29er hardtail

[Dingerjsc]

Hi all, i have been road biking for two years now but im intending to buy a 29er for my commute to work. So far ive looked at the following
Genesis Fortitude, Trek Cobia, Cube Acid and a Specialized Carve Comp.
I really like the Specialized but it is the dearest of the four and as far as i can gather has poorer spec?

Any advice or tips?????

 

[Dingerjsc]

Or do i bin the 29er idea all together and get a Genesis Core 26.5 which seems to be an amazing hardtail.................?

 

[Norm]

Why are you looking at a hardtail? What's the commute like?

 

[Dingerjsc]

11 miles each way, wee bit of town, country road, wee bit of cycle path then wee bit of town. I could probably use more cycle path but at the moment its not ideal for the road bike.

 

[Dingerjsc]

Plus id maybe like to use the parks etc at weekends, nothing too extreme though!

 

[Norm]

That's a fair amount of tarmac to be dragging front suspenders, IMO. I'd be looking at something like a CX or a rigid off-roader, based on my own experience where I'd be at least 10 minutes slower on my hardtail for a 10 mile commute than I am on one of the stiff bikes.

And my CX or rigid MTB are both pretty able off road too, there's few places other than very slippery mud or dedicated off road trails that I'd say either were significantly outclassed by the hardtail.

Which is probably not too helpful to your original question, sorry. I'd go with the Genesis (lovely looking bikes) or the Spesh Carve (safe option).

 

[Dingerjsc]

Thanks Norm,
I'll expect a dip in performance and time on the mtb (maybe ill carry it onto a bus)
The Genesis is really nice and is the first mtb i looked at, however i really like the look of the Spesh Carve but from what i can gather on the net the basic Specialized Carve Comp at £1000 has Alivio components compared to the Genesis which has all the Deore stuff for the same price. Its a lot of cash so want to make sure i pick the right bike!

 

[HovR]

If I was dropping close to 1K on a bike to be used for roads, cycle paths, and light offroad/park and tow path use, it'd 100% be this.

Link

And at £900 it'd leave you extra for computers, lights etc.

 

[Dingerjsc]

The Boardman stuff is ace but was looking at using the new work cyclescheme which Halfords dont run (different scheme)

Im now between the Specialized Carve Comp 29er and the Genesis core 26.5 hardtail.

I'll still use my road bike so want the flexibilty of having an mtb too!