[Closed] Advice needed- Returning to MTB after 20+ years

Sounds like a 29er hardtail would do the job. Some of the ones you’ve mentioned are fairly ‘trail’ rather then out and out xc. Either would probably do what you want, but the xc would be closer to your other bikes.

Cotic 29er ht is the Solaris - again it’s very trail. I don’t know if you’ll get a decent stanton / Cotic for a budget of £1k secondhand - especially in the current market.

You might have more joy looking for sknething like a Canyon Grand Canyon or another alloy ht for the budget. Say a 120 ish fork - preferring a SID or Reba over a Recon / Judy / Suntour fork.

Tyre size anything around 2.2-2.3 is fine. Tubeless preferred - or at least tubeless ready rims so you have that option.

Worth getting a dropper post?
What’s a good solid group set? Shimano/ SRAM the way to go?

Thanks for the reply.

There's no real bargains to be had in the secondhand market anymore. People are wanting nearly as much for a secondhand bike as a new one now. Its currently a very inflated market.
If it was me I'd be getting a cheapy to be going on with and keep looking. If you look on Ebay now people are wanting like a grand plus for 10-15 year old bikes. Its mad.
Take a look at Planet X bikes, they do some good MTBs for reasonable prices as well.

Fox or rockshocks?

Fox or Rockshox - both are decent if forks from the last few years.

Dropper - worth it if you’re riding proper off-road. Not worth it if just gravel / fireroads. Brand X is a budget but decent option. No need to spend more if you do go for one.

If Sram make sure it’s GX or higher. If Shimano then Deore 11 speed or higher is decent.

Planet X isn’t a bad shout I guess - a Scandel or Whippet I think would be the options to look at. The steel options are heavy for what you want a bike for.

Stuff like the Voodoo Bizango or Bizango Carbon (brand new) if in stock aren’t a bad starting point to be fair. Boardman are ok too for the money.

What’s the verdict on a Canyon Grand Canyon compared with a Stanton/ cotic ?

It’s alloy framed and therefore
probably a chunk lighter.

It has more traditional
Xc type geometry without being full on racey. For the type of riding you propose it’s probably a better option. Also much more likely to be in budget.

That’s not to say a Stanton or Cotic wouldn’t do the job - just they’re premiu steel frames - so more expensive (particularly the Stanton), heavier and more trail focused.

Looking at current spec the Grand Canyon 8 is where I’d want to start - decent Fox 34 rhythm fork and 120mm of travel. Below that the forks are a bit bendier with poor dampers in them. I think they had better spec for the money pre-Brexit but don’t quote me on that.

A 29er hardtail is the obvious thing. Dropper posts make a big difference. Tubeless tyres, 2.25 or 2.35, are a big improvement over the old skinny XC tyred from 20 years ago. The low-end Rockshox forks aren't great. The better Suntour forks (Epicon, etc) are ok. I have Fox 32s on one bike, some old Rebas on another, and Epicons on my hack. I mostly forget which ones are on the bike when I'm riding, they aren't massively different in performance. You might want to try for something with 2x10 or 2x11 drivetrain if you're going to be spending a lot of time on road. I dabbled with 1x11 but found it frustrating spinning out on road. Other people don't seem bothered by it though.

Thanks all it sounds like I need a nice light xc 29er hard tail. What’s the go to if I wanted to go new for £1500. What’s cool at the moment. I’ve never been cool but you can always dream.

I still remember dreaming of a pace or klein 20 years ago.

“ What’s the go to if I wanted to go new for £1500.”

Whatever you can actually get hold of. Many bikes are sold out until late 2021 or 2022.

Canyon seem to have stock so whichever Grand Canyon/Stoic you like the look of. I think halfords have some Boardmans in stock and the top hardtail is a grand. It also comes with Rebas which are decent forks. Sram SX can be a bit fragile but you'll have cash spare for a dropper, tubeless goop and some new riding kit. The tyres are a bit light on trad for the winter slop so maybe run it for a while with something knobblier.

Yes, the Boardman with Rebas is a fairly good deal. Chuck on a dropper post, convert to tubeless, and it would be good to go.
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/mountain-bikes/boardman-mht-8.9-mountain-bike-189326.html

I’ve just text an old school friend who owns a bike shop and he has a demo Trek procaliber 9.5 2021 for £1500.

Any idea how these rate.? £500 over initial used budget but this bike is nearly new and I can’t see much used local to me .

If that's the carbon one with the twangy seat tube I'd have that for the money. Cool colour too. 😎

The fork isn't as good as the boardman but 500 extra for carbon and deore would swing it for me. Also, if he's your mate perhaps he'll sort the tubeless set up for peanuts. 😉

Lockdown brought me back after 13 years. Get a On One Big Dog or a Scandel. They are both well sorted modern geometry with hard wearing components. My Dog came with a dropper. The Scandel does not. Both came with cable routing for droppers and 30mm internal rims so you can run 2.5 tyres which make a big difference. Due to having a workshop on the street I've had a bunch of money, so built up a Scandel recently. There's not a lot of difference in feel, but if I did it again I'd probably get the Scandel. It's surprisingly smooth for an ally frame and a bit lighter. There's a forum guy who has a Solaris and a Scandel, says in some situations he prefers the Scandel. There's simply nothing else at your price point that ticks all the boxes and they are available.
Just one thing; get the wheels checked before you ride it. There's at least one rubbish wheel builder currently working for Planet X.