[Closed] Coming back to off road - what to get ?

Keep your IF and build it up again. Nowt wrong with 26" for most riding

+1 to keep the Indy Fab and re-build.

+2 on the Indy Fab rebuild. If anything, 26" will likely feel more playful and 'jumpy' than current 29" bikes at the budget end.

For a nice middle ground (in true STW 'recommend what you have' fashion) I think a Ragley Mmmbop is an astoundingly good bike for the money if you want to try more modern geo, and has plenty of scope for upgrades should you want. I run mine with a pair of Fox Factory 36's and it's far more capable than I'll ever be...

You could build up the IF, it's no worse than it was when you last rode it, it's just that modern bikes with 29" wheels are better.

The Ragley looks good, I've got an on-one scandal which is a bit more ££ but does have GX drivechain and Rockshox 35 fork.

Budget £100 For a Brand-x dropper post on anything. I had a reverb for years and was sceptical about how good it was, but even the cheap dropppers are miles better than the early expensive posts.

Hmmm.....
rebuild the IF.... hadn't thought about doing that

Ok.....
What with ? Last time I bought stuff, SRAM was just out with X9 !
I have a set of Pace XCAM forks, the carbon ones and that is it.....
Newer, slacker forks maybe ?

Or sell the IF and add the moolah to a new one.

£1000 will get you a decent enough hardtail if you can find one in stock. 26” wheels aren’t really a thing now if buying a new bike - it’s 27.5” (650b) or 29er.

27.5” will feel most like your 26” bike - but 29ers it feels are gradually taking over. They roll better over bumps and through compressions - but are a little bit less nimble / agile.

Vitus are right up there for hardtails - the 29er Sentier is decent. Voodoo Bizango is a bit cheaper but well reviewed too.

Within that budget you have the On-One Jumping Jack Flash 29er or the On-One Big Dog. The first is alloy and has a better groupset and fork - the Big Dog is Steel so you’re getting a lower standard of build kit but perhaps the frame is a bit more compliant. Geometry of both is similar.

The Sonder Transmitter is also worth a look - it’s 27.5+ so big volume tyres on 27.5” wheels. I used to be skeptical of big tyres but I stuck some 2.6” ones on my hardtail I built this year and the added give in the tyres is actually pretty nice. I can ride for longer before my slightly gammy lower back goes all tight.

You are correct that you don't get a lot for £1k now.

Maybe have a look at these...
https://vitusbikes.com/collections/sentier/products/vitus-sentier-29-vr-mountain-bike

Worth getting something with a decent fork, like this, as that's the expensive bit to upgrade.

You could build up the IF, it’s no worse than it was when you last rode it, it’s just that modern bikes with 29″ wheels are better.

Truish but what you don't know can't hurt you 🙂

I would also use the IF but then I don't like 29" wheels on MTB.

I'm thinking Harris could have long sections that are relatively flat or tarmac? You might want a 29er with nice fast tyres for a lot of that, I've built up my Superfly as an almost-gravel bike with fast semislicks etc. and am surprised what I can get away with (and enjoy). Accidentally ended up on a local enduro trail and yeah, I bottled some super steep roll ins where the lack of a dropper and short forks felt like an over-the-bars waiting to happen, but otherwise the bike was ideal for linking the fun stuff with the fast easy stuff. Has seen me doing most of the Cairngorm loop trails and I couldn't conceivably see me wanting any other style of bike.

Are you really going to have enough gnar on your doorstep that you want to lug around a long and lazy MTB everywhere? (genuine question, I don't know Harris trails at all)

Should I stick with a double ring up front or get all modern and go 1X ?

Go 1x for sure.

1x is on most bikes around £1k. Only the European makes tend to come with 2x at that budget. If you pick up something with a 32t chainring and 11-50 cassette that covers most stuff other than riding fast on tarmac

Coming back to off road – what to get ?

At the moment, whatever you can really which, unless you've wheels and forks to match that IF frame is unlikely to be 26". Not that there's an inherent issue with 26" it's just old hat.

The bizango isn't a bad bike for the money but as you've alluded, 1k is gateway bike money these days, it's way out of bso territory and it'll get you a reasonable and capable bike but spec wise at least, not a great one.

Can't comment on the ragley.

And……are Suntour forks suddenly good ?? You used to get them on bikes from Woolworths, now they are on everything !

Suntour are a victim of their own success in the bso market. They make some truly dire forks you'll find on an asda <£100 bike but they also make some excellent kit you'll find on world cup winning race bikes. The epicon (possibly the raidon) is a decent fork for the money, meaningfully adjustable, air sprung and a damper that works which is much more than can be said for the similarly priced offerings from RS. Fox (marz) don't even bother at that bracket. The axon and durolux are great forks and make podiums at world level, the auron and aion are also good forks.

Should I stick with a double ring up front or get all modern and go 1X ?

If you're buying new, 1x at your budget but again, nothing inherently wrong with 2x and if you've got it reuse and spend the money elsewhere.

Were I to move back to the Hebrides, I'd very seriously consider a fatbike. Ouside of a few weeks of the height of summer, virtually every trip offroad is going to have boggy bits unless you're sticking to the peat cutters roads.

So, seems a mixed suggestion box.
If I rebuild the IF, I only have a fork, literally nothing else.
So what is the recommendation of kit to hang off that ? I have no wheels, groupset, nothing. DO I go 1X on it ? What cranks etc, I have no bars other than my old XC race bars (skinny as)
What kit that I could pop onto the old IF would make it whizzy and cool ?
Has anyone on here shoved 27.5 wheels and tyres in a steel deluxe successfully ?

If not, who wants to buy my old whip ?!

Personally I'd cut my losses with the IF and get a new bike. The Sonder Transmitter or Frontier (or a less trail smashing ride) for around a grand will cover most bases and encompass all the new standards that have crept in over the last decade.

If not, who wants to buy my old whip ?!

Get it on eBay. Still a very good market for quality 26" frames.

It sounds to me like an XC bike would suit the below at Merlin is a good build with Deore 12 speed and rockshox. Probably need to be 5’10” plus for the size they have

https://www.merlincycles.com/sensa-merano-evo-race-mountain-bike-2021-217010.html

+2 on the Indy Fab rebuild. If anything, 26″ will likely feel more playful and ‘jumpy’ than current 29″ bikes at the budget end.

Nah, not for me. The thing is it's not just wheels - geometry has changed loads. Having jumped on a mate's 2005 bike for a ride I was shocked at how close the front wheel was and how terrible this made riding it everywhere except up climbs. Far too much weight on the front, and consequently far less stable than my "modern" bike which is actually a 2015 XC bike. And his bike is the same geo and size as the 2007 26er I used to race on and loved at the time.

Arguably unless you are short, modern bikes work much much better IMO and IME. We didn't notice at the time because that's how bikes were. Having said that, £1k isn't a lot these days.

With a budget of £1k whatever you get will be a massive step down from the Indy Fab in terms of comfort, performance, quality and handling.
One suggestion earlier in the thread was running 27.5 on the IF; you could email them with the frame number and ask for their opinion - I found them very helpful during a very protracted renovation/rebuild.
Alternatively, ask your LBS.

With a budget of £1k whatever you get will be a massive step down from the Indy Fab in terms of comfort, performance, quality and handling.

I'd rather have a cheap modern bike than an expensive old one. In fact, that's what I did, and I am chuffed to bits with the results.

I’d rather have a cheap modern bike than an expensive old one. In fact, that’s what I did, and I am chuffed to bits with the results.

Each to their own.
I was endorsing a practical suggestion from an earlier post.

in order of popularity these seem to be the current trends;

1. riding over biked on a massive enduro rig with at least 36 forks ideally 38's
2. if you dont want to apply much effort ebikes
3. riding a santa cruz, doesn't seem to matter which one as long as you are wearing a pair of Nike trainers to complement it
4. gravel bikes
5. down country bikes

my personal preference is for trends 4 and 5, but whichever you buy into there will be like minded people to ride with. 🙂

never been a better time to ride bikes...if you can get hold of one.

i have a 2016 Specialized Fuse Pro6 Fattie which you can probably get on ebay for around your budget, its a great bike, just bin the plus tyres for some Continental 2.4 or 2.6. ive had lots of bikes and this is the one that has easily seen the most action, cant really fault it.

for £1k i would be looking at a good used bike rather than new.

for £1k i would be looking at a good used bike rather than new

Whilst I'm inclined to agree it it were me, I know what I want, what I like and what to look for, and I'd go look, 2nd hand at the best of times is a minefield of bargains mixed with lemons, currently it's a very expensive one, and I'd not likely encourage someone to start there.

For instance a 2014 spec enduro is a very different bike to a 2018 one which is different again from a 2021. If you're not sure what you're looking at is easy to end up with something that looks great on paper but really isn't what you're after.

Also at 1k it's easy to end up with a right pup that's way beyond your budget to get rideable if you're not able to have a good look (eg fork is a short ass dragging limp from death etc) and I'm guessing the second hand market on Harris is pretty limited.
Buying second hand you need to be willing to risk wasting your money or spending a good chunk of cash to get it rideable.
Eg with a 1k budget, 2nd hand, I'd be looking to spend 750 max (probably less) so I've got cash to sort out things like knackered chain rings, cassette etc when it arrives. And suddenly you're into the realms of not a good 2nd hand bike.

for £1k i would be looking at a good used bike rather than new.

Good advice for times when there are not supply shortages. Problem at the moment is people are getting/asking for much more and as we are now into warmer weather that is only going to increase.

FTFY

1. riding over biked on a massive enduro rig with at least 36 forks ideally 38’s
2. if you dont want to apply much effort ebikes
3. riding a santa cruz, doesn’t seem to matter which one as long as you are wearing a pair of Nike trainers to complement it
4. gravel bikes
5. down country bikes
6. Bikepacking

Personally I’d cut my losses with the IF and get a new bike. The Sonder Transmitter or Frontier (or a less trail smashing ride) for around a grand will cover most bases and encompass all the new standards that have crept in over the last decade.

This

I second the not building up the old frame - it’ll be twitcher and less good off road than new bikes in general. Plus finding wheels and tyres will be trickier as 26er parts are rarer. Plus if your current forks die they’ll be hard to replace.

Plenty of 26er parts available and that's unlikely to change for some time.

Not ridden MTB for 10 years, I'd be inclined to throw something together and see if you are actually going to do it. Use the pace forks, cheap wheels and groupset off ebay and ride it.

I've got a pair of 26" Crests on Hope hubs hanging in my garage - if you rebuild the IF you're welcome to them.

The rest of the stuff you need to rebuild is the same as for 27.5 or 29.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I’m still in Bristol at the moment and second hand is very much my thinking.

What I’m basically trying to work out is whether a new (modern) bike would help me regain my confidence in riding off road. I do about 10,000 km a year on road and rode XC and Enduro for years before the two broken shoulders. I just wonder if modern slack geo makes for a much improved bike or am I seriously better off getting the IF back.

And anyone with experience of riding off road on Harris, am I kidding myself with how tough it is and would I be better off on a cross/gravel bike ??

I’m in Bristol and about to sell an 18” Stanton slackline with nice fork and wheels for less than your budget…

I just wonder if modern slack geo makes for a much improved bike or am I seriously better off getting the IF back.

At the end of the day, any bike will work.

That said, IME, geometry is the biggest gain of the last decade in MTB. You don't have to be the extreme Long Low Slack to benefit either.

The other 'advances' are 5% this, BNG that, new damper fluff, one more gear this year etc. Add them up and yes it's better, but not the big gain that is a modern geometry bike.

The how tough is Harris is part of the reason I'd go as easy/cheap as possible. You have no idea what the right bike is. The question about new vs old, or fs vs HTC can be answered with demo days or hire bikes. I think that's better done with q recent memory to compare with though.

FWIW I'm on a really short by todays standards bike. It is sort of slack though. The point is that confidence is built. If I try and ride it on stuff way outside my comfort zone, that's bone breaking territory. If I push the zone just a bit, it's fun, safe and rewarding.

I probably give up a fair amount of speed and ride stuff way easier than I would on a longer bike but that's OK. It's the same as the fs vs ht argument or anything else really. At some point you'll want something different to progress, but that progression could easily be going the other way to a gravel bike.

I just wonder if modern slack geo makes for a much improved bike or am I seriously better off getting the IF back.

In the god old days, front wheel washout was the main issue to dealm with in corners, and OTBs were common. Not these days. I've been MTBing since I was 18, and I'm a far quicker rider on twisty downhills at 45 than 25. That's not normally the case in any kind of adrenaline sport, is it?

Of course, the IF will be perfectly fine if you want to just ride about, and you'll have fun. And if you never try a modern bike you won't even know. But if you want to maximise confidence then you should at least try a modern bike to see what it's like. I'd offer you a ride on mine (I'm in Cardiff) but it doesn't really count as modern anyway.

This is not me, but I did this last time I was on Harris....

Was a good day out. He's got an emtb - me no. There was a fair share of hike a bike. A lot of hike-a-bike.

There may well be lots more I don't know of there but this stood out to me at the 'proper' mtb end of the scale. Most of what I did there otherwise would have been better on a fat bike or a monster gravel type bike.