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I am in the process of persuading my boss to sign up to cycle to work so if it happens I'd like to try to take advantage of any sale prices if not I will maybe wait till sales start again.
I am an unfit newby but getting out on my 2nd hand Bazingo which is probably the wrong size but it'll remain my commute bike. My riding is mainly Dartmoor so some gravel,rocky and woodland type trails with country lanes in between. I would like to try bikepacking for some overnight trips on the moor in the future.
Bikes I have looked at are varied price wise but get good reviews Nukeproof scout elite 290, Whyte 629, Trek Roscoe 9 and Voodoo Bizango pro. I'm assuming they will all be an improvement on what I have and as a newby I'll not be using it as well as it is intended so choice maybe just personal as I don't think I'd notice one head angle from another, or is there more choices out there I guess budget would be 2k ish. I am 6'3" and heavy at the moment though I don't plan on getting shorter.
Any help advice appreciated.
Sonder are always worth a look and you can test ride them at Alpkit shops. for 2k you should be able to get something very nice.
https://alpkit.com/collections/sonder-dial-xc-bike
Trek Procaliber would be worth a look, 9.6 or 9.7 should be within budget
Seconding Sonder, been on a few hardtails, including 2 of theirs and have stuck with the Signal (titanium) which i think is the longest i have ever owned a bike i think. 2 sets of wheels, one for light riding, man made trails/xc etc/ fast summer riding, and one with grippy smashy tyres and it can do everything i ask of it
Yeah, the Procaliber 9.5 and 9.6 are very nice and in budget. Forks not the best though. My huge and heavy mate has one.
The new Orbea Laufey looks very good to me too.
I've not ridden a bike that feels as complete going along/up/down in one package as the Ragley Big Al I've just built. You've missed the CRC deals, but there will be a few s/h Ragleys kicking about for very reasonable money
I love my Ragley too, but I think OP will struggle to get one on the cycle to work scheme.
You may be better off going second hand to get a better deal than with c2w. There's a glut of hardtails on the market at the moment and plenty of deals about on Marketplace, eBay and Pink bike.
I recommend the Vitus Sentier or On One Scandal. Though any of the bikes mentioned above will give you a good smile around Dartmoor.
+1 on just grabbing a secondhand bargain now
I have a Sonder Signal, I like it but it is a bit if a lump, if you don't need something quite as gnaar/aggressive hardtail-y (and, to be fair, I'm not sure I did really) then the Dial looks like a good choice.
Carbon 'aggressive' hardtails seem to have gone out of fashion, which is a shame really.
I love my Ragley too, but I think OP will struggle to get one on the cycle to work scheme.
True but C2W is not a guarantee of best value. I have just sold a fairly high end new Big Al in XL for £1,100.
Theoretically, after reading the other cycle to work thread, if you bought a second hand bike and got a receipt for it, your employer could reimburse you for it and then deduct payments from your payroll.
Carbon ‘aggressive’ hardtails seem to have gone out of fashion, which is a shame really.
I dunno, I had a loan of a carbon Sonder Transmitter for a couple of weeks and compared to the alloy one, all you really got was a small weight-saving in exchange for quite a hefty price increase. It looked nice and it wasn't a bad thing losing a lb or two, but I wouldn't say it was a massive improvement for the increased spend.
Anyway, the Sonder Transmitter is ace. It runs 27.5 plus-sized tyres and is just inherently silly. I'm sure the Dial is nice enough, but it looks quite dull. In honesty, I suspect any of the options the OP mentions would be good, though I've not ridden any of them, whereas I've had two Transmitters now and would happily buy another.
yup i had the transmitter.. was a hooligan... made me tackle things beyond my paygrade.... only went to the signal for the fancy metal frame... Signal is a a better all rounder IMHO and more comfortable that the transmitter when putting the hammer down, Dial for a bit of XC, or you've got the frontier/broken road for a mile muncher bike
One of the BIRD HT could be a good shout. I loved my Zero29 and the steel Forge looks lovely https://www.bird.bike/product/forge-shimano-12-speed/#configuration
Another thumbs up for Sonder. I've had Transmitter and Frontier hardtails and both have been great bikes (if very different). Throw in the Dial, Signal ST as well as the two Ti options .... the world is your oyster.
I've also had two bikes off them on C2W and they're really helpful. Will help you spec your bike to get the absolute maximum out of the money available.
Second hand for sure , for a bit of perspective Im selling a Commencal Meta HT AM thats fairly well specc'd . Its a 2021 in good condition and have it on Marketplace for £975 ono . I dont actually expect to get that but try buying a Hardtail with good components for that even with the c2w discount. The arse has dropped out the market on both Bikes and Ebikes, It had to happen after the inflated prices of covid , from bike shop owners I regualrly use they say they are reasonably busy with repairs but not selling any nikes.
I am in the process of persuading my boss to sign up to cycle to work so if it happens I’d like to try to take advantage of any sale prices if not I will maybe wait till sales start again.
Be aware that most bike shops will only sell bikes on C2W at full RRP, very rarely at sale prices, as they have to pay some money to the C2W people which would mean supplying at sale prices would be loss-making. You may find sale prices better than the savings you'll achieve on C2W anyway, especially if you're not in the 40% tax bracket.