Hardtail for beginner

Wailin

Hey folks, I am looking to get into cross country and trail cycling. Basically I have no idea what to look for in a suitable bike and would love some advice please. It will be used mostly for coillte tracks and some trails like ballinastoe etc, nothing extreme.

My budget is around €1500 max, Inc clothing, helmet etc.

Wailin

Is this one in Halfords any good?

https://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bikes/all-bikes/voodoo-bizango-carbon-mountain-bike---s%2C-m%2C-l%2C-xl-209438.html

Wanderer78

My advice always remains the same, check out as many bikes as you can, preferably on trails, rentals are great for this, as purchasing a bike is a very personal decision, from this testing, you might have a better idea what bike suits you

Dcully

I borrowed my brothers Giant Fathom 1 for a few days, loved it and bought the Giant fathom 2 slightly lower spec but a great bike for my needs and im having a blast with it.
I mainly ride for keep-fit on road,forests,fields and canal banks etc anything rough i can find basically and it handles all with ease, its capable of a lot more but i doubt i have the skills for what its capable of im talking proper downhill rough trails and jumps here.

Main things to look for are single crankset , gone are the days where you want front derailer and many gears as gears ratios nowadays are very nice with maybe 10-12 on just one crankset more than enough for any MTB scenario.

Hydraulic brakes
Air Front Forks
Dropper seat post [not essential but handy for downhill trails etc]

That one on halfords isnt bad at all for your needs but you could do better for that price.

Check the fathom out here
http://www.giant-dublin.ie/ie/bikes-fathom

I also really like Vitus bikes the Sentier is well regarded too
https://vitusbikes.com/collections/sentier

Tony04

That voodoo is probably not the best spec for the price as its selling point is its carbon frame which isnt necessary.
The fathom posted above is also alright but again not the most outstanding for the price as it use quick releases.
Are you looking for a trail orientated or more x orientated bike op.

Wailin

Trails mostly Tony. As I said above, coilte tracks and mucky trails, nothing extreme like true mtb bikers. It's just for keeping fit and enjoying mountain and forest areas.

Wanderer78

Wailin wrote: »

Trails mostly Tony. As I said above, coilte tracks and mucky trails, nothing extreme like true mtb bikers. It's just for keeping fit and enjoying mountain and forest areas.

all mountain bikers are true, never underestimate cxers

Wailin

Wanderer78 wrote: »

all mountain bikers are true, never underestimate cxers

CXers, XTC, XT....can you explain these terms to me please?

Tony04

Cxers cyclocross riders xtc I presume you mean xc cross country, xt is a high quality mountain bike groupset.

Do you want a bike that's better for going downhill than going uphill: trail hardtail
Or slightly better uphill than downhill: xc bike.

Wailin

Jaysus I don't know lads, I just want a good bike for cross country with no fuss . Don't want full suspension either. A good all rounder I suppose for up and down tracks and comfy for spending hours on.

Thoughts on this Trek?

https://www.trekbikes.com/ie/en_IE/bikes/mountain-bikes/cross-country-mountain-bikes/x-caliber/x-caliber-9/p/29760/?colorCode=bluedark

Dcully

Thats why i suggested the bikes i linked, they are perfect for your needs can do it all and not particularly specialized in anything and within budget with a few quid to spare for gear as you requested.
If you want something more specific then the other options are there.

Wailin

Thanks D, they seem to be suitable for my needs in fairness. I rang a few shops local to me and they have practically nothing in stock

One place has this, which seems pretty much spot on for me unless someone thinks otherwise?

https://www.cyclesolutions.co.uk/34898/products/orbea-alma-h30-eagle-29er-2019-hardtail-mtb-bike--black.aspx

Tony04

Wailin wrote: »

https://www.cyclesolutions.co.uk/34898/products/orbea-alma-h30-eagle-29er-2019-hardtail-mtb-bike--black.aspx

Has boost thru axles which is good but then it has a coil shock which you'll probably want to upgrade.
Would be difficult to fit a dropper post as it has a 27.2 see at post

Tony04

OP do you want to buy from a local bike shop or would you willing to go online

Wailin

I'm looking to pick up something more or less immediately Tony. From speaking to a few shops, orders online are taking weeks to arrive which doesn't suit me.

Dcully

@ Wailin this on adverts might be worth a look

https://www.adverts.ie/mountain-bikes/orbea-mountain-bike/20983948


and another

https://www.adverts.ie/mountain-bikes/boardman-mountain-bike-comp/21148717

Tony04

Problem is most of the 2020 stock is sold out, this time of year is usally good to buy a bike as you've loads lying around to get a bargain on. But the Asian lockdown meant less bikes were produced and then you had the covid demand surge.
Most brands are in the process of launching their 2021 range, while 2021 bikes may be rolling of the factory line atm it takes about 6 weeks to ship so local shops really wont have anything until late September.
Online shipping is actually fast if they have the bike in stock but like local bike shops they dont.
Anyway the vitus sentier vr seems to be coming in to stock this week. https://vitusbikes.com/pages/vitus-stock-availability-2020
Vitus can be bought online through chain reaction who are based in belfast so once in stock it can ship super fast.

Top spec for the price although the bike is aggressive so wouldnt be as fast uphill as an xc bike but certainly better for jumping downhill etc

Wailin

Lads I picked up the Boardman comp bike that Dcully linked above yesterday for a good price. Took it out today, happy enough with it. The frame is a bit big for me as I'm 5' 9" but it's grand for now. I can always move it on again on adverts when I want to switch.

Just wondering about the recommended tyre pressure. It's just for coilte tracks so no need to deflate too much for rough ground. Is 35 psi too much or not enough? It's on 27.5 wheels.

Wailin

Just checked continental website and appears I have them way under inflated. Should be 50 psi, max 65.

bogmanfan

Wailin wrote: »

Just checked continental website and appears I have them way under inflated. Should be 50 psi, max 65.

50psi would be very hard for mtb tyres. I run mine at around 23.

Lower pressures will give you more grip.

Wanderer78

bogmanfan wrote:

50psi would be very hard for mtb tyres. I run mine at around 23.

Running roughly the same

Tony04

Wailin wrote: »

Just checked continental website and appears I have them way under inflated. Should be 50 psi, max 65.

Tubular are tubeless?

If you have tubes you have to run high pressures to avoid pinch flats
Tubeless run a low pressure like 25psi (low pressure acts as s suspension )

Wailin

They are tubular

Dcully

Enjoy Wailin

Tony04

Wailin wrote: »

They are tubular

With the money you saved going used you could upgrade;), but it can be a mess.

Other thing, I looked at the bike and it doesnt has chainstay protecter, id fashion one out of an old tube, keep your paint fresh.

Enjoy anyway

mad turnip

Those look like some decently big tires. 25 psi is probably what you want to be aiming for depending on your weight. If your up near 90kg maybe 25 front 27 rear. As you come down to 60kg in your weight you can probably go to 23 front 25 rear. The harder you ride the closer to these pressures you will need. If you take it very easy and want loads of grip you can probably go down to 20.
Ideally want to go tubless when you can.

Wailin

Thanks for the tips and advice folks, appreciate it. I'm 86kg so will go with 27 rear and 25 front.

Wailin

So I've decided I'm going to upgrade and have settled on the vitus escarpe 2020. On wiggle the vrx is around €4000 while the vrs is €3100. Is there any real benefit for someone like myself going for the more expensive option just for upgraded groupset or will the advantages be wasted?

Also, I'll more than likely opt for the 27 for the quicker acceleration uphill and manoeuvrability. Is this a safer bet guys or what's the thoughts on 27.5 v 29's?

Tony04

The vitus sommet vr has perfectly good spec not to mention the vrs or vrx. I would never tell someone not to spend more on a bike but like once you have 2000€ to spend you can easily get a 'no' 'frills' full sus that could do it all.

Id almost alwats go for 27.5 its lighter aswell only advantage of a 29er is it rolls over stuff more smoothly but the smaller the wheel the easier it is to handle.

Wailin

Cheers Tony. Isn't the sommet more enduro/DH oriented though? The reason why I like the escarpe is it seems to be a great all rounder.

Tony04

Got mixed up sorry, yeh escarpe has 140mm rear travel.
So does the mythique aswell