Steel framed hard tail for <£1000

[jay]

Thinking about it, I didn't buy my Cove after looking at the steel Rock Lobster - I bought a alu Rock Lobster instead. It was a really nice light build, about 25lbs but just a tiny bit too small really.

So then I bought the Cove and swapped all the parts over and the difference was unbelievable - even though the Cove build came in about 1.5lb heavier (and this was all in the frame) it felt so much faster and more comfortable.

I'd never go back to an alu hardtail again tbh - I'd either get high end steel or ti. Personally I'd always thought the whole "steel is real" thing were just talking bollox but there is definately a difference.

 

[JonGW]

On One 456?

 

[adski]

on one inbred ,double and triple butted tubes for a paltry 185 smackers !

 

[Black Sheep]

on-one inbred
or on-one inbred 456 if you like a longer travel fork.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Ok, so now I'm guily of moving the goal posts a bit. Current short list is

Steel
on one inbred
orange P7

Ali (shock horror shouldn't have gone to Halfords or read any mountain bike magazines over the weekend)

Boardman Pro HT
EBC Shadow Mountain


current fave is the Boardman Pro HT though I've only seen the Team in the flesh.....

 

[Mr Pig]

current fave is the Boardman Pro HT though

Looks like a nice bike, if not very ferrous ;0)

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Looks like a nice bike, if not very ferrous ;0)

when I picked the team version up it was so light I nearly went over backwards. and the pro is even lighter! but not.. very.. ferrous.. at all..

 

[Mr Pig]

Oh lightness is good. My last bike was quite a bit lighter than the Genesis and it was faster. It just depends what you want it for. To me, being the fastest isn't the be all and end all. After an hour on my last bike I was really glad to get off. The steel bike is much more forgiving and I'm much happier to stay on it.

Out in the fields though I could chuck the lighter bike on my shoulder and climb over fences carrying it. That's not so easy now. It's all swings and roundabouts. For me the top dog would be a really light steel bike! ;0)

 

[Black Sheep]

if weight is a concern and your wanting steel my inbred weighs less than my old hardrock used to!

don't know about the orange your thinking of tho

 

[GrumpyGregry]

if weight is a concern and your wanting steel my inbred weighs less than my old hardrock used to!

don't know about the orange your thinking of tho

P7

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Oh lightness is good. My last bike was quite a bit lighter than the Genesis and it was faster. It just depends what you want it for. To me, being the fastest isn't the be all and end all. After an hour on my last bike I was really glad to get off. The steel bike is much more forgiving and I'm much happier to stay on it.

Out in the fields though I could chuck the lighter bike on my shoulder and climb over fences carrying it. That's not so easy now. It's all swings and roundabouts. For me the top dog would be a really light steel bike! ;0)

My yardstick is my old steel rockhopper. 12 years after getting it and the main frame has taken everything I've thrown at it and is still going strong. But it is the sole remaining component from the original rigid bike. The forks were substituted for some Paces but everything else was replaced with the first three years as it broke or wore out. (The day the bars snapped up on plynlimon was a gas)

I want a bike I can ride all day uphill and down dale (well down Down given where I live) - day after day without it breaking and which can cope with UK mud, esp of the clay variety better than the 'hopper does (though narrow mud tyres help a lot) on trailquest and polaris type stuff in the winter.

Some recent experience has informed my thinking a bit. Last Summer I holidayed in the Austrian Alps. I hired a local custom build ali bike for three days built by the bloke who owned the hire shop - best HT I've ever ridden. On the longest day I did 75 kms in total about 1/3 climbing and 2/3rds descending on fire roads and single track- took a battering as I expected from an HT - but didn't feel beaten up like I had done in years gone by on an ali bike. over the three days I did about 150 off road km and about 50 on road.

maybe it is time to overcome my prejudice against ali MTB's esp if Mr Darling is going to help me buy one.

 

[Black Sheep]

My yardstick is my old steel rockhopper. 12 years after getting it and the main frame has taken everything I've thrown at it and is still going strong. But it is the sole remaining component from the original rigid bike. The forks were substituted for some Paces but everything else was replaced with the first three years as it broke or wore out. (The day the bars snapped up on plynlimon was a gas)

I want a bike I can ride all day uphill and down dale (well down Down given where I live) - day after day without it breaking and which can cope with UK mud, esp of the clay variety better than the 'hopper does (though narrow mud tyres help a lot) on trailquest and polaris type stuff in the winter.

Some recent experience has informed my thinking a bit. Last Summer I holidayed in the Austrian Alps. I hired a local custom build ali bike for three days built by the bloke who owned the hire shop - best HT I've ever ridden. On the longest day I did 75 kms in total about 1/3 climbing and 2/3rds descending on fire roads and single track- took a battering as I expected from an HT - but didn't feel beaten up like I had done in years gone by on an ali bike. over the three days I did about 150 off road km and about 50 on road.

maybe it is time to overcome my prejudice against ali MTB's esp if Mr Darling is going to help me buy one.

Inbred, Inbred, Inbred, Inbred.


my inbred replaced a hardrock and was much better and nicer to ride than that and my friends rockhopper

its got a classic mountain bike geometry

I run 2inch wide trail tyres and 2.5 inch wide DH tyres on it and its got plenty of mud clearance, mine is singlespeed built on a geared frame (tensioner) and i've done 20+ miles on road, all day rides across the lake district on a variety of forrest road, bridalways, and "ooh, where does this go" trails.

the seat stays width is about 8cm the chainstays width is about 7.5 - plenty of space for a huge tyre and a fair bit of mud in there.

there's a trail near my parent's house that i'd started to avoid due to how harsh it was to ride on the hardrock, i now go out of my way to ride it on the inbred cos it feels sooo good to ride down, the bike is alive and flowing with me, its great.

as you can tell, i'm rather fond of mine, i've called it Izzy and my fiancee recognises her as part of the family

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Inbred, Inbred, Inbred, Inbred.

I can see the attraction but... I can't see how to get a decent spec FS and disc braked one for less than a grand

 

[Mr Pig]

my inbred replaced a hardrock and was much better and nicer to ride than that and my friends rockhopper

My experience is quite similar. You're likely to have this bike for a while so take your time and get it right. I tried a Genesis Altitude and Specialized Rockhopper back to back and dismissed the Rockhopper in seconds.

Buying one type of bike over an other based on the kind of brakes you can get on it is rather short sighted. The frame material and geometry will make a far bigger difference and are much more important. You really need to track down some of the bikes you're considering and try them. The equipment list only tells you part of the story.

Incidentally, you'll get an Altitude made out of really good steel for under a grand. The geometry is very similar to the other trail-focused bikes mentioned:

http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/products.php?plid=m15b7s2p2284&rs=gb

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Sound advice. I suspect the debate over the performance of ali vs steel is as yet unresolved and will stay that way for the foreseeable future. Some steel bikes are rubbish as are some ali ones - I think it depends on how the bike is built more than what the frame is made of. Of course geometry is king of all; I'm focusing on XC hardtails rather than hard hitters as that riding isn't my style.

As for brakes - I wouldn't by a rim braked bike again ever unless it was a sunny dry Sunday afternoon road going piece of exotica; even my tourer has disc brakes as I like stopping