Mountain bike, 26"/650b, £1000?

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3narf

For whom the bell dings
Location
Tetbury
Ok, my work are finally doing the CTW again, in January (obviously to rule out the possibility of staff using it to buy Xmas bikes- so cynical...)!

Ok for me though as it ties in with my birthday in February.

I thought I'd replace my aging Orange Clockwork (replace if Mrs3 asks- of course I'm not selling my Orange! ) with a modern hardtail mountain bike; something with trail geometry, loads of standover clearance and 120 travel forks. I don't like 29ers so probably 650b wheels.

Any suggestions? I thought I might be able to buy a Ragley Piglet frame, forks and wheels and add components as I go along... If I buy a full bike, Whytes seem highly rated.
 
A self build will get you a better bike, component wise, not to mention the satisfaction in the ride of having put it together yourself. The Piglet is pretty much an out and out trail bike though, if that's what you want, fine. I recommend trying to find somewhere to try one, it'll be quite different to your old Orange Clockwork ( the 2016 one looks pretty good).
 

derrick

The Glue that binds us together.
My daughter bought a Whyte mtb a couple of months back. Nice well built bike she loves it, A good quality bike.:okay: One of the lower end models but still a nice bike.
embike.jpg
 
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DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
I've a Whyte 805 - 2014 model. Fine for me but I don't use an MTB.

Original cost was £1000 but it's going on eBay this week at a start price of £400. I've not used it since January and it's at the back of a series of bikes.
 
OP
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3narf

3narf

For whom the bell dings
Location
Tetbury
They still haven't done anything about the CTW so I'm going to have to put my hand in my pocket.

Chain Reaction have Ragley Piglets at a ridiculous £999 which is sorely tempting. However, I can only find one review, on BikeRadar, and they haven't rated it very highly. Still tempted though; it's an awful lot for the money if I can live with the back end being a bit harsh (with a bigger tyre maybe). I'd trim a bit of weight by converting to a 1x and removing the front mech, shifter and cable.

On Monday, though, I'm having a demo with a Bird Zero TR. I had said I'd go for a steel frame, like the Piglet, but the Bird gets great reviews. A bit dearer than the Piglet, though.

Has anyone on here ridden a 2016 Ragley Piglet?
 

Drago

Legendary Member
If Broke Radar haven't rated it highly it's probably excellent.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Bike Radar are the sort of fools who slated 29ers, then suddenly got on board when they realised the fashion was unstoppable, and perpetuate rubbish like carbon 'absorbing' road buzz. They're no more expert than any other layman, certainly not a source of guidance for making a thousand pound spending decision.
 

Jody

Stubborn git
Has anyone on here ridden a 2016 Ragley Piglet?

Iv'e not but just had a look at the review. Don't be put off by the Manitou forks. I have just bought a pair (lower spec than the Mattoc) for my Anthem and they are really plush compared to the Fox's they have just replaced and they only came in at 50g more. You can also self tune them with different shims fairly easily rather than send them off to a company.

It still seems like quite a heavy beast for what it is even though you are looking at loosing weight.
 
OP
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3narf

3narf

For whom the bell dings
Location
Tetbury
Iv'e not but just had a look at the review. Don't be put off by the Manitou forks. I have just bought a pair (lower spec than the Mattoc) for my Anthem and they are really plush compared to the Fox's they have just replaced and they only came in at 50g more. You can also self tune them with different shims fairly easily rather than send them off to a company.

It still seems like quite a heavy beast for what it is even though you are looking at loosing weight.

Thanks. It's not really the fork; I've had a bike with a Manitou fork and it was fine. It's not even the weight; removing the front mech, shifter, cable and a chainring would get it under 30lbs which I can live with.

It's really just the fact the back end is described as being harsh; that kind of suggests it hasn't been designed that well. Maybe they were trying to build in a bit of climbing ability. Anyway, maybe with a big back tyre which I could run with reduced pressure... It's £300 cheaper than the Bird Zero I'm testing, which is why I'm still seriously considering it.
 

Jody

Stubborn git
Thanks. It's not really the fork; I've had a bike with a Manitou fork and it was fine. It's not even the weight; removing the front mech, shifter, cable and a chainring would get it under 30lbs which I can live with.

It's really just the fact the back end is described as being harsh; that kind of suggests it hasn't been designed that well. Maybe they were trying to build in a bit of climbing ability. Anyway, maybe with a big back tyre which I could run with reduced pressure... It's £300 cheaper than the Bird Zero I'm testing, which is why I'm still seriously considering it.

You get an awful lot of bike for your money with the Bird's and can build to the spec you want. Fossy beat me to it but I wouldn't question a harsh rear end on something without suspension. Other than flexy stays I don't see how it can be anything other than harsh
 
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