Hi,

My work are offering the cycle 2 work scheme where I can get upto £1k for very little monthly outlay. I’ve been having a quick look at bikes but there are so many to choose from I thought I’d ask for a little advice.

I’m pretty sure I want a hard tail bike as I’ll be spending most of the time on it on the road getting to work and back. However, I do have quite a few friends who go biking up the lakes every weekend so I’d like something I can use with them too. One friend has recommended the Specialized Rockhopper.

Anybody want to agree/disagree?

cheers for any help
Matt

Orange P7 :o)

Ride a few first – even among hardtails there are big differences.

You would be nuts not to consider the Boardman Pro at £1K, kills everything else in that price range really and always scores very well 9/10 or 10/10 in magazine reviews

Boardman Pro or something from Merlin – Malt/Team Tig etc probably offers best value, but as said already go try a few

a kona five-0 is the best bike for your specifications! all the way.

Lots of bikes, lots of choice and yes they are all different, some subtly and some not so. But rest assured that it’s actually quite hard to buy a ‘bad’ bike these days. It’s so competitive now that the standards have really shot up.
If you’re a beginner then your ‘tick list’ should be more concerned with after sales support; you’re going to need some one to help you with maintenance so don’t buy online if you have a good bike shop close to you, even if the bike shop is a little more expensive. That after sales support is invaluable.
The other thing to consider is the overall cost of the package, not just the bike, as you’re also going to need at least a helmet, basic tool kit/puncture repair kit, spare inner tube and gloves. After that you might also want to consider getting some decent shoes, most likely for using flat pedals. Trail type shoes like Merrills or Berghaus etc will be OK but don’t offer as much grip because they have a curved sole that doesn’t interface as well with a flat pedal. If you’re going to try riding off road, especially in the Lakes, then a good shoe/pedal interface will make the riding a whole lot more enjoyable.
Other items you might consider are a decent pair of cycling shorts to wear under your trail baggies; these will make life more comfortable for your backside as you break it in and will prevent crotch rot from wearing under crackers while riding – not pretty!

Pauls Cycles have a bunch of 2008 bikes at reduced prices. I picked up a Kona Kula Deluxe 08 from them a few weeks ago for £1k. Granted, not as trendy as some of the bikes out there, but it’s got a nice Scandium frame, allbeit in Girly white/blue. I figure I can change the frame later. They have a few other bargains as well.

Gee is right, I spent a further £100+ on accessories. In hindsight, I might have been happier with the Specialized Stumpy Comp 09 with the 10% accessories deal. Then again, the Kona Dawg is nice too. Of course, if I’d bought something else I might have been saying, ooh, but the Kona Kula Deluxe is a nice bike. lol.

You can’t get reduced bikes on the C2W scheme, some places will do 10% in accessories however they don’t like doing that as the Cyclescheme people already nail them for 10% in commission.

and as others said, you will need to get a few other things as well, namely, helmet, gloves, pump, couple of tubes, multitool, oil, camelback and padded shorts (after a helmet these should be your 2nd priority)

Accessories essential – very good point. By the time you get helmet, gloves, shorts, trail tools and the means to carry them (prob Camelbak or similar) you’ve spent a fair bit – and none of that is non-essential really. I’d also add shoes and pedals (personally I’d just get into SPDs as soon as possible, although I am aware that others differ on that point).

Also, if you’ve not off-roaded much a decent introductory skills session will give you a big head-start and likely save you a lot of pain.

Geetee1972 is spot on – I would set £150 aside from the 1k for a decent helmet, gloves, shorts, a hydration pack, a few tools and if you are commuting some bright lights.

£850 will get you a nice hardtail. Go ride a few, there is a massive selction at that price point; orange, GT, giant, kona, felt, charge, trek, spesh, cube etc etc

shoes you can leave but a skills course will give you a head start on keeping up with your mates, as you will be surprised how a few little pointers will really help you enjoy riding the bike.

For skills courses AQR (aquickrelease) run 1 day ones in Sherwoods pines for £35 which are worth a look, as they cover all the basics

Yossarian I’m reading Catch 22 at the moment and thinking of changing my STW name to Major Major Major Major 😀

A good point Rich. I forgot he was going C2W. I ended up whacking mine on the interest free CC instead because the sweet deals on 08 bikes offset the discount I’d have gotten via C2W.

🙂

A lot of people I know, from a beginner who’s MTB’d since September to a woman who’s raced 12 hour races and won, have gone for Cubes around that price point.

Spec is wonderful (though, for some reason, £100 more than the women’s model) and very light- around 24lbs. Compared to a Boardman the frame is exceptional and worth upgrading on.

The Boardman frame that a friend has is excellent, lots of hydro-forming and shaped tubes to get the most out the material, and more than likely comes from the same factory as that Cube.

Mind you doesn’t have such a cool name, but because of that the bits are of a much much higher spec on it. So personally I would not have the name, and use the cash saved to get a better bike if I was using C2W and had a grand to spend.

Cube LTD Team

• Frame – Alu Superlite 7005 Double Butted, RFR-Geometry
• Size – 16″, 18″, 20″, 22″
• Colour – Black Anodized or White Candy Black
• Forks – Rock Shox Tora SL Solo Air 100mm, PopLoc
• Headset – FSA No.10 semi-integriert
• Stem – Easton EA30
• Handlebars – Easton EA30 Lowriser
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano Deore XT Shadow
• Front Derailleur – Shimano SLX
• Gear shifter – Shimano Deore Rapidfire-Plus 9-speed
• Brakes – Stroker Trail hydr. Scheibenbremse (180/160mm)
• Crank set – Shimano Deore 2-Piece 44x32x22Z., 175mm, integr. Innenlager
• Cassette – Shimano HG50 11-32T, 9-speed
• Chain – Shimano HG53
• Rims – RFR ZX24
• Shimano Disc M525
• Tyre – Schwalbe VR: Nobby Nic Triple Compound 2.25/HR: Racing Ralph TC 2.25
• Pedal – Fasten Alu
• Seat – RFR Natural Shape 0.1 M
• Seat post – Easton EA30 31.6mm

Boardman Pro:

Frame Ultralight super butted race spec aluminium
Fork RockShox Reba Race, 100mm travel, Motion Control damping, external floodgate & lockout
Headset FSA Orbit integrated cartridge bearing
Spacers Full carbon 4x5mm, 1x10mm
Stem Ritchey PRO OS 31.8mm
Handlebars Ritchey Pro Rizer OS 31.8mm
Seatpost Ritchey Pro 27.2mm
Saddle cboardman, titanium rails
Brakes Avid Elixir R carbon hydraulic disc brakes, 160mm rotors
Shifters SRAM X9 9 speed
Rear Mech SRAM X0
Front Mech SRAM X9
Cassette SRAM PG950 11-32T
Chain Shimano HG-73
Chainset Truvativ Stylo GXP 44/32/22T
Bottom Bracket Truvativ GXP
Rims Ritchey WCS Disc 32H
Hubs Cartridge bearings
Spokes Stainless steel double butted black
Tyres Continental Speed King 2.1”
Pedals Alloy platform
Weight* 24.1 lbs

Don’t think anyone responded yet to one of the questions in the OP – a Rockhopper is a very nice bike. Most people on here won’t recommend Specialized as they are not niche enough. 😛

I know someone with a cube ltd team – its a lovely bike.

For £850 i’d likely go for the charge duster mid.

There is a review of the rockhopper is this months singletrack if thats helps

wow. lots of recommendations, You lot like bikes! 😀

thanks a lot. I’ll have a trawl through the comments and try to work something out. My only potential issue is that my company are insisting on using halfrauds. I’m right in thinking that they can actually order anything though?

cheers
Matt

Halfords can get 90% of bikes, there are a few firms that in theory you cannot get (specialized being one of them) – but Halfords have been known in the past to get a bike from another shop and sell it on to you – as your warrenty is with halfords then your generally ok.

You’ll not go wrong with the Rockhopper, as mentioned above it’s very hard to get a bad bike nowadays.

If I was you i’d have a chat with your mates and see what they say – they know the style of riding you’ll be doing and then go for a bike that fits into this, no point getting an arse in the air racer HT, when your mates drag themselves to the top of a hill to hoon down.

I’d also go for a as good a bike as you can on the schemce and buy the stuff you need for it seperately.

Helmet is essential – they all comply to the same standards so you are paying more for lightness (not that any are really heavy), holes and styling/name – Bell/Giro are excellent if you have a massive head like me.

Gloves – more to protect your hand if you crash than to protect your hand from blisters (oh and keep you warm too).

padded shorts – Most fellas go for baggy, but if your commuting a lot you get to know about it on a windy day – I use Ronhill tracksters, which are a compromise between both, baggy enough to obscure details but close enough on the leg so that you are not slowed down when it’s windy.

After that, just think thin layers, I’ve given up on waterpoof stuff as I sweat too much anyways, I use a gillet to keep the wind off me and the rest is base layers and the like.

Equipment for the bike.
2x tubes – swop them out and repair later, no point getting freezing trying to repair a puncture.
Chaintool – you can get them on multi tools but I prefer a dedicated one.
Tyre levers – if you have a tight tyre/rim combo
Split links – SRAM, 99p each excellent way to fix your chain.
Multitool – will have commom allenkey sizes and a spanner/screwdriver type thing.
Small backpack (big enough to take the above and wallet/keys/mobile phone) with a 1.5L bladder – costs for these can be madness, Tesco do a cheap one as do aldi. You can also do what I did when i started and buy a decent bladder off ebay and use a normal daysack.

Decathlon are much better than halfords for this kinda thing, no real brand names but stuff that does the job well and costs half the brand name version.

richc if I may expand on your behalf.

gingerprince because you are not yet a total bike bore like the rest of us (give it time) richc’s post prob doesnt mean a lot to you. The Boardman has been getting rave reviews (see latest What Mountain Bike) for producing very very nice frames with a high spec. ie the forks, gears, brakes and all the other stuff that it comes factory fitted with are pretty top-end, definately better than anything else in the price range up until now. Lighter, stronger, will last longer, feel better and so on. So definately worth a look.

richc that right?

and as said above, ride a few and ask your mates.

and lastly, welcome.

sounds about right 😉 one more point to add, when you get hooked (and you will) this hobby will cost you a fortune, however you will get to see some amazing things, and visit some great places (and fall off there).

Good point about Camelbaks, if you live near a decathlon or kathmandu their own brand bag are very good, and much much cheaper.

yep – just been reading up on the boardman pro and having a few people look it over. most peoples reaction (who haven’t already seen it) is ‘wow’. They can’t quite believe the spec for the money.

just inside the 1k limit too….

already got a good range of layers and heli pack style bags because I go snowboarding quite a lot.

[/i]Fork RockShox Reba Race, 100mm travel, Motion Control damping, external floodgate & lockout
Brakes Avid Elixir R carbon hydraulic disc brakes, 160mm rotors
Shifters SRAM X9 9 speed
Rear Mech SRAM X0
Front Mech SRAM X9

All this on £1000k bike…..very Gucci.

Is £1000 the right amount for a total beginner to spend on a bike?

Obviously if he can afford it great – but I may be contravertial and suggest that for dipping your toe in the water £400-500 will get you a respectable hardtail capable of what you are likely to need. With C2W it will cost you about £20-30 per month (depending on your tax braket and if your company allows you to recover the input VAT).

If after 1-2 years you are hooked then you can upgrade and will know much better what you want from a bike, assuming C2W is still running you are sorted as you can probably make back most of your investment on the other bike anyway (or keep it for commuting). On the otherhand if you decide you don’t like it, or prefer road biking, or downhill etc then you haven’t “wasted” £600 on a high spec hardtail.

(Oh – and if you really want to minimise outlay then you’ll get the next series down in the specialised range (e.g. Hardrock Sport Disk) for about £350. My experience suggests that is perfect as an entry level bike, and I don’t loose sleep when I scratch it)

If you can get a 1K bike for around £500/£600 why not, and with the boardman if you hate it you will recoup that (plus some) on ebay by breaking the bike down.

Plus a lighter bike is easier to climb on, which is in reality what you will be spending the most of your time doing, and the quality of the bits means they won’t wear out nearly as fast as the bits on a £350 -> £500 spesh where they have had to comprise the build to hit the price point, which will save you money in the long run.

I know when I got my 1st proper mountain bike in ’99 (after many years off), I spent around £300 -> £350 on it new (it was a Kona Hahanna) and within a year, I had spend nearly that again as I had killed the drivechain, wheels, tyres and wanted brakes that worked.

Merida TFS 900-D
I’d say its one of the only 1k bikes out there to rival the kit levels on the Boardman.
Got a storming revue in this months Bicycle Buyer

richc – I guess I just wonder if “entry level” has crept up because of C2W when in fact the old entry level would be fine. So people are being sucked in like women in a shoe shop sale – to “saving” £400 by spending money they never would have if it was full price (if you get my point).

Yeah I get your point (and its a valid one), still if he does get into it that extra £150 will be money well spent.

a bit of an update and more advice wanted.

I went and did a weekend with a mate riding round kentmere and sadgil in the lakes. awesome, even tho the rental bike was very very basic. I found the bike got thrown around quite a bit on the downhill and I guess that’s one thing I’m a touch worried about with the boardman.

I’ve tried a rockhopper and a p7s. I loved the p7, it felt great. Halfords are being awkward about trying out the boardman bikes saying that it makes the bike 2nd hand if I try it. I find this so unhelpful that I really don’t want to get the bike there. The problem is, I can’t bring myself to go for the p7 at that price with that spec when the boardman pro is available for the same money. I feel like I’m paying for the orange brand. plus, it’s 5lb heavier than the boardman and you can really feel it!

btw, halfords can get most bikes but they can’t get all. They can’t get cube or merlin for example which a few people have recommended.

any more bits of advice welcomed!

Matt

if you are gonna do 1000, do 800 on a bike and 200 on essential accessories

go for a good fit and low weight as it will help you enjoy starting out.

tbh, the brand and detail spec is quite irrelevant at this stage

one tip – ask about quick rolling tyres as you will be commuting + its all dry trails atm and you dont want draggy tractor tyres anyway!

have fun!

Halfords finally let me have a ride on the boardman pro yesterday. I’ve put a 10 quid deposit down. Went with the ‘get the best bike for the money’ philosophy.

thanks for all the advice!
Matt

Good choice. Excellent spec and light – you shouldn’t need to upgrade that bike unless something breaks! If you have more bike-knowledgable mates it might be worth giving them a ride on it to make sure it is set up/built properly.

This thread actually made me pull my finger out and go set up the company C2W scheme. Went with Halfords so I could get a Boardman, a road bike in my case, Team Carbon for just under a grand. Got to be happy with that.