Can’t make my mind up between these two

[Clarkey88]

Hi guys, new poster here. I’m looking for a bit of help/advice. I’ve done a search, but i couldn’t find any answers relating to the bikes I’m currently looking at.

I’m getting a new bike through the Cylce To Work scheme. I’ve narrowed my search down to two bikes, but I’m struggling to pick between the two of them. The models are (I’ll post links at the bottom of the post) Carrera Fury and Boardman MHT 8.6.

I’ve been into Halfords today and ridden both bikes. My conclusion was that the gears and brakes on the Carrera felt a lot nicer to use. Gear changing felt precise and smooth and brakes had a really nice feel to them, they gave nice feedback and were very sharp. The Boardman however, felt a lot nicer to ride (felt much more stable and easier to control at low speeds) but the gears and brakes felt nowhere near as responsive or as nice to use than those on the Carrera. Gear changing feels notchy and the brakes felt lazy, and not that sharp at all.

The Carrera is priced at £600 and it’s equipped with
• SRAM DB-1 Hydraulic Brakes
• SRAM NX 1x11 Group Set
• Suntour Radion Air Forks with one of those big thick bars that hold the wheel on (un-sure on what they’re called)

The Boardman MHT 8.6 is priced at £650 and comes with
• Trektro M285 Hydraulic Brakes
• Shimano Deore Shadow+ 10 speed derailleur and cassette
• FSA Alpha Drive Chain Set
• Suntour Radion Air Forks, but with the standard quick release.

I know I could buy the Boardman and upgrade the components later on, but looking at the prices, that seems to be an expensive way of doing it (I might as well get the next model up lol) my voucher is for £750 and is only to be used at Halfords.

So my question is, do I go for the Carrera with the ‘nicer’ to use gears and brakes or do I go for the Boardman that rides a bit better?

Any help would be appreciated
Thanks
Dave



http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/carrera-fury-mountain-bike-18-20-frames

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...goryId=165499&productId=1407067&storeId=10001

 

[BalkanExpress]

There is all kind of logical advice we could give about upgrading components, quality of frames and the like. But as soon as you say “feel” there is very little we can say to help you make a choice you will be happy with.

Neither are terrible bikes. You need to buy the one you think toy will be happiest riding on your commute.

If you can not decide toss a coin, if it comes down heads and you think “blast I wanted tails” get the other one

Of course, others may post all sorts of suggestions for you to look at and you may end up choosing from 10 different bikes

 

[vickster]

Sounds like the Boardman might just need to be better set up? Get the shop to fettle and try again, Deore is decent stuff, if you still prefer the other then that might be the one.

 

[tom73]

As a newbie I see and understand what your problem is. I found the right bike for me and then had the spec I felt right with added.

Both @BalkanExpress and @vickster are right in what they say.

What you really have to ask yourself is which bike will put the biggest smile on your face and you want to be seen on it.
Even when you really don't feel like going out on it. Better gears ect is always nice to have but if at the end of your ride the bike leaves you feeling flat then is it worth it ?

In the end only you can really know what more important. I was lucky I had an option to update the build but having found the right bike for me i'd have been happy with lower spec just have the bike I really wanted to ride.

Agree with @vickster get them to have a tune up the Boardman then see.

Good luck

 

[Drago]

Go for the one that feels nicest to ride. You won't need to upgrade it if it already rides the best of the two - the Carrera shows that a higher paper spec doesn't automatically make for a better ride.

As I've said all along - chrome don't get you home.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

You say that you are using the cycle to work scheme, but it is not clear if you are going to use this to cycle to work or not.

If you are going to cycle to work, then I would have two concerns;

Do you want a front suspension?

And

More importantly is the low top gear that both of these bikes offer, on the road its seems likely that you would only ever be using the two highest gears and even then possibly restricted in speed because you can't peddle any faster.

Bye

Ian

 

[Drago]

Perhaps he cycles to work off road, like I would sometimes Do?

 

[Clarkey88]

Thanks for the replies guys

I think I’m going to go with the Boardman. It makes sense to go with the bike that makes me feel happy and the Boardman definitely will deliver that. I feel that if I bought the Carrera, the Boardman will always be in the back of my mind wondering if I made the right choice. If I feel the need to, I can always lookout for some decent deals on groupsets and brakes later on.

I want a MTB because on my way home from work there’s 2 different woodland areas with decent hills, slopes and bends that I can pass through. I used to love riding my bike round them when I was a kid. The Forks have the lockout feature, so they can be ‘turned off’ when I’m cycling on the road.

Has anyone had any experience with Continental Double Fighter Tyres? I’m looking at buying and fitting a pair tyres that are more suitable for the roads, but can still perform relitavly well off road. I’m thinking these should be ok as the ground is quite dry this time of year?

Thanks again
Dave

 

[Clarkey88]

Now I just need to decide on colour ‍♂️

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I want a MTB because on my way home from work there’s 2 different woodland areas with decent hills, slopes and bends that I can pass through. I used to love riding my bike round them when I was a kid. The Forks have the lockout feature, so they can be ‘turned off’ when I’m cycling on the road.

So when you rode around those woods as a kid, what did you do it on? I bet it wasn't a suspension MTB, probably an everyday bike with a rigid frame. I used to ride around woods as a kid on a drop bar racer running 26" x 1 1/4" road tyres, albeit a pretty sturdy steel machine. I ride the very same places today on either an old 700c hybrid or old 26" MTB, neither of which have suspension, and are better handling and lighter bikes because of it. Don't get sucked in by all the marketing BS that tells you as soon as you venture off tarmac you suddenly need suspension and off-rad tyres. Unless it has been raining and surfaces are soft and muddy, a strong, puncture-resistant general purpose road tyre in a sensible width is perfectly capable of coping with firm dirt and gravel tracks.

 

[tom73]

Now I just need to decide on colour ‍♂️

oh they both look good but go green its look's more fun

 

[BSOh]

+1 for the green/yellow. Looks good

 

[FishFright]

Buy the colour that makes you happy ! And despite what some people will tell you , suspension forks are brilliant for riding offroad. They make steering and braking a lot more predictable and a whole lot more comfortable. Lock them out on the road and the only penalty is weight.

 

[Tom B]

For commuting I'd want something that isn't a 1x

I have a triple up front 28 38 48 and a 30-11 on the back. I rarely come out of the 48 and spin out (am limited by how fast I can sensibly pedal)

I have a hybrid (crossover between MTB and roadish bike) Ridgeway Flight and it gets off road quite regularly.

Seriously think about the lack of gearing length, when commuting time is a consideration .

I have SRAM DB1 brakes on my MTB (Boardman Team FS) and despite their generally good reviews I don't think they're a patch on my Shimano M615 on my commuter clunker.

In respect of tyres I have an old 26" bike that goes on and off road, I use Schwalbe Land raiser tyres, they are slightly domed with a central rib so perform well on road, but have some decent tread depth for softer off road. I just let them down from about 65psi to 30psi when going off road. Decent puncture protection and cost less than a tenner.

 

[Tom B]

Perhaps he cycles to work off road, like I would sometimes Do?

Then you need an offroad commuting bike and an onroad commuter. N+1 remember... !