# Reccomend me a £400 MTB



## gb155 (4 Feb 2010)

As the title says really, I have approx a max budget of £450 and want a HT MTB for snow days and off road commutes during the summer, your thoughts please.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Feb 2010)

seriously? keep saving or start ebaying. or think about a rigid mtb, a CX bike or even a robust tourer. if you want a snow day bike snow tyres should do the trick and a CX/tourer will handle off road commuting unless your commute involves crossing the pennines off road or some such.


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## gb155 (4 Feb 2010)

GregCollins said:


> *seriously?* keep saving or start ebaying. or think about a rigid mtb, a CX bike or even a robust tourer. if you want a snow day bike snow tyres should do the trick and a CX/tourer will handle off road commuting unless your commute involves crossing the pennines off road or some such.



Totally why ?

I stated on a MTB and am enjoying riding my old one, My Ribble will always be my main bike (well until the next C2W) but I want a decent back up for when the weather doesnt allow me to be my roadie-self.

The off road will be pretty steep TBH


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## MacB (4 Feb 2010)

At that pricepoint any suspension you get will be more weight than use, I'd definitely look at rigid. At the £300 mark you have the Kona Smoke 2-9, it's classed as a hybrid/city bike but based around MTB geometry. It's a steel frame, comes with 47mm tyres and guards, so you've got clearance for up to about 2 inch tyres. Basically a rigid MTB with 700c wheels and some street mods, it takes a 135mm rear hub. Won't be a lightweight but Kona have a decent reputation for solid frames.

I know you have a mental block re the word hybrid at present but it covers so many different bikes that I think you should ignore labels. Look at detailed specs, frame material, tyre clearance, components and upgradeability.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Feb 2010)

gb155 said:


> *Totally why ?*
> 
> I stated on a MTB and am enjoying riding my old one, My Ribble will always be my main bike (well until the next C2W) but I want a decent back up for when the weather doesnt allow me to be my roadie-self.
> 
> The off road will be pretty steep TBH



So what's wrong with the old one? or is it a BSO?

My take is you've got a VERY decent road bike so I reckon you will most likely hate a cheap MTB and tbh at that price point there is very little 'mountain' in the bike. see what MacB said; I'd second it.

Of course if you go second hand or even better second hand retro you could pick up something nice, maybe even with a good Cro-Mo steel frame, with mudguard and rack eyes and have a decent proper all rounder second bike.

Tisn't the steepness of the off road that determines the need for an mtb, it's the speed you intend to come down it or the gearing you need to get up it. I ride my tourer on lots of stuff I ride my mtb down. just lots, lots slower. my summer commute can include some chunks of unsurfaced bridleways. tourer has the gears to cope but is way faster and more efficient on the tarmac than an(y)HT mtb

User knows of what he speaks; Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 has been well regarded in reviews and is available online for 5p less than £500


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## Norm (4 Feb 2010)

I'm a bit lighter than you, gb155, but I can completely understand your thoughts. I like my Giant Talon 3. 

It has climbed to the top of the Sourton Tors on Dartmoor, spent many hours in Swinley Forest with me and taken me on 60+ mile towpath rides, as well as covering a fair few miles on the road. And, whilst it has lock-outs on the forks, front suspension is a Godsend to alleviate the poor surfacing on many of the roads and cycle paths round my way.

It's a trail bike rather than a heavy duty mountain bike but tall side-walls and the 4 / 5 kilo difference between it and a dedicated road bike make it pretty smooth on the road - it doesn't get deflected when I hit an unseen stone, for instance, and I don't need to worry about dodging potholes, I can just ride them out.

The term "hybrid" is open to so many interpretations that I find it confusing. For instance:


 Does putting road tyres onto a rigid MTB make it a hybrid?
Does putting flat bars onto a road bike make it a hybrid?
Why are the Kona Smoke and Specialized Sirrus put into the same "hybrid" category?
Why is a Specialized Sirrus (a fast road bike with flat bars) a hybrid when a Specialized Tricross (an off-road bike with drops) isn't?


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## GilesM (4 Feb 2010)

I'm not sure what the frame geometry is like, but for the type of riding you are talking about i don't think that will be a big deal, for the money, this is a lot of bike, the main advantage is that the suspension forks are much better than you would normally get at this price.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=46175

If you want a hardtail mtb that's your choice, some don't recommend it for the type of riding you have mentioned, but I can see the attraction and it will give you the option to try more off road stuff if you fancy it. I would have a look through different bike shop websites, see what you can find, some pretty good deals on 2009 models. Try to keep away from the Suntour Suspension Forks, as already mentioned, these cheap forks are heavy and not a good suspension fork, go for Rockshox Tora or Dart. Also try to get hydraulic brakes, the cable operated ones are not great and again, quite heavy.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Feb 2010)

Norm said:


> The term "hybrid" is open to so many interpretations that I find it confusing. For instance:
> 
> 
> Does putting road tyres onto a rigid MTB make it a hybrid?
> ...



Let's see

first two = Nope because a hybrid has 700c wheels with mountain bike like geometry. Bars are a red herring plenty of early MTB's had drops and the odd MTB world champion ran them. Looks of people stateside run drop barred atb's and I've even got one in the shed build from an old Kona

3rd because they have mtb like frame geometry and 700c (or 29-er same thing mnore or less) wheels

4th sirrus has mtb like geometry with 700c wheels and the tricross doesn't have mtb geometry as it is a cyclocross bike with a totally diffent dna and heritage

btw CX bikes; the industry wants us to believe they are the current next best thing.


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## MacB (4 Feb 2010)

Hybrid is a confusing term though, just look at the selection from any of the big retailers. If we were using the true sense of the word then almost every modern bike is a hybrid. They all borrow something from somewhere else.


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## Norm (4 Feb 2010)

GregCollins said:


> first two = Nope because a hybrid has 700c wheels with mountain bike like geometry.


Which shows, perfectly, the confusion. The Carrera 1, for example, a fairly well regarded product which Halfords sell as a hybrid, comes with 26" wheels.


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## joebingo (4 Feb 2010)

In the Feb issue of What Mountain Bike, they did a feature on mountain bikes circa £300, The specialized HardRock won the day, if you could get one of those and save up a little extra cash and buy a new fork for it, you'll have a very good bike!

Apparently, the frame is identical across the entire hardrock range, the different costs of each model all depend on componentry.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Feb 2010)

Norm said:


> Which shows, perfectly, the confusion. The Carrera 1, for example, a fairly well regarded product which Halfords sell as a hybrid, comes with 26" wheels.



this an ATB an all terrain bike then. simples. I used to own a great little Trek ATB, it was basically a nexus hub geared MTB with slicks on and roller brakes. great around town. but it wasn't a hybrid....

how people market stuff is another matter entirely


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Feb 2010)

> There are plenty of 26" wheel hybrids.



so it has MTB wheels and MTB frame geometry so what is it a hybrid of exactly? marketing people love to butcher language.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Feb 2010)

joebingo said:


> In the Feb issue of What Mountain Bike, they did a feature on mountain bikes circa £300, The specialized HardRock won the day, if you could get one of those and save up a little extra cash and buy a new fork for it, you'll have a very good bike!
> 
> Apparently, the frame is identical across the entire hardrock range, the different costs of each model all depend on componentry.



Now you can ride a Hardrock up and down real mountains if you take a bit of care. got two steel ones in the family fleet.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Feb 2010)

Guys, ultimately i guess i'm posing the question why go for a heavy(er), slow(er) mtb just for a bit of off roading during a commute. wouldn't a fat tyred touring bike be a better choice for that sort of mixed use? they aren't made of glass and eggshells.


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## addictfreak (4 Feb 2010)

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/aspect-55-2010-mountain-bike-ec020611

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/f6-2009-mountain-bike-ec016563

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/f6-disc-2009-mountain-bike-ec016564

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/hardrock-sport-disc-2010-mountain-bike-ec019399


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## joebingo (4 Feb 2010)

GregCollins said:


> Guys, ultimately i guess i'm posing the question why go for a heavy(er), slow(er) mtb just for a bit of off roading during a commute. wouldn't a fat tyred touring bike be a better choice for that sort of mixed use? they aren't made of glass and eggshells.



My thinking is that a tourer doesn't really give much more options than Gaz already has.

A hardtail or Rigid MTB will give him the option of some proper offroading if he so wishes and his road bike for other times.


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## Steve Austin (4 Feb 2010)

Giant XTC, GT Avalanche would be two i would look at straight away. But there are many around that price from Felt, Focus, Cube et al that may be worth considering.
Check Pauls Cycles for good reductions. You might be able to find a £700 bike reduced to about £400 which would be my choice.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Feb 2010)

joebingo said:


> My thinking is that a tourer doesn't really give much more options than Gaz already has.
> 
> A hardtail or Rigid MTB will give him the option of some proper offroading if he so wishes and his road bike for other times.



He already has an MTB....

Other people's definition of a 'proper offroading MTB' is clearly so far removed from mine that I may as well be speaking serbo-croat!

The sort of off-roading you can do regularly and frequently on a sub £450 list price mtb without it breaking you can do on a bike which has vastly superior qualities on tarmac, which is where your commuting mtb will spend most of its life; a tourer or CX bike

MTB's make inferior commuters, the fact than 10's of 1000's commute on them does not disprove this. It just proves the power of form over function. ymmv.


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## MacB (4 Feb 2010)

GregCollins said:


> He already has an MTB....
> 
> Other people's definition of a 'proper offroading MTB' is clearly so far removed from mine that I may as well be speaking serbo-croat!
> 
> ...



this is why I'd opt for a 29er allrounder with two wheelsets, could achieve that for £450


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## Muddyfox (4 Feb 2010)

Why dont you just keep the Ridgeback Velocity that you've got in the for sale section and buy some studded tyres for when it snows ? 

Bet you wished you'd kept that Trek 6300 ?

Simon


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## gb155 (5 Feb 2010)

My current MTB is a real BSO, 20 year old townsend, falling to bits, weighs a million tonne (had a great workout this am though ) 

That Spesh looks bloody nice and if its true they use the same frame over the range then hummmmmm, Not adversed to buying second hand at all.

The Ridgeback Velocity while is a mighty fine is also the bike I had my serious accident on, while there is nothing wrong with the bike and while the accident wasnt down to the bike, I have simply lost all confidence riding it.

RE: What is a Hybrid, I agree totally, I had a Scott SUB Classic, it was very much like a road bike, While the Ridgeback Velocity is much more like a MTB, bith are "Hybrids"


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## Valy (13 Feb 2010)

I find all this bickering about hybrids is just for the sake of it...

Make sure it is comfortable and that's about it. I have a Specialized Hardrock comp and have done about 1000kms on it so far. I had a fall where i bent the LH crank and the frame seems to be okay - if a little off center judging by the rear wheel , but that could have been there before, maybe it has asymmetrical chain stays as the whole seat tube is straight, just off center. Then I went into a curb ( with about a 40 degree angle to my direction of travel) at about 30km/h and the bike is in one piece. Went over some reasonably rough patches at speed and the bike is alright. So as far as the frame goes - it seems pretty tough. I do however get back aches after about 1 hour - so that goes back to the original - "make sure it's comfortable bit".


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## beastie (28 Feb 2010)

don't know if you are still looking gaz but this is on offer till Monday 
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._ESPOTRIGHT_165555-_-03-FEB10-ADULTBIKES-R2-4


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## sandra (15 Mar 2010)

*hard rock*

I have a Specialized Hard Rock Disc and I love it. I does all the things I want, its not the lightest bike in the world but its not the heaviest either I am not going to win lots of races on it but I suspect that is because I am a bit fat and unfit, nothing to do with the bike. If I had thousands to spare then yes I would probably bought a better bike but I dont. and I think that if I was not so fat and alot fitter I would be beating anyone else on their expensive machines


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## Cubist (15 Mar 2010)

sandra said:


> I have a Specialized Hard Rock Disc and I love it. I does all the things I want, its not the lightest bike in the world but its not the heaviest either I am not going to win lots of races on it but I suspect that is because I am a bit fat and unfit, nothing to do with the bike. If I had thousands to spare then yes I would probably bought a better bike but I dont. and I think that if I was not so fat and alot fitter I would be beating anyone else on their expensive machines



Sandra, can I swap you for my son? I'm desperately trying to convince him to be content with his midrange bike, instead of spending his entire life trying to persuade me to spend thooooooooousands on exotica. After all, he's 12 and rides ahead of the adults at our club on £2-3K XC machines!!


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