My partner wants a MTB

[lulubel]

How long has it been since mine arrived? 7 days!

It started because it was extremely windy when she went for her ride this morning - so windy that she changed her route because she really didn't feel safe on the road she started out on, and still had to push the bike across a couple of sections where the crosswind was really bad because she couldn't stay upright. (I was at home worrying about her because there was no way I would have gone out on a road bike in those conditions.) It was still vile by the time I went out, but I was able to get into the partially surfaced lanes pretty quickly on the MTB and get some shelter from the wind. So, she decided she needed a cheap MTB so she could do the same as me when it's very windy.

Then she said, "And it would be nice to ride it up in the woods sometimes as well," which I took to mean that "cheap" was a relative term.

She doesn't want to spend more than £600, so I've given her a nudge in the direction of the Boardman Comp, which looks like the best vfm in that price range. (She's easier than me because she's 4" taller and longer in the body and arms, so a unisex/man's frame will suit her better.)

 

[Hacienda71]

The Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 is a great value well spec'd hardtail and a bit under your budget.

 

[lulubel]

The Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 is a great value well spec'd hardtail and a bit under your budget.

Is that Recon fork air or coil? According to Rock Shox's website, the TK comes in both options, and Decathlon's website doesn't specify. (I'm guessing coil at that price.)

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Islabikes Benin 29er
Carrera Vulcan
Saracen Mantra
Jamis Durango
Voodoo Hoodoo
Spesh Hardrock Pro
Carrera Fury

are all popular in the comics I read.

EDIT: Me? I'd get a Boardman

 

[Hacienda71]

Is that Recon fork air or coil? According to Rock Shox's website, the TK comes in both options, and Decathlon's website doesn't specify. (I'm guessing coil at that price.)

Not certain. Might be worth pinging them a mail to check.

 

[VamP]

KHS Alite 2000 received glowing praise in this months MTBUK at £599 with an air fork, weighing in at 12.1kg. The only thing they didn't like was a rather low BB.

 

[lulubel]

Not certain. Might be worth pinging them a mail to check.

It's out of the running, anyway. I've just looked on Decathlon's Spanish site, and it's €720 here. That's an interesting exchange rate .....

The Boardman is looking like the best option at the moment (and Wiggle ship them here, so it's very easy).

 

[Drago]

I take it you'd be getting one with female specific geometry and components?

 

[lulubel]

I take it you'd be getting one with female specific geometry and components?

No, because she's built more like a small man than a woman. She's long in the torso and arms, and finds female specific bikes very cramped. That's why the unisex Boardman - which is the only option from Wiggle, and I didn't realise there were female specific ones - will work for her, when it wouldn't have worked for me.

The only thing I'm not certain about is the reach to the brake levers, and whether they will adjust close enough to the bars for her. But replacing the brake levers (if we need to) on a bike that's head and shoulders above anything else we can get here in terms of vfm isn't a big deal.

 

[Drago]

Ok, in that case then the Spesh Hardrock Pro might not be the sexiest on the list but rides the best of the 26ers. Bit of a giant killer in the way it performs. You could double your budget and not find an HT so well sorted.

 

[02GF74]

dunno what price the hardrock pro is (RRP is £ 599) that you havre found, but check out this gt avalanche 1.0 for £ 480 which looks to be of superior spec, only one left Medium frame, which may or may not be the right size for your friend.

 

[Oldspice]

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=CCUB0124WB
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=CCUB0217EW
http://search.cyclesurgery.com/cycles/Cube Mountain Bikes

 

[Drago]

Which is more important to our OP - the way it rides, or the jewelery hanging off it?

If its the former, then the Hardrock Pro is probably the best 26'er HT he'll find for south of a grand.

 

[fossyant]

No, because she's built more like a small man than a woman.

Hope she isn't reading this - or you will be in bother

 

[lulubel]

Hope she isn't reading this - or you will be in bother

Fortunately, she doesn't "do" forums, so I'm safe there!

It's taken 4 years and 3 bikes that don't fit properly for her to accept that a female specific bike isn't right for her, but we got there in the end.

If its the former, then the Hardrock Pro is probably the best 26'er HT he'll find for south of a grand.

I haven't been able to find out much about the current Hardrock Pro - it doesn't even seem to be listed on Spesh's website. I'm also not sure how easy it will be to get here because I know Spesh don't allow their bikes to be sold mail order, and it's one brand I haven't seen at all since I've been in Spain.

Buying bikes here is so difficult because the prices are ridiculous, which is why the 2 bikes I've bought since I've been here have both been mail order - one from the UK and one from Germany.