# My partner wants a MTB



## lulubel (7 Nov 2012)

How long has it been since mine arrived? 7 days!

It started because it was extremely windy when she went for her ride this morning - so windy that she changed her route because she really didn't feel safe on the road she started out on, and still had to push the bike across a couple of sections where the crosswind was really bad because she couldn't stay upright. (I was at home worrying about her because there was no way I would have gone out on a road bike in those conditions.) It was still vile by the time I went out, but I was able to get into the partially surfaced lanes pretty quickly on the MTB and get some shelter from the wind. So, she decided she needed a cheap MTB so she could do the same as me when it's very windy.

Then she said, "And it would be nice to ride it up in the woods sometimes as well," which I took to mean that "cheap" was a relative term.

She doesn't want to spend more than £600, so I've given her a nudge in the direction of the Boardman Comp, which looks like the best vfm in that price range. (She's easier than me because she's 4" taller and longer in the body and arms, so a unisex/man's frame will suit her better.)


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## Hacienda71 (7 Nov 2012)

The Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 is a great value well spec'd hardtail and a bit under your budget.


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## lulubel (7 Nov 2012)

Hacienda71 said:


> The Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 is a great value well spec'd hardtail and a bit under your budget.


 
Is that Recon fork air or coil? According to Rock Shox's website, the TK comes in both options, and Decathlon's website doesn't specify. (I'm guessing coil at that price.)


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## GrumpyGregry (7 Nov 2012)

Islabikes Benin 29er
Carrera Vulcan
Saracen Mantra
Jamis Durango
Voodoo Hoodoo
Spesh Hardrock Pro
Carrera Fury

are all popular in the comics I read.

EDIT: Me? I'd get a Boardman


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## Hacienda71 (7 Nov 2012)

lulubel said:


> Is that Recon fork air or coil? According to Rock Shox's website, the TK comes in both options, and Decathlon's website doesn't specify. (I'm guessing coil at that price.)


 
Not certain. Might be worth pinging them a mail to check.


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## VamP (7 Nov 2012)

KHS Alite 2000 received glowing praise in this months MTBUK at £599 with an air fork, weighing in at 12.1kg. The only thing they didn't like was a rather low BB.


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## lulubel (8 Nov 2012)

Hacienda71 said:


> Not certain. Might be worth pinging them a mail to check.


 
It's out of the running, anyway. I've just looked on Decathlon's Spanish site, and it's €720 here. That's an interesting exchange rate .....

The Boardman is looking like the best option at the moment (and Wiggle ship them here, so it's very easy).


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## Drago (8 Nov 2012)

I take it you'd be getting one with female specific geometry and components?


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## lulubel (8 Nov 2012)

Drago said:


> I take it you'd be getting one with female specific geometry and components?


 
No, because she's built more like a small man than a woman. She's long in the torso and arms, and finds female specific bikes very cramped. That's why the unisex Boardman - which is the only option from Wiggle, and I didn't realise there were female specific ones - will work for her, when it wouldn't have worked for me.

The only thing I'm not certain about is the reach to the brake levers, and whether they will adjust close enough to the bars for her. But replacing the brake levers (if we need to) on a bike that's head and shoulders above anything else we can get here in terms of vfm isn't a big deal.


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## Drago (8 Nov 2012)

Ok, in that case then the Spesh Hardrock Pro might not be the sexiest on the list but rides the best of the 26ers. Bit of a giant killer in the way it performs. You could double your budget and not find an HT so well sorted.


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## 02GF74 (9 Nov 2012)

dunno what price the hardrock pro is (RRP is £ 599) that you havre found, but check out this gt avalanche 1.0 for £ 480 which looks to be of superior spec, only one left Medium frame, which may or may not be the right size for your friend.


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## Oldspice (9 Nov 2012)

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=CCUB0124WB
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=CCUB0217EW
http://search.cyclesurgery.com/cycles/Cube Mountain Bikes


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## Drago (9 Nov 2012)

Which is more important to our OP - the way it rides, or the jewelery hanging off it?

If its the former, then the Hardrock Pro is probably the best 26'er HT he'll find for south of a grand.


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## fossyant (9 Nov 2012)

lulubel said:


> No, because she's built more like a small man than a woman.


 
Hope she isn't reading this - or you will be in bother


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## lulubel (9 Nov 2012)

fossyant said:


> Hope she isn't reading this - or you will be in bother


 
Fortunately, she doesn't "do" forums, so I'm safe there!

It's taken 4 years and 3 bikes that don't fit properly for her to accept that a female specific bike isn't right for her, but we got there in the end.



Drago said:


> If its the former, then the Hardrock Pro is probably the best 26'er HT he'll find for south of a grand.


 
I haven't been able to find out much about the current Hardrock Pro - it doesn't even seem to be listed on Spesh's website. I'm also not sure how easy it will be to get here because I know Spesh don't allow their bikes to be sold mail order, and it's one brand I haven't seen at all since I've been in Spain.

Buying bikes here is so difficult because the prices are ridiculous, which is why the 2 bikes I've bought since I've been here have both been mail order - one from the UK and one from Germany.


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Nov 2012)

Drago said:


> Which is more important to our OP -* the way it rides, or the jewelery hanging off it*?
> 
> If its the former, then the Hardrock Pro is probably the best 26'er HT he'll find for south of a grand.


Why force someone to choose between the two when they can have both?


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Nov 2012)

lulubel said:


> I haven't been able to find out much about the current Hardrock Pro - it doesn't even seem to be listed on Spesh's website. I'm also not sure how easy it will be to get here because I know Spesh don't allow their bikes to be sold mail order, and it's one brand I haven't seen at all since I've been in Spain.


 
You might double check with Evans Cycles re exporting a spesh to Spain. They bend most rules in exchange for hard currency.


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## Cubist (9 Nov 2012)

GregCollins said:


> Why force someone to choose between the two when they can have both?


I thought the stock answer was "buy a Rockrider and spend the rest of the budget on a rack, panniers and lentils."


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## Drago (9 Nov 2012)

GregCollins said:


> Why force someone to choose between the two when they can have both?


I'd be interested to hear of a better riding 26er HT for under a bag of sand. If you can think of one let me know, and provided its nothing too esoteric ill get in contact with the importer and nab one off the test fleet.

Spesh had binned a lot of their 26" HT range in favour of 29ers, but I'm hearing much of the old 26" range is coming back to the UK market because of disappointing 29er sales.


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Nov 2012)

Drago said:


> I'd be interested to hear of a better riding 26er HT for under a bag of sand. If you can think of one let me know, and provided its nothing too esoteric ill get in contact with the importer and nab one off the test fleet.
> 
> Spesh had binned a lot of their 26" HT range in favour of 29ers, but I'm hearing much of the old 26" range is coming back to the UK market because of disappointing 29er sales.


 
There's nothing wrong, apart from the garish paint on some, with a(ny) Hardrock (Pro) for sure. A very safe choice. Nicely sorted short travel beginners bike with a rep for neutral handling, but it has a typical modern Spesh bargain basement mix of components which will simply wear out or break in short order when put in direct contact with real off road terrain more challenging then a UK FC fireroad or a canal tow path. And then fixing things gets complex because of the component mix. For me the entry level spesh ranges are no longer the vfm they once were.

I've no idea what your or anyone else's criteria would be for a better riding bike, feels a bit too subjective for my taste. How does it compare with the Voodoo Hoodoo or the Carrera Fury or even its sister the RockHopper for instance?

btw, my chrome gets me home on every ride.


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## 02GF74 (9 Nov 2012)

Drago said:


> Which is more important to our OP - the way it rides, or the jewelery hanging off it?
> 
> If its the former, then the Hardrock Pro is probably the best 26'er HT he'll find for south of a grand.


 
hmmm, that is interesting - I have a handful of bikes and if you were to press me to explain the difference in how they rdie, I would stuggle to tell you. the only two comments I would make is that light carbon frames are a lot easier to push and feel faster - pressing on the pedals makes them fly but are jittery when descending on lumpy stuff, namely to the lightness, the other being that some suspension, forks and rear shocks feel different - some are much smoother than others.

what different geometry makes I could not tell you.


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## GrumpyGregry (9 Nov 2012)

02GF74 said:


> what different geometry makes I could not tell you.


off road, when the descending gets technical and steep, a bike with a racy XC geometry i.e. a steep headtube angle, say 70 degrees, will feel unstable, twitchy and nervous, especially in the hands of the hesitant, the novice and the faint hearted or inexperienced. Same rider, same slope, same speed, will find a trail bike with a slacker headtube, say 65 degrees, much more stable and, as a consequence, easier to ride. Or so they tell me. It makes them steer like barges to my mind but I can see the advantage.

There is an article in one of the current mags asking if suspension is being dumbed down by using linear spring rates rather than progressive rates. I'd argue frame geometry is being "dumbed down" in exactly the same way.

But so long as folk are out playing on their bikes, who cares....


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## lulubel (21 Nov 2012)

The bike has been ordered, but we didn't go for the Boardman in the end, for a number of reasons - the main one was that the prices jumped up considerably on Wiggle, and made it less competitive in its price bracket. And once the Boardman had led me into a higher price bracket, I decided it wouldn't be fair if she didn't have lovely Reba forks like mine ....

So we went back to Bike Discount and chose this Radon.

I ordered it on Monday and was amazed to get the shipping notification (and the dhl tracking says they've picked it up) this afternoon. Based on the length of time mine took from dispatch to delivery, it will probably be here on Monday.

The thing I'm struggling with is that she thinks we haven't got enough money to buy it at the moment, and we're going to have to save up, so I haven't told her I've ordered it. I'm going to find it so hard to stay quiet until it arrives.


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## Motozulu (21 Nov 2012)

I would just say 'Happy Crimbo' when it arrives 

Looks an excellent bike for the money!


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## GrumpyGregry (21 Nov 2012)

very good choice


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## subaqua (22 Nov 2012)

Cubist said:


> I thought the stock answer was "buy a Rockrider and spend the rest of the budget on a rack, panniers and lentils."


 no you don't put lentils in stock, makes it too gloopy


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## Cubist (22 Nov 2012)

That looks good Lu, good spec and very very very futureproof.


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## Dan151 (22 Nov 2012)

boardman hands down


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## lulubel (22 Nov 2012)

Thanks, guys.

Apparently it's in Spain already. They're moving super fast with this one. (I still don't think it will be here before Monday, though - it's in the hands of Correos now, and they're not known for speed, although they did manage to deliver my bike successfully.)

Apart from the price thing, and getting Rebas on it, the mostly Shimano groupset was a contributing factor for me. It's all stuff I'm familiar with, and since I'll be the one maintaining it, it would be silly to make my life difficult. (We do share jobs in this house, by the way. My OH says, "Help, my gears are crunching," and I say, "How do I turn on the hob?" Since I'm a lousy cook and she's a rather good one, I think it's an excellent arrangement.)


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## GrumpyGregry (22 Nov 2012)

lulubel said:


> Apart from the price thing, and getting Rebas on it, the mostly Shimano groupset was a contributing factor for me. It's all stuff I'm familiar with, and since I'll be the one maintaining it, it would be silly to make my life difficult. (We do share jobs in this house, by the way. My OH says, "Help, my gears are crunching," and I say, "How do I turn on the hob?" Since I'm a lousy cook and she's a rather good one, I think it's an excellent arrangement.)


 
I say "Drat, my gears are crunching" and the lovely Helen answers "What are you cooking for dinner?"


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## VamP (22 Nov 2012)

GregCollins said:


> I say "Drat, my gears are crunching" and the lovely Helen answers "What are you cooking for dinner?"


 
That is also an excellent arrangement


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## lulubel (27 Nov 2012)

The bike came yesterday, and she's out on it now.

I'm sat here feeling really nervous, hoping she doesn't get carried away and injure herself - she has less sense of self preservation than me - and also hoping she comes back with a big grin on her face. I think she only wanted a MTB because I kept coming home saying how brilliant it is, so I really hope she enjoys it. She went out saying she'd be somewhere between 1 and 1.5 hours, and she's been just 1.5 now, which I shall take as a sign that she's in no hurry to come home!

We were very pleased with the bike, and with the service from Bike Discount yet again. (I've placed a couple of small orders with them since my bike, and their service has been flawless every time.) I ordered it last Monday, and it arrived yesterday. I think 7 days from order to delivery on a bike is pretty good going.

It came without pedals, so she - sorry, I - put single sided SPDs on it (she rides clipless on the road) so she's got a choice.


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## Motozulu (27 Nov 2012)

Mrs Zulu does'nt let me go out anywhere without my mobile - but then she knows I'm an accident waiting to happen 

I have to text her when I'm starting on the Dog - if I'm longer than an hour she gets the air ambulance out. 

Hope the OH enjoyed it.


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## Boon 51 (27 Nov 2012)

lulubel said:


> It's out of the running, anyway. I've just looked on Decathlon's Spanish site, and it's €720 here. That's an interesting exchange rate .....
> 
> The Boardman is looking like the best option at the moment (and Wiggle ship them here, so it's very easy).


 
Lots of Decathlon stuff is dear over here...


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## 02GF74 (27 Nov 2012)

lulubel said:


> We were very pleased the service from Bike Discount yet again. I ordered it last Monday, and it arrived yesterday. I think 7 days from order to delivery on a bike is pretty good going.


 
I am still waiting for the bike I ordered from Wiggle on 17 Oct ...... order has been cancelled twice due to some bollocks about order failing security!!


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