different.

Our C2W scheme is Halfords only. HOWEVER you are not limited to Halfords own brand stuff - they will order in anything you want. First time round I got a really nice Diamondback Sync 4.0 which they had no issue whatsoever procuring for me. That was a nice bike - £499.

Year after I got a Voodoo Zobop with £200 off.

[mcbook]

Bumping this in hope for some additional input.

As things stand, I think I've narrowed it down to the Boardman MHT 8.9 and the Trek Roscoe 8.

The Boardman has a better fork but the Trek has a dropper post. Boardman is a 29er and Trek is 27.5 with plus tyres. In general, the spec on the Boardman is a bit better but I think the Trek is a better looking bike.

[caelite]

mcbook said:

caelite said:

The Voodoo Bizango always seems to get a good writeup for punching above its weight in the <£750 category. Obviously a bit below your price target though, it was reduced last week on Cycle Republic (Halfords sister company) by 20% but that offer appears to be over.

Yeh, that's definitely an option. I could get the Bizango and save some cash. Just seems like a great opportunity to get a better bike for not much extra money (after the tax saving).

Figured I'd pop back on again to say that 20% off deal on the Bizango is back. A lot of bike for £520.

[NordicCrankShaft]

The canzo seems to get rave reviews by most people, MBR making it their hardtop of the year and this years version getting a 10/10

[mcbook]

If I was spending my own post-tax money I think i'd definitely get the Bizango. However, with the C2W scheme it seems like a shame not to spend the full £1,000.

I've added another bike to the short-list: the Marin San Quentin 2. A little over budget but I'll keep an eye out for some deals.

Having looked at the geometry of the bikes in a little more detail, I'm less enthusiastic about the Boardman. The riding I'll be doing is definitely more trail than XC focused. The Marin seems good in that regard.

[SwissJonese]

I bought a Cube Acid 2x bike from CTW scheme. Been brilliant, even used it to the Battle on the Beach this year so definitely decent enough for proper rides too.

[jackthelad1984]

If you can use tredz, the giant fathom1 or 2 is a good bike for the price, good spec, dropper post standard.
I bought a 2018 fathom 2 not long ago for a good price as the 2019 bikes were coming out and very pleased with it.

[Piginapoke]

Cube make good bikes but post sales service is very poor, in my experience

[mikey P 500]

For £1000 budget I would prob aim for full suspension. The boardman MTR, would be a fair choice, just add dropper post later.

[R1gtr]

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/cube-re...
This ticks all the boxes, quite fancy one myself, ridiculous price for the spec

[Croutons]

R1gtr said:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/cube-re...
This ticks all the boxes, quite fancy one myself, ridiculous price for the spec

Like most of their really good (>35% off alleged retail) it’s a small frame, and a single size. Shame...

[Croutons]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Unless of course you’d bothered reading that the OP is buying through his C2W scheme, run by Halfords.....

[moanthebairns]

mcbook said:

Yeh, the scheme is run by Halfords so it has to be them or an associated independent. Basically that gives me the list of brands above. I already tried asking them about Norco and Vitus bikes and they said no.

If you can get a whyte from halfords i'd go for the 905 (maybe last years model or spend the extra over the £1000).

No one I've ever spoken to has a bad thing to say about, I love mines, by far the easiest hard tail i've ever ridden.

[mcbook]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Not sure you've understood. I can go to Halfords and associated retailers which means I can get the brands listed in the OP.

Would you really prefer to self-fund over getting an effective 40% discount? That's some wild logic.