Replacement Hardtail

[2pies]

Hi folks,

I had a Boardman 29er Pro, about 5 years old, stolen from my parents' house recently. We assume the tea-leaf jumped over a neighbour's garden fence to enter the rear of the locked garage so it was fortunately covered by the home content's insurance. So, I will soon be receiving the pay-out from it and will look to buy a similarly, or slightly higher, priced hardtail MTB. However, things have changed a bit in 5 years, so I have a few questions about bikes in this price range, let's say £900 to £1,400 to allow for a few options.

As more of a roadie, I tended to use a Hardtail just for off-road rides with teenage kids, mostly fire tracks in the woods, and a few rides on my own, or with a cycling friend, on trails, nothing too technical though. But, we are moving house soon to an area where there's more off-road options, near the South Downs, so hopefully using it a bit more than in the last couple of years.

Any suggestions of what to look for i.e. fork options, groupset, wheels etc. Are the new dropper posts a useful addition, or a novelty? I've had a quick look in my local LBS, who sell Merida, Whyte and Orbea, but thought I'd do a little reading before looking at specific models.

Cheers

 

[vickster]

Cycle Power guys are certainly into their MTBs so a good place to start for advice You also have Moose Cycles in Colliers Wood who are quite MTB oriented @PK99 uses them I think
There's an MTB place in Dorking too, possibly also in Leatherhead

 

[figbat]

My thoughts, in no particular order:

• considered a gravel bike? Might not be suitable for SDW but would do the other tasks you mention
• my approach would be to look at used - there are loads of bikes coming up, "bought in lockdown, not used enough"; my hardtail was bought used for a bargain (way before lockdown, but same story - bought and not used)
• my HT has no dropper but I am seriously considering fitting one. I have one on my full-sus and use it a lot; not necessarily for big drops or gnarly trails but it makes coming to a stop much easier, where I drop the seat and stay seated until I move off again.
• I recently went from 3x10 to 1x10 on my HT - 1x setups are the new normal and many are at 1x12. I'll never have a front mech off-road again - love it!
• groupsets - at your budget for a new bike you'll be looking at the lower/mid-range groupsets, but these'll be fine. SRAM vs Shimano is a personal preference - my HT is Shimano and my full-sus is SRAM (1x12) - I slightly prefer Shimano but both work well enough
• fork - most new bikes will have something perfectly functional; an upgrade is a pricey proposition and I have never upgraded my fork.
• Same for wheels - I replaced my HT wheels only because the old ones were work/damaged. Wheels are a good place to upgrade for performance but again, £££
• think about any other things you might want to do - will you want lots of luggage capability? Bottle cage bosses all over the place?
• 29" vs 27.5" - largely personal preference - I have both and quite frankly can't identify any major preference either way.

 

[2pies]

My thoughts, in no particular order:

• considered a gravel bike? Might not be suitable for SDW but would do the other tasks you mention
• my approach would be to look at used - there are loads of bikes coming up, "bought in lockdown, not used enough"; my hardtail was bought used for a bargain (way before lockdown, but same story - bought and not used)
• my HT has no dropper but I am seriously considering fitting one. I have one on my full-sus and use it a lot; not necessarily for big drops or gnarly trails but it makes coming to a stop much easier, where I drop the seat and stay seated until I move off again.
• I recently went from 3x10 to 1x10 on my HT - 1x setups are the new normal and many are at 1x12. I'll never have a front mech off-road again - love it!
• groupsets - at your budget for a new bike you'll be looking at the lower/mid-range groupsets, but these'll be fine. SRAM vs Shimano is a personal preference - my HT is Shimano and my full-sus is SRAM (1x12) - I slightly prefer Shimano but both work well enough
• fork - most new bikes will have something perfectly functional; an upgrade is a pricey proposition and I have never upgraded my fork.
• Same for wheels - I replaced my HT wheels only because the old ones were work/damaged. Wheels are a good place to upgrade for performance but again, £££
• think about any other things you might want to do - will you want lots of luggage capability? Bottle cage bosses all over the place?
• 29" vs 27.5" - largely personal preference - I have both and quite frankly can't identify any major preference either way.

Some good points.

Yeah, gravel or cyclocross are options, but I just feel a hardtail is more fun. My road bike is currently fitted with 28mm commuting tyres so can handle really light off-road stuff
I'll look for used, but I need an XL size which are harder to find. I worry about them being stolen, having witnessed a few friends having encounters with shady sellers on Gumtree.
The single ring does seem simpler, yeah. Does a front 32 tooth ring limit you when riding on flatter/smoother surfaces?
I like the feel of the 29er wheel size
Is there much difference between Rockshox Judy and Recon? Most bikes seem to be fitted with these. The Boardman had Reba, IIRC, but that may be positioned differently now.

In short, would my requirements guide you to price range or spec? The insurance will actually be £1,400 but I don't have to spend that much if a bike of £700 - £900 is perfectly adequate. But then, I don't need to save money. I'd happy to spend it all on a decent quality bike that's fun to ride. Or use it on upgrades, like saddle or tyres.

@vickster , yes it was Cycle Power that I popped into. They are super helpful, but suggested that stock would be issue, their distributors may not be able to source anything this year

 

[vickster]

Some good points.

Yeah, gravel or cyclocross are options, but I just feel a hardtail is more fun. My road bike is currently fitted with 28mm commuting tyres so can handle really light off-road stuff
I'll look for used, but I need an XL size which are harder to find. I worry about them being stolen, having witnessed a few friends having encounters with shady sellers on Gumtree.
The single ring does seem simpler, yeah. Does a front 32 tooth ring limit you when riding on flatter/smoother surfaces?
I like the feel of the 29er wheel size
Is there much difference between Rockshox Judy and Recon? Most bikes seem to be fitted with these. The Boardman had Reba, IIRC, but that may be positioned differently now.

In short, would my requirements guide you to price range or spec? The insurance will actually be £1,400 but I don't have to spend that much if a bike of £700 - £900 is perfectly adequate. But then, I don't need to save money. I'd happy to spend it all on a decent quality bike that's fun to ride. Or use it on upgrades, like saddle or tyres.

@vickster , yes it was Cycle Power that I popped into. They are super helpful, but suggested that stock would be issue, their distributors may not be able to source anything this year

Balfes in Sutton have a decent range and seem to be able to get stock

 

[PK99]

Cycle Power guys are certainly into their MTBs so a good place to start for advice You also have Moose Cycles in Colliers Wood who are quite MTB oriented @PK99 uses them I think
There's an MTB place in Dorking too, possibly also in Leatherhead

Yep, Moose are specialist Mountain Bike dealer. Good guys and good service.

 

[ACF]

Was in a similar situation to yourself, regarding the budget that was imposed by my 'Financial/Fun Controller'. I had no idea of the nightmare of trying to decide what to get, ( no such thing as a plain and simple MTB nowadays), especially as choice and availability was thin on the ground prior to Xmas. Had decided to wait until stock levels improved, but an email from Planet X dropped, offering a On-One Scandal, MRP Raven Forks and Scram GX equip, for a very good price of just over £900.
I have been very pleased with it and the concern of going from 3 x 9 to 1 x 12 (11-50) proved to be unfounded and a capable climber. Currently, not sure I have the courage or ability to have the chance to meet the nurses at the local hospital, but the bike seems well up to pushing myself above and beyond my limitations.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Some good points.

Yeah, gravel or cyclocross are options, but I just feel a hardtail is more fun. My road bike is currently fitted with 28mm commuting tyres so can handle really light off-road stuff
I'll look for used, but I need an XL size which are harder to find. I worry about them being stolen, having witnessed a few friends having encounters with shady sellers on Gumtree.
The single ring does seem simpler, yeah. Does a front 32 tooth ring limit you when riding on flatter/smoother surfaces?
I like the feel of the 29er wheel size
Is there much difference between Rockshox Judy and Recon? Most bikes seem to be fitted with these. The Boardman had Reba, IIRC, but that may be positioned differently now.

In short, would my requirements guide you to price range or spec? The insurance will actually be £1,400 but I don't have to spend that much if a bike of £700 - £900 is perfectly adequate. But then, I don't need to save money. I'd happy to spend it all on a decent quality bike that's fun to ride. Or use it on upgrades, like saddle or tyres.

@vickster , yes it was Cycle Power that I popped into. They are super helpful, but suggested that stock would be issue, their distributors may not be able to source anything this year

Will the insurance actually give you cash? a lot of them will only give vouchers as well. That's something to bare in mind.
Check out Sonder I think they do some nice bikes.

 

[Venod]

In Planet X latest offers in my inbox this morning there are a couple of Ti hardtails in XL size at a reduced price.

https://mailchi.mp/planetx/270122-yb-final-clearance-excl-bike-buyers-uk-only?e=2d3c304298

 

[figbat]

In Planet X latest offers in my inbox this morning there are a couple of Ti hardtails in XL size at a reduced price.

https://mailchi.mp/planetx/270122-yb-final-clearance-excl-bike-buyers-uk-only?e=2d3c304298

There's also a very tempting offer on the Tempest titanium gravel bike..... .

 

[fossyant]

Dropper posts are great, but if you are just pottering about, then pointless. They are ideal for techy descents as they get the saddle out of the way so you can get your weight back. Best bang for buck are the Brand X posts. Rockshox et al are all rather expensive. Brand X, although slightly heavier are very well regarded - fit and forget, with replacement brass shims easily available. I've got an X-Fusion that has been great.

Try and look for a hardtail with Deore 12 speed - it's s really well - much better than SRAM SX.

 

[2pies]

Will the insurance actually give you cash? a lot of them will only give vouchers as well. That's something to bare in mind.
Check out Sonder I think they do some nice bikes.

They offered £1,750 for Halfords/Wheelies vouchers , or £1,400 bank transfer

 

[fossyant]

They offered £1,750 for Halfords/Wheelies vouchers , or £1,400 bank transfer

Planet X On One Scandal is a modern slack hardtail that will smash downhills. The carbon Whippet is a good XC bike.

 

[Roseland triker]

Massi Casta...