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Hello all,
I’m new to the site and looking for a little advice. I’ve been away from riding for about 10 years (kids) and have had a couple of rides with friends and got the bug again, however things have moved on….A LOT in the bike world! I have £1400 that was supposed to be spent on a Ski trip so I’m using it to buy a mountain bike and wanted advice on to buy new or used. I’ve always had hard tails but I’d be happy with ether a hard tail or full sus as I like trails, XC or whatever I can get out on.
Soooo…around £1400, new or used, where to buy from. Will probably keep for a year and then upgrade if required.
Thanks
Welcome!
I went through exactly the same thing a couple of years ago, came back to MTB after a 15 year hiatus, things have moved on!!!
I'd recommend trying to get some demo rides in, reading up a lot of everything - dropper posts 1x gearing geometry etc.
I ended up with a Vitus Escarpe for pretty much your exact budget, I tried both FS and hardtails and there was no question what to get - FS bikes have come a long way in the last 10 years, and you can pick up a very capable FS bike for £1500. The used market is insane at the moment so I'd buy new.
£1400 and you might upgrade in a year, I'd definitely go second hand. Have a good look in the classifieds on here and Pinkbike to get an idea of what's about.
You'd get a decent trail hard tail for that sort of money (or even a decent full suspension trail bike at a few years old).
Thing is with new, a lot of stuff is sold out and I know Paul is saying the second hand market it crazy at the moment, but from what I've been seeing, it looks like it's started to calm down now.
Thanks Paul/John!
I've done a lot of reading and YouTubeing, probably to much, to get myself up to speed but I find actually asking people like you guys ends in the best advice. The only advice that seems to be consistent is GET A DROPPER POST lol Never used one so should be fun.
New bikes are scarce but didn't really know where to look for used. I'll try the classifieds on here thanks.
Really appreciate your help!
Nath
Yeah droppers weren't around when I used to ride before, but they're a game changer. It's not just about being able to get over the back of the bike either, proper cornering with leaning the bike over needs the saddle out the way.
I got a good deal on my bike, rrp £1800, bought for £1400ish, and sold 18 months later for £900.
Pinkbike classifieds are also good, plus your local facebook/ebay etc.
There's a Cube FS bike recently been listed on here,not a mark on it.No affiliation etc but if i was after a bike in this price range i would snap it up.
Definitely get a dropper post and for mtb a bike with a 1x drivetrain. Tubeless tyres are also good to have and make sure it’s got decent brakes.
Try to avoid Sram SX or NX if possible as they’re a bit doubtful on durability. Sram GX is a step above both. If Shimano gears then Deore and above are all fine.
Look for an air fork not coil at your budget - the cheap coil forks are often a bit boingy and can be hard to get different weight springs for (to setup correctly for your weight).
As to hardtail or full suss that’s your call. I’ve got one of each and use them for different things - the hardtail is more playful and more efficient for rides where you have a lot of pedalling. The full sus is better on bigger rocky trails and higher speeds. But there’s some cross over - I’ve used my hardtail in uplift days and I’ve used the full suss for easy stuff out of curiosity how it would go.
I’m actually selling the hardtail now as I’ve ordered a new custom frame for my 40th birthday and think I’m going to build thy at with some bling components I wouldn’t usually push the boat out for.
Not a stealth ad but it is in the classifieds now.....😝
My reason for choosing a FS over a hardtail was comfort, due to lack of fitness, meaning on a long ride I'd be spending a lot of time sat down, which on a hardtail, is tough. Now my fitness levels are decent I'd happily ride a hardtail but 2 years ago I was in a very different place fitness-wise!
The vitus Mythique is decent for a budget FS bike, as is the calibre bossnut.
If going budget full suss I’d be inclined to take the Calibre Bossnut or Calibre Triple B for your money - I’ve seen too many issues with the Mythique on the fb owners club page. It seems it’s either cheap cranks that are dropping or sucking the chain, or loose pivots in the rear suspension - or a combination of both - leading to huge gouges in the chainstays. People are waiting to see if they get warranty fixes or not.
I think there is something in hardtails making you ride better - I’d been full suss since I got back into mtb after 15 years off and I was doing ok. Got a ht alongside the fs and it’s helped improve my riding. I realised I was sitting down too much (being lazy) and not tipping the bike into corners enough.
So I’d be on the fence between fs and ht....you could always get a decent hardtail that you know the bits would transfer over into a full suspension frame at a later date. Focus on decent wheels and forks primarily for that.