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Sorry - another 1st bike thread where guidance is needed.
Looking to get a hard tail MB. Looking at the lower end as its a first bike and will bee used on basic trails etc.
Whilst I get there is no point going mad on specs for what I need, I also don't want to regret no going a little better from the start in a year or two's time.
In short I am not sure where to start but am currently looking at:
Orbea MX 40, Trek Marlin 6 & Specialise Rockhopper.
These come across to me as entry level but not bargain basement etc.
Any thoughts on how they compare or things to consider - I'm sure they are probably much of a muchness but would like to get a more educated thought than what I have 🙂
With this in mind I have read a few negatives with regards to forks. Is it work to consider the Orbea MX 20 for example which comes with a RockShox?
Maybe if you could add some links to the bikes that would be useful?
Sure.
Some of these maybe 2020 models with 2021 inbound - lack of availability at the moment, but wouldn't guess to much would change year to year...?
https://www.orbea.com/gb-en/bicycles/mountain/mx/cat/mx-29-20
https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/rockhopper-comp-27-5-2x/p/184110?color=291606-184110
Orbea has best gears by far and since it's 2x11 a bit more future proof.
Is it worth jumping to the next model up to get RockShox fork or would the difference be unnoticed? Only ask as I heave heard negatives with the suntour forks at this price point (but no experience to comment on this).
I'd be tempted to go for the next rockhopper up.
https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/rockhopper-elite-27-5/p/184117?color=291594-184117
Rockshox and 1x drivetrain. Great base for upgrading later.
Finding any of these bikes in stock is your next challenge!
Depending on your size and location, I've got an older On-One carbon HT frame I've built up with brand new Rockshox Reba forks, Magura brakes, XT crank, Easton Heist wheels etc. that I'm looking to sell. I'm 6' and I would say this is slightly too small for me, so probably suitable for up to around 5'10.
I'm looking for around £650. I would have had the Ad. and photos up today, but its not stopped raining !!!
Cheers
Michael
I wouldn’t buy any of those bikes - none of the forks are great and 2x9 also not great.
If you can wait for stock I’d buy the best Vitus Nucleus I could afford - preferably the one that gets a 1x drivetrain.
The £500 ish one has won loads of tests at that price range for best bike but the cheap 2x doesn’t have very good cranks.
Not heard of that will take a look.
Thanks but looking to take advantage of cycle scheme so wouldn’t be an option.
What's your budget?
If £550 is the ceiling, then I'd probably go for the orbea. If you can go higher to, say, £750 then you are getting much better kit, which means you wouldn't feel the need to upgrade if you got into it.
All of the bikes you listed have coil shocks which are not as good as air sprung shocks. I wouldn't be focused on getting a rockshox branded fork, suntour air forks are pretty good at that price point, but I would be looking for an air fork rather than a coil.
I'd would avoid the marlin as the head tube is not tapered which would limit your ability to upgrade in future.
Final point, cycle scheme isn't saving you a great deal of money at this price point, especially when you consider that you'll be buying at RRP with no discount. Places like Pauls cycles offer discounted bikes which could end up saving more than cycle scheme.
That rockhopper elite looks good value.
Thanks for the information. Like someone mentioned above, the next problem is actually finding one available :). Think it may be end of July before this happens.
May be able to go up to £750 if there is a decent benefit but beyond thats probably not going to be worth it for where I am at this moment. Its the fine line between getting something decent and not beyond the needs.
The Specialised looked nice as Vutus (never heard of that but seems consistently rated well over the years). A shame the local bike shops doesn't carry them all under the same roof to go an look at (when the shops finally open!).
Is a basic air sprint (as I am guessing in this price range it would be bottom of the range) be significantly better than coil? Unable to get out and test first hand so again, appreciate your thoughts.
Air is more adjustable for weight and sometimes spring rates themselves.
Coil is what it is - it’ll be the ‘stiffness’ for what Suntour /Rockshox think is the average rider. If you’re not that weight then you’ll have a less than ideal fork unless you buy a different weight spring (if you can get them).
Airsprings you just adjust with a shock pump (£20 ish).
Also with some forks if you find you get an air pressure you like for most of the travel but you are bottoming our the fork too much you can add tokens to make the spring pressure ramp up near the bottom of the travel.
I'd be tempted by the Specialized - I suspect the frame is really good quality on them, which means if you enjoy it you can buy new parts and upgrade it. Also, it's been launched just at the right time - they're coming into stock now, rather than having been in the shops for a while and just selling out, so you might actually find one to buy.
As someone said above, if you can stretch to the more expensive one with Rockshox forks it will be a great bike. Unless you are short (under 1.65m) I would buy the 29 inch version, not the 27.5" you linked to. That version is in stock in stores, and I think if you can find a local shop (bike shops are all open, they never closed because of Covid) that sells Specialized they will be able to order one in for you.
As someone completely new is the 29 going to be better then? I thought the 27.5 may offer a bit more ease of handling and the 29 may just give a better top speed? You can see how much I know at this point 🙂
It's a reasonable question. Firstly, Specialized only offer the 27.5 in smaller sizes (extra small to medium) and the 29 in larger sizes (medium to extra extra large) so if you fit a size small you have to have a 27.5 and if you fit on a large you have to have a 29.
The 29er will feel faster, and deal with rough terrain better. It will also be a bit more comfortable on rougher terrain. The 27.5 will feel more "lively", a sensation that is difficult to describe to someone who is new to riding but it means in theory the bike is easier to throw around. In reality, I don't find this to be the case. 29 is becoming the most popular wheel size.