Purchasing First MTB

Kaston

Hello,

I am looking to begin cycling this summer and would like so spend around 500 to 800 on a decent bike. I am looking for a Hard-tail MTB that is not going to be too bad on the road when it's needed.

I am sadly over whelmed with choices and research on what would be best for me to buy.

Any advice for me would be appreciated, even if its only to rule out some of my options.


So far I am torn between all the below bikes

Cube

Cube 2011 Acid
Cube 2011 Attention
Cube 2011 Analog Disc

Merida

O.NINE 3000-D
MATTS 40-D


Trek

3700 Disc
3900 Disc
4300 Disc
4500 Disc
4900 Disc

Halfords Sell - VooDoo Bantu, Carrera Fury, Carrera Kraken and Boardman Comp are these worth looking into?

How do people feel about bar ends? I don't see any bikes with them on standard.


Thanks for any help, and for taking the time to read this.

Icyseanfitz

first thing first, will you be using the bike off road? as in dedicated mtb trails etc. if not just get a hybrid or a road bike,
if you are doing some actual mtbing boardman do decent bikes for the price, also look at canyon.com they do some nice bikes as well, im sure people will give you some opinions on your other bikes as well.
As for bar-ends, the generally are not used in mountain biking so they dont come as standard

Kaston

I will definitely be using off and on road initially, with the intention to move towards trails later. So I don't really want a true road bike as I assume that will not be any good off-road.

I am not sure if any I have listed would be classed as hybrids?

easygoing39

What part of the country are you living Kaston??

Kaston

Cork

easygoing39

Hi Kaston,get onto these lads,you will get proper 1st hand info from experienced MTB riders and racers,
http://www.mbcc.ie/index.html

Plus when you get a suitable mountain bike you will have clubmates to go out on training spins with to show you the ropes.

Kaston

Thanks I will contact them, see what they recommend.

Are there any brands you would suggest to avoid from my list?

easygoing39

I'd avoid anything from Halfords!!

adrianshanahan

easygoing39 wrote: »

I'd avoid anything from Halfords!!

Why?

studiorat

Carrera Kraken is a decent MTB for starting out on, I've ridden one on trails all over the country. My only gripe would be the tyres aren't much use on the hard pack trails in Tickknock and parts of Ballyhoura. I switched them out quickly. Oddly enough they've been pretty useful on anything I've found around Cork so far (forests and mud!) At less than €500 so it gives you the chance to buy a pair of SPD shoes, pedals, a lid and some tools etc. Expect to spend €300 to get kitted out with half decent gear.

Comparing the Trek 3900 to the Carrera Kraken the Kraken is a much better bike and much better value for money that Trek being much heavier and not specced as well. The Cube attention is would be worth looking at as well.

Nothing wrong with the bikes you are talking about in Halfords, most of the time they are better value. Some people have issues with the service. I service my bike myself so it was never an issue.

I reckon it's just bike snobbery, I only wish Halfords sold stickers with their bikes which said "My other bike is a Pinarello*"


*or a mercian

Tenzor07

OP, which brands does your local bike shop stock?

At the price range you are looking at the differences will be minimal, so anything you choose would be grand for the likes of Ballyhoura...

Boardman's are good for the price, just make sure Halfords set it up correctly and go back after a few weeks and have them tighten up all the bolts and cables...

Ricky91t

From doing this recently the local shops supply:
The-edge sport: Cubes and Scotts
Victoria Cycles: Treks
Rothar Cycles: KTMs, Treks and giants.

studiorat wrote: »

Carrera Kraken is a decent MTB for starting out on, I've ridden one on trails all over the country. My only gripe would be the tyres aren't much use on the hard pack trails in Tickknock and parts of Ballyhoura. I switched them out quickly. Oddly enough they've been pretty useful on anything I've found around Cork so far (forests and mud!) At less than €500 so it gives you the chance to buy a pair of SPD shoes, pedals, a lid and some tools etc. Expect to spend €300 to get kitted out with half decent gear.

Comparing the Trek 3900 to the Carrera Kraken the Kraken is a much better bike and much better value for money that Trek being much heavier and not specced as well. The Cube attention is would be worth looking at as well.

Nothing wrong with the bikes you are talking about in Halfords, most of the time they are better value. Some people have issues with the service. I service my bike myself so it was never an issue.

I reckon it's just bike snobbery, I only wish Halfords sold stickers with their bikes which said "My other bike is a Pinarello*"


*or a mercian

I went through a phase of hating halfords and their bikes, after reviewing the situation the bikes are fine, It's more of an issue with the initial set up that they supply. Now that I'm a bit more confident with setting up/repairing/adding and removing components my cheap BSO is actually pretty decent and will definetly do as a backup. Though the initial set up was shocking since re-doing stuff myself I'm much more pleased with the bike and would happily recommend halfords bikes. I would suggest getting the set up checked over by a friend in the know or a local bike mechanic.

Icyseanfitz

nothing wrong with some of the bikes in halfords (boardman, voodoo, and carrera are all ok in my opinion) some great value to be had there, only problem is their initial bike setup can be a bit dodgy from time to time, which is expected as they probably sell more bikes than anyone else

Enduro

I used to sell KTMs a year or two ago for a Dublin shop. I have to say they are great quality, right down to every detail. Even their very cheapest bike came with DT Swiss spokes (A classic area where manufactures will take cheaper lower cost options on low-end bikes), which was a great sign of attention to detail for the brand. I use a high end KTM as my race bike.

The main thing I would say to anyone choosing between bikes is test test test. Try them out and see if any feel better to you.

gman2k

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

nothing wrong with some of the bikes in halfords (boardman, voodoo, and carrera are all ok in my opinion) some great value to be had there, only problem is their initial bike setup can be a bit dodgy from time to time, which is expected as they probably sell more bikes than anyone else

Yeah, and Boardman bikes are exclusive to Halfords - but are not owned by Halfords.
I'll echo the sentiment above that it's snobbery that makes folks say stay away from Halfords.
I've had many issues of very poor service from local bike shops, and they all sell the same price range of bikes!

easygoing39

Because I have no faith in the staff's ability to correctly set up or service the bikes they sell.I feel from personnal experience that the local bike shop will always give better advice and service.As for the bike make's they sell,while there may be nothing wrong with them,I dont see anyone riding them who ride their bikes 3-4 times a week offroad.And the few NPS events Ive attended I've never seen a Boardman or a Carrera.Maybe it is bike snobery??

gman2k

easygoing39 wrote: »

Because I have no faith in the staff's ability to correctly set up or service the bikes they sell.I feel from personnal experience that the local bike shop will always give better advice and service.As for the bike make's they sell,while there may be nothing wrong with them,I dont see anyone riding them who ride their bikes 3-4 times a week offroad.And the few NPS events Ive attended I've never seen a Boardman or a Carrera.Maybe it is bike snobery??

Well I don't know about snobery, but snobbery definitely!

Seriously though, there were lads riding the Irish Tour a couple of years back on Boardmans, and there is nothing wrong with the MTBs either.

As for staff, the ones I know got excellent training!

C3PO

gman2k wrote: »

Seriously though, there were lads riding the Irish Tour a couple of years back on Boardmans, and there is nothing wrong with the MTBs either.

As for staff, the ones I know got excellent training!

I agree with you about Boardmans, they're a fine bike! Thankfully Halfords have no longer got exclusivity on them!

Icyseanfitz

my father owns a boardman pro mtb and its a great bike, nothing wrong with it at all

the Lamb Post

Kaston wrote: »

How do people feel about bar ends? I don't see any bikes with them on standard.

Not usually standard these days as they are up to the user. I see plenty out there. Again, as stated above... test them out, if you feel they benefit you then by all means throw them on

Rew

Kaston wrote: »

How do people feel about bar ends? I don't see any bikes with them on standard.

The high end Cubes have them as standard, there personal preference really what ever feels right, can be nice to use them to change had positions on a long ride.

Tenzor07

Cubes are very Euro, long stems/top tubes(more racy geometry)
Bar ends are still popular in Europe though, but have dissapeared elseware with the advent of Riser bars...

Whitehawk

cube bikes are great you wont go wrong if you get one, great for XC and also most of them are set up in such a way u can take part in a race u prob will not win but taking part is just as much fun!
most of the cube bikes have good specs and dics brakes and you want them trust me! personly i love there full sus bikes but if u looking hard tail bike id start with the attention
cube only make so many of each bike each year, i think the analog disc may be sold out but then again i could be wrong! but check that out before u go any ferther

Icyseanfitz

i say take a look at lapierre's great bikes ........ and i most certainly dont own one

the Lamb Post

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

i say take a look at lapierre's great bikes ........ and i most certainly dont own one

I've an entry level Lapierre, Tecnic 400, and couldn't be happier with it. My budget didn't stretch any further so the 400 was the limit.

Only started biking about 3 months ago after a 13 year absence, and so far I have found the Lapierre up to all the mishaps I've suffered (more time spend on the ground than on the bike ). A good strong bike with decent components. I haven't owned a Cube, Trek etc so can't really compare but I like my Lapierre, definitely worth checking them out OP.

Kaston

I went with a Cube Acid in the end guys, thanks a lot for all your helpful advice.

the Lamb Post

Well best of luck with it and I'm sure it'll serve you well .

instinct

how is this for the best MTB deal you are lightly to come across !!!!

http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2050

Icyseanfitz

god damn thats actually pretty decent for the price, juicy three's a decent fork and total weight just under 13 kg, anyway congrats to tc on his new bike

MacGyver007

RPL1 wrote: »

I agree with you about Boardmans, they're a fine bike! Thankfully Halfords have no longer got exclusivity on them!

How did you find that out? The Boardman Bikes website still states that "the Performance Series of Boardman Bikes are available exclusively in over 200 Halfords stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland"