MTB trying to choose

[YMFB]

I have road & gravel bikes. Many years ago I had an MTB, but it probably weighed 30 kgs and was junk.

Im reasonably fit 62 yo, 6ft tall, 83 kgs.
what I’m looking for is something suitable for bikepacking on rougher surfaces than my gravel bikes 42 mm tyres.

Ive been advised to get something that you can operate the fork lockout from the handlebars.

Handlebars 750 mm or less

i I think I want a hardtail and one by

id rather be < £1k and open to a used bike.

I have seen some ex hire Cubes, model unknown for sale.

Recommendations sought.

 

[ktmbiker58]

I bought a Trek X-Caliber 9 which is a well speccd hardtail 29er and very good value for money secondhand for my son-in-law

Trek X-Caliber 9

I wouldn't worry about having a lockout on the handlebars for bike packing, handlebars are easily cut to whatever length you want, I am small and cut all mine down to about 650mm, I can recommend Old Man Mountain racks, they do front and rear racks plus fork leg mounts

OMM at SJS

You have to buy an axle kit to suit the bike but theres a handy guide.

 

[ktmbiker58]

Forgot to add Size Large is 5ft 10" to 6ft 2", bike weighs 11.75kg, Shimano 12 speed, 100mm travel Rockshox forks, I am 5ft 6" and I rode the Large I bought for SIL with no issues at all so if there's an XL near to you it's worth a test ride

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Without spotting specific sales, the MTBs I keep looking at sub £1k are the two Voodoo Bizango variants and the Carrera Fury.

Both have air forks, iirc the Carrera has dropper post and smaller 27.5" wheels.

A month or so ago the cheaper Bizango was £680 in a sale iirc.

 

[KuroSan]

Without spotting specific sales, the MTBs I keep looking at sub £1k are the two Voodoo Bizango variants and the Carrera Fury.

Both have air forks, iirc the Carrera has dropper post and smaller 27.5" wheels.

A month or so ago the cheaper Bizango was £680 in a sale iirc.

As a recent returnee to mtb I can vouch for Carreras being reasonably decent as an entry level budget bike, that's even worth upgrading despite many saying they're not worth spending money on!

(edit/addition) I noticed you're ok with used as well, I picked up my Carrera Sulcata for £80 in a bit of a mess and spent around £150 replacing and upgrading some bits like the brakes and also converted it to a 1X10. I'm yet to upgrade the fork and wheels but it's already a great bike just with some very basic upgrades!

 

[YMFB]

What size wheels should I be looking for ?

I won’t be troubling any stunts just a bit of off roading

 

[Jameshow]

Scott MTBs look fvm.

I find the cheaper makes look a bit flat tbh.

But that's probably a good thing in a commuter bike.

 

[ktmbiker58]

What size wheels should I be looking for ?

I won’t be troubling any stunts just a bit of off roading

I would go for 29 inch, they roll well and there's a huge choice of tyres available, for bikepacking reliability is a priority so I would dispense with the dropper seatpost - you don't need one for trail riding and they are an unnecessary complication.

Secure luggage is key - OMM and Tailfin are popular choices, I have both and use OMM on the MTB and Fatbike as it's just a bit more chunky than my Tailfin (although I would quite happliy use the Tailfin off-road if I didn't have the OMM).

Don't underestimate the loading and forces on your luggage system when riding off road, lightweight luggage racks that might last years for road touring can get trashed awfully quickly when riding off-road.

 

[ktmbiker58]

Here's how the Old Man Mountain fits on my full suspension MTB:

This is the new axle that provides the main mounting point:

This is the Elkhorn rack which I like as it has FLip cages for the Hemlock bag system:-

This is the Hemlock bag which is just one of the pieces of luggage that fits the FLip cage on the rack, they also do a kit that mounts the FLip cage on a front fork leg:-

The back of the Hemlock bag showing the mount that engages with the FLip cage:-

I have tested this system on the BLUE trail at my local trail centre and nothing moved or came loose, it's no wonder Tour Divide riders use it!