Cycle to work bike options

[westtra]

Ok I know we have a few of these already but everyone seems to have a different preference so here's my thread.

Like my mountain biking but not overly serious just trail riding with bit of down hill but nothing crazy. Obviously am getting the cycle to work scheme(http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/home,intro.htm) with my work in April so looking at bikes. So far My list is below all hard tails

Specialized rock hopper expert £950
2010 GT Zasker Elite £999
2009 Gt Agressor Elite £below the limit but waiting for price.
Merida TFS 900D 2009 full xt,reba forks £900 - Didn't really know about merida before but one of the places I can access recomended it.

I am wanting the highest spec I can get for the £1000 so am open to suggestions.

I can get bikes from

Specialized
Giant
Merida
GT
Raleigh
Bianchi
Dawes
Claud Butler
Genesis
Ridgeback
Trek
Felt
Dahon
Cube
Marin
Gary fisher
canondale
Kona

Thanks

[Gooby]

Remember to allow funds for helmet, cycle shorts, tool kit, tubes, pump, waterproofs etc etc. Dont get so hung up on spec, test ride as many as poss and see which one rides the best.

[theboymoon]

A friend of mine recently bought one of these and took it round Afan with a bunch of us last weekend...

http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/mountain_hard...

nice frame and reasonable component spec for the price.

And i know another pal who is about to pull the trigger on this

http://www.cannondale.com/gbr/eng/Products/Bikes/M...

Now, i haven't ridden the 'dale but, would you just look at it!


Nice problem to have

[Mr E]

I currently have a hankering for old school cro-mo. So, give a grand of CTW scheme, I'd look very hard at an orange p7.

[Gnarlybluesurf]

Look no further:

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtbht/ht_Pro.html

[kazste]

my opinion is to always go for the bike with the best frame. components can always be upgraded far easier than the frame. some companies will do a series of bikes using the same frame so maybe look for one of these and go from there.

i would try and stay away from cannondale as they can require specific components as opposed to generic ones.

[westtra]

Gooby said:

Remember to allow funds for helmet, cycle shorts, tool kit, tubes, pump, waterproofs etc etc. Dont get so hung up on spec, test ride as many as poss and see which one rides the best.

Have all or the majority of the above already so spending the lot on the bike.

Gnarlybluesurf said:

Look no further:

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtbht/ht_Pro.html

Unfortunately our scheme doesn't use halfrauds but the boardman would have been on the list above if we had used them.

kazste said:

my opinion is to always go for the bike with the best frame. components can always be upgraded far easier than the frame. some companies will do a series of bikes using the same frame so maybe look for one of these and go from there.

i would try and stay away from cannondale as they can require specific components as opposed to generic ones.

From what i've been reading up on I think this is the route I'm going to go down.

What frame do you rate? at the moment from what i've been reading on various forums and bike reviews its eother the specialized or marida I think i'm going for but I will see as it's a couple months till I get the voucher.

Cube seems to get mentioned a lot but it seems to be an aquired taste with regards to there geometary.

[timbo48]

Kaz, not sure what you mean by specific components. Surely everything is bought in by the manufacturers these days. The only bit specific to that frame would be the rear mech hanger. That bike doesn't use the Headshok so forks and headset are replaceable from other sources. I've got an F900 with a Rockshock on the front after the headshok gave up the ghost. Had to buy a headset converter and stem but that's all and although that bike was designed as a race bike, I've been round Afan, Cwm Carn and Brechfa with it as well as all day rides and had no problems at all. The bike in the picture looks rather nice. I've got a full sus but I still reckon that a good hardtail looks a lot nicer and is as much fun to ride.

[Gooby]

For another £99, this will ride superbly
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/2010/crush/

[kazste]

what i mean for the specific components, is a general sweeping statement about cannondale bikes to be honest that it is always worth checking (with all bikes, but mainly 'dales) that they take "normal" components. have heard a lot of people complain about the fact that they are not as easily upgradable as other makes. i would dearly love a cannondale as think they can look stunning but was warned away from them by my brother in law who makes a semi professional life making mtb videos in japan.

[Gooby]

kazste said:

what i mean for the specific components, is a general sweeping statement about cannondale bikes to be honest that it is always worth checking (with all bikes, but mainly 'dales) that they take "normal" components. have heard a lot of people complain about the fact that they are not as easily upgradable as other makes. i would dearly love a cannondale as think they can look stunning but was warned away from them by my brother in law who makes a semi professional life making mtb videos in japan.

I would have to agree. I know many cyclists that have been left high and dry by 'dale because the part takes weeks to come in and it is a 'dale specific part.
It isnt a problem with the ride quality of the bike, just means there are risks.

Specialised do the same sort of thing.

[thetrash]

Gooby said:

For another £99, this will ride superbly
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/bikes/2010/crush/

I've got an 09 crush and love it. You wont be disapointed if you get one

[kazste]

problem with the above option is that is your scheme is anything like others i am aware of you cannot add to it, so if you find a bike over £1000 you wont be able to buy it.

[timbo48]

I can understand difficulty in obtaining parts for a fs 'dale, linkages, pivots, swing arms, etc, but I don't understand why getting bits for a hardtail should be any more of a problem than with other manufacturers. Unless you mean that Cannondale warranties aren't any good. Otherwise, bars, wheels, BBs, brakes, etc are all available from other suppliers, and it's at this point that most of us upgrade. When mine was purchased (admitedly, things might have changed by now) it came with some own brand disc brakes, which were made of plasticene. After pushing the dealer a bit, these were replaced with Hope Minis which are still on the bike. If you've got headshock or lefty forks, then it might be a problem but a lot of 'dales come with "normal" forks these days, as does the one pictured on this thread.

[theboymoon]

timbo48 said:

I can understand difficulty in obtaining parts for a fs 'dale, linkages, pivots, swing arms, etc, but I don't understand why getting bits for a hardtail should be any more of a problem than with other manufacturers. Unless you mean that Cannondale warranties aren't any good. Otherwise, bars, wheels, BBs, brakes, etc are all available from other suppliers, and it's at this point that most of us upgrade. When mine was purchased (admitedly, things might have changed by now) it came with some own brand disc brakes, which were made of plasticene. After pushing the dealer a bit, these were replaced with Hope Minis which are still on the bike. If you've got headshock or lefty forks, then it might be a problem but a lot of 'dales come with "normal" forks these days, as does the one pictured on this thread.

this seems like sense to me.

that crush is lovely.

O/T just back from a ride in the Cotswolds. Err, its a *bit* muddy out there at the moment!!!

Edited by theboymoon on Sunday 28th February 19:18

[kazste]

i also agree that it doesnt make much sense, but it is what i have heard and been told by a few people all far more knowlegable than me. they werent refering to the lefty forks or linkages, they were talking some general components. if required i can ask for clarification from the brother in law but due to time differences (0400 in fukuoka at moment) wont be until monday.

[timbo48]

Still don't see why a Shimano rear mech or Easton bars, just using two examples, should be any less reliable on a Cannondale than a Trek, Kona or whatever. Hardtail frame consists of one part. If that breaks (and i believe that Cannondale were once known as crack and fail!) then you might have a problem getting a replacement. Would be interested to know what does fail though.

[anonymous-user]

you are looking at a hardtail then, around £900.... you will find that bike manufacturers arent stupid. they know that this is a massive prive bracket, somewhat more important given its the limit of the cycleschemes so they will all produce good bikes for this money.

the bikes will be aluminium frames, a good quality air sprung fork such as a rockshox reba and a misture of sram x7/x9 or shimano slx/xt. you should get a reasonable set of wheels but this will be the first place the manufacturer looks to save money. most buyers look for the easily identifiable things that they can use as comparison such as the bike with the most XT bits. the bikes that feture the most xt bits are usually hiding something, and mostly its st wheels but as this is harder for people to compare, they usually dont bother and the manufacturers get the sale on the basis of mechs/shifters...

some bikes have "odd" geometry, from experience, cubes have short top tubes, trek, longer top tubes. this affects your position on the bike and comfort over duration. you really need to sit on as many as possible to get a good feel for the bikes.

and finally, the source ref the cannondale issue is talking utter bks, cannondale have made some of the best hardtail mountain bikes for the last twenty years and the aftermarket components are completely inter changeable

[westtra]

Pablo cheers for that as it actually makes scense to MTB novice like my self.

What sort of wheels should I look for/avoid?

[Gooby]

pablo said:

and finally, the source ref the cannondale issue is talking utter bks, cannondale have made some of the best hardtail mountain bikes for the last twenty years and the aftermarket components are completely inter changeable

Erm.. I think you have missed the point. Lets start with an example. A regular ride buddy with a cannondale had an issue with a lefty. He took the fork (and bike) to the LBS where he purchased. The LBS were not able to get a new set of seals for the fork as the importer did not have them and they had to be delivered from the manufacturer. He really didnt want to buy a new set of forks circa £800 for the sake of a seal costing a few quid.

Interchangeable is not the issue. He was without the bike for approx 10 days.

The same can be argued for my Orange because my LBS (the local dealer) does not keep a full set of spares but from experience, anything is available from the halifax manufacturer overnight at very reasonable prices. The rest of the components are stocked by every decent bike shop.

Most forks / shocks spares are not held by your LBS because there are so many different parts required but there is a large network of companies set up to service and maintain these parts. The parts and skills to repair common brands like Fox and Rock Shocks are easy to get. The rarity of cannondale forks means that very few of these companies hold the parts.