MTB options

[2pies]

Apologies for dragging this up again.....

My Halfords C2W voucher arrives next week so need to revisit my options. From earlier threads on this board (several months ago now) I was leaning towards a 29er. I'm 6'4 so it seemed a good fit, rather than a smaller wheel size. Also, I'll be using this bike for a number of disciplines; some commuting (will share the load with my road bike), typical family rides and some newbie singletrack e.g. blue and hopefully red runs.

However, a friend said that I do plan on using it off-road I'd regret not getting a full susser.

As my price is limited to £1000 and the Boardman brand seem perfectly adequate, it basically boils down to these two bikes:

29er Pro
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/29er_pro.html

650 Team FS
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/fs_team650b.html

What's the consensus? Bit worried that the extra 2kg from the FS will make it rather sluggish when away from proper trails. Or is the FS worth it?

Cheers

 

[ScotiaLass]

If it's any help, the Boardman is pretty (I'll get my coat....)

 

[MikeW-71]

At £1000, a good hardtail with a good fork is far better than a FS with rubbish shocks (because they will be at that price). Go for the 29er, it'll be way better on the road, climb better off-road and is just as much fun on blue runs. FS only comes into its own when the going gets seriously rough.

IMHO of course

 

[2pies]

At £1000, a good hardtail with a good fork is far better than a FS with rubbish shocks (because they will be at that price). Go for the 29er, it'll be way better on the road, climb better off-road and is just as much fun on blue runs. FS only comes into its own when the going gets seriously rough.

IMHO of course

Nice, thanks mate. Pretty much what I figured myself but wanted a second opinion. The friend that mentioned this races competitively so expect there's some bias and I suspect his bikes cost considerably more than £1000.

 

[MikeW-71]

Most likely. I've heard it said that the starting point for a decent FS is £1500 and they go upwards of £4000 at the top end.

TBH, my £500 hardtail with Suntour forks is more than good enough for blue trails. I've been round red trails on it, but on really rough downhills, you can tell the fork is way out of its depth. Mostly it's done OK. I'll upgrade the fork at some point I think.

 

[ScotiaLass]

I ride a hardtail 29er.
I don't do technical stuff (anymore) but I still like to thrash through the woods, rough ground and light trails.
The bike copes well! It's my first 29er and I wasn't sure if I was making the right decision, but it's light and responsive on the steering and is more than capable of coping with what I do with it.
I got a ladies specific frame as I'm not that tall (5' 7'') and the unisex model felt wrong.

 

[Cubist]

As said above, if you don't plan to do much off road stuff, then the hardtail will be fine.

For what it's worth, that full suss is very well equipped for its price. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the rear shock by the way. However, apparently Boardman suss frames have been prone to cracking across the pivot links. Also, I cannot see past the weight difference. 14kg is pretty porky for a modern susser, and unless you intend to ride it hard on red runs you'll be overbiked for blues and commuting/family rides.

The 29er on the other hand is an excellent weight, and has a stunning spec for its price. At your height the bigger wheels make sense, and the equipment levels are superb. If you like the look of it, and it feels right in the shop I'd say it's worth a punt.

 

[2pies]

Indeed. In all honesty, the Boardman 650 Team for £650, is probably sufficient for me. But since its C2W, I figured I'd go for the best bike I could get. I'd imagine upgrading specific components at a later date would be quite costly.

I've sat on the 29er already and it seemed fine. I'll planning to put a longer stem and lowering the bar for commuting & day to day riding and returning the shorter stem for offroad rides.

I can't wait. Having ridden road bikes for the last 3 years, I'll feel like a kid riding a bike that I can jump over rocks and roots. Will have to practise doing wheelies too!

Thanks for the advice all.