What Bike???

[Confused.com]

I'm returning to cycling after a gap of about 10yrs. I'm looking at an entry level MTB about £550. I've narrowed it down to a Cannondale Trail 7 29er or a Cube Aim Race 29er. I will use the bike for commuting during the week and off road at the weekend.

Can anyone advise between these two bikes or any alternatives.

Thanks.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I have to disagree with your assertion of "entry level" comprising bikes costing over £500!. Entry level, by definition, means the cheapest functional bicycles you can buy. In the case of a MTB, this means a 26" rigid costing under £100, such as that sold by a certain large sports retailer with controversial employment practices..
Both of the bikes you mention would be prime targets for theft, and I would certainly not consider using either one of them to commute on!

 

[bpsmith]

How do you know it’s not ideal for commuting, when you have no idea where the bike will be kept?

 

[jowwy]

@Confused.com ignore skipdiverjohn......i commute on a MTB with di2 and a custom titanium with sram etap.....if the bike is securely locked up at work then no reason not to commute on it.......

both bikes you linked to are ideal for what your require and £500 would be putting you into the entry level market, if £100 as stated above, thats putting into the skip and cheese component market.........

 

[Vantage]

For years, "entry level" has meant a bike of around £250 - £300 capable of being raced and finishing said race in one piece.
A hundred pound pos whilst certainly capable of daily commuting is no fun to ride imo.

 

[si_c]

If using the bike off-road at the weekend as well, consider budgeting a bit more for a second set of wheels and put some slick tyres on. That way you won't be trashing your nice off-road tyres on the commute nor will you have to swap tyres over every weekend. Just makes life a bit nicer.

Both of those bikes are nice, but I'd say the edge goes to the Cannondale, there isn't much between it, but I would find having 2x9 gearing rather than 3x8 much better. Just easier to maintain and keep running smoothly.

Also worth looking at are the Trek Marlin and the Scott Aspect. Are you getting these through cycle to work?

 

[Reynard]

To a certain extent, I'm with @SkipdiverJohn on this one. It really does depend a) where you can leave your bike during the day, b) what the area is like and c) how confident you feel about leaving your bike unattended and it still being there at the end of the day.

Without particulars, it's difficult to advise.

If the above factors are heading towards the negative end of the spectrum, maybe get a secondhand bike for commuting and keep the new one for leisure rides. You can get a good, mechanically sound bike for not a lot if you shop around - if it looks a bit tired and unassuming, then even better, it's less likely to get nicked.

Also, you'll need to factor in for a good quality lock or two, lights etc.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

For years, "entry level" has meant a bike of around £250 - £300 capable of being raced and finishing said race in one piece.
A hundred pound pos whilst certainly capable of daily commuting is no fun to ride imo.

You're making the assumption that people who ride bikes automatically want to race them. Most riders couldn't care less about competitive use and merely want something to get around on, either for going to work general leisure use. I'd agree a £100 bike is not going to stand up well to being raced off road, but people don't buy £100 bikes with the intention of using them like this. Cheap budget bikes are bought by those who cannot or don't want to, tie up a lot of cash in a bike, or who are unwilling to take the risk of anything more expensive being stolen or vandalised. Where I live the majority of bikes being used as general transport hacks are in the £100-200 price bracket when new. More expensive machines are few and far between.
As to whether a cheap bike is fun or not, a lot depends on whether it fits the rider well and is properly maintained or not. My cheapest, lowest secondhand value bikes, are still fun to ride - although I will admit my 531 framed Raleigh hybrid is a lot nicer on longer journeys than my much heavier and draggier Apollo MTB, but a lot of that is down to the difference in rolling resistance of slick vs knobbly tyres.

 

[Vantage]

You're making the assumption that people who ride bikes automatically want to race them.

I merely said that those bikes were capable of being raced, not that they would be raced, hence the term 'entry level'.
I 'm one of those many riders who choose to ride for the simple pleasure of riding, not to win any races.

 

[Cycleops]

What is the length of your commute? You might find a MTB rather sluggish on the road so why not look at the range of 'adventure' bikes now available. Road bikes that can go off road.