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

[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.

[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).

[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.

[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.

[mcbook]

Sa Calobra said:

Then I wouldn't bother.

I'd rather 0% on a credit card or self fund on a decent secondhand one.

1k in Halfords doesn't buy you much for train riding.

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.

[mcbook]

moanthebairns said:

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.

This is definitely an option that I'm looking at. I can use the scheme at Alpine Bikes in Edinburgh who stock Whyte. The 901 is a few hundred cheaper but doesn't have such a good fork. Marin San Quentin 3 is a similar bike and, like the Whyte 905, comes with the Revelation fork. it's also a bit cheaper at £1,450. Plenty to think about.

[mcbook]

Just wanted to bring things to a proper conclusion. I've not really ridden it properly yet but will get down to the trails in the next couple of weeks. Whyte 905... a chunk of my own cash added to the C2W voucher in the end.