Carrera Sulcata 1 vs Polygon Xtrada 5

[tonys.inlondon]

Hi
I am looking to get a new mtb for under £500. Just for riding around London and maybe occasionally in the woods with the girlfriend ...
Which of these two is the better option?

Carrera Sulcata 1
Retailer	Halfords
Tyres	DELI SA-281 All terrain tyres
Forks	Suntour XCM with hydraulic speed lockout, 120mm
Age	14+
Bottom Bracket	External BB
Cassette/Freewheel	Shimano CS-M4100 10-speed, 11-42T
Chain	KMC 10-speed
Chainset	Prowheel Vortex-551-TT, 36/22T, 170mm
Front Hub	Black, alloy, Quick release 9x100mm
Front Brake	Tektro HD-M275 Hydraulic Disc Brake, 160mm
Front Derailleur	Shimano FD-M4100, 31.8mm clamp
Grips	Carrera MTB
Handlebars	Riser bar, 16mm rise, 31.8mm clamp, 760mm
Headset	Semi-integrated, 1 1/8"
Pedals	Mountain bike pedal, 9/16"
Pedals Included	Yes
Quick Release Front Wheel	Yes
Rear Hub	Black, alloy, Quick release 10x141mm boost
Rear Derailleur	Shimano Deore RD-M4120-SGS, 10-speed
Rims	Alloy double wall
Tyre Size	27.5 x 2.25"
Suspension	Front Suspension
Seatpost	Alloy, 27.2x350mm, 31.8mm clamp
Fork travel	120mm
Frame Material	Alloy
Polygon Xtrada 5
Retailer	Blacks / Go Outdoors
Frame	ALX XC 27.5
Dropout	Alloy QR Dropout
Fork	Suntour XCM-HLO, 120cm (27.5â€) Travel
Handle Bar	Entity Sport, Alloy W: 760mm R: 12mm BB: 31.8mm
Stem	Entity Sport, Alloy E: 45mm BB: 31.8mm
Grips/Bar Tape	Entity Rubber Grip
Head Set	ZS 44/28.6 | ZS 56/40
Saddle	Entity Void
Seat Post	Entity Sport, 15mm Offset, 27.2mm x 350mm
Seat Clamp	QR Seat Clamp
Chainset	Prowheel, Vortex 55-TT-B 36-22T 10-Speed
BB Set	BSA Threaded
Chain	KMC X-10 10-Speed
Cassette	Shimano, Deore CS-M4100 11-42T 10-Speed
Shifting Lever – Right	Shimano Deore LD-M5100/LD-M4100 2 x 10-Speed
Rear Derailleur	Shimano, Deore RD-M4120 10-Speed
Tyres Front & Rear	MIZT SA-281 27.5â€x2.25â€
Rims	Double Wall Alloy Rims W/ Alloy QR Boost Hubs
Front Hub	Alloy Front Hub
Rear Hub	Alloy Rear Hub
Front & Rear Brake	Trektro HD-M275 Hydraulic Disc Brake

 

[vickster]

Why do you want a mountain bike for riding around London primarily (assuming you mean roads?), as especially on a budget bike, the fork will be a liability (weight, bounciness and maintenance) vs a rigid one. They look very similar, so the fork should be the bit you pay attention too if you're stuck on an MTB (versus a rigid fork flat bar or gravel type bike with drops)

 

[bonzobanana]

Wow those specs are so close in many ways. Also I noticed they both have Deli Mizt tyres which are a common tyre fitted to Polygon bikes so don't be surprised if the Carrera is actually made in Indonesia by Insera Sena as well. Polygon is Insera Sena's own brand for their bikes. So you are probably looking at very similar bikes of very similar quality. I would try to get to both stores to look at both bikes. Also look to how you can improve the price. For me I noticed I have Go Outdoors on halifax reward account so I get 7% off if I buy using my Halifax credit card or debit card. There may also be voucher codes to use and cashback sites to go through. Often you can get ways of reducing the price at Halfords once you work out what discounts you get the prices could be wider apart.

Try to work out what you need from a bike though. I mean I personally would hate to have all the weight of suspension forks and the maintenance they require if I'm using the bike mainly on the road. Suspension forks look cool in the showroom but can get annoying pretty quickly unless you need their functionality.

Halfords do a Carrera Subway bike which delivers a better all round package being much better on the road and still great for light off-road use and brilliant for gravel etc. Probably the most versatile bike going although I'm sure some gravel bike riders will disagree but the Subway is still capable of doing lighter mountain bike trails which a gravel bike couldn't do. Remember most of your weight is at the rear of the bike so the benefits of front suspension are really about going off-road.

It's a lot of money so worth spending a bit of time thinking about how you are going to use the bike. It will be slow on the road compared to most other bikes as fairly heavy and low geared. It will be ok as a beginner proper off-road bike. I totally understand often half the appeal of a bike is how it looks and really you can't go wrong with either bike.

 

[tonys.inlondon]

Awesome comments, thanks both

 

[cyberknight]

I agree with the above unless your doing some serious off roading you will not benefit from the set up those bikes lean towards

 

[DCBassman]

I agree with the above unless your doing some serious off roading you will not benefit from the set up those bikes lean towards

Agreed, hybrids with rigid forks are a much better bet for your planned usage, if it's just woodland trails.

 

[Reynard]

+1 for a hybrid with a rigid fork.

If you're going to be doing the vast majority of your riding on tarmac, then you'll not want to be riding something that gives you the constant feeling of riding through treacle. It's the quickest way to frustration on a bicycle.

At that price point, the suspension fork will be a very basic one, which will be more of a hindrance than a help. And unless you go to the other extreme, i.e. a flat bar road bike, there will be more than enough "give" in the tyres on a hybrid to tackle gravel or dirt trails. All you need to do is lower the pressures some for riding off road, and then pump the tyres back up again for riding on tarmac.

A decent "commuter" type tyre should meet all your needs here - good puncture protection, and a slick centre with a lightly treaded or slightly knobbly shoulder.

 

[tonys.inlondon]

I ended up going with the hybrid Pinnacle Neon 2 for only £469. Looks like a great bike for the price. Thanks y'all