Hi folks
Mostly do road biking but have had the occasional mtb ride over the years. Decided that I fancy a hardtail but my knowledge is fairly basic on all things mtb.
My road bike is titanium so I quite fancied a titanium mtb as well, although I like steel too.
So far I like the Sonder Signal Ti which looks great value at £1850 for the basic model, and I also like the Onza Jackpot which is on sale for £899.
Any thoughts on these bikes, or better suggestions?
I like the Sonder but the mtb will be used sparingly so I’m not sure if I’d be any worse off with the Onza.
Thanks
I’d go for a cheap-ish carbon offering if you’re a roadie
If you fancy Ti but not quite as expensive is the Titus Fireline 29er which is a very capable, light and playful bike.
The only recommendation I'd say regarding them is to size up so if you're taller than 5'10" then go for the extra large frame as they're not that long in the top tube.
I looked at the Titus but it looks to be frame-only at the moment.
Depending upon the size you want there's a frame for sale on the classifieds (no link to the seller) but you could keep an eye on ebay, pinkbike and maybe post on the wanted section here if you're after either a frame or full build and could potentially pick one up for a good chunk less than new.
The sonder is also a nice frame, slightly slacker head angle and steeper seat angle but, you're less likely to pick one of them up second hand as they're only about a year old max.
Thanks, the Sonder seems a fair bit cheaper than a lot of other Titanium mtb, not sure why?!
The Onza comes with a similar spec but includes a dropper post and 27.5 wheels as opposed to 29 on the Sonder.
I'd definitely try and get test rides of both 27.5 and 29 wheeled bikes, you don't mention your height, if you're taller you would probably be better suited to a 29er, what kind of riding you're likely to do and your riding weight kitted up.
The 29er would be faster rolling once up to speed and easier to keep up to speed and more comfortable when rolling over obstacles but slightly less agile in tight turns/switchbacks.
Whichever wheel size you go for I'd definitely get a dropper post, makes descending so much more confidence inspiring.
There's a few companies around selling Ti frames direct to market such as Sonder, On One or if you want slightly more aggressive and tougher built then Kingdom Vendetta, I think all of these 3 are plain gauge Ti rather than double butted, but all very good frames.
They're great in that they just need a brush or cloth over to clean and don't rust and have that lovely springiness that encourages to pop off things.
Or a s/h Santa Cruz carbon Highball, soon to be in the classifieds (ahem). I'd always had steel MTBs so, as a road rider too, it was a bit of an eye-opener (lighter, stiffer, funner), so much so I've gone carbon FS. But I'll grant you ti or steel frames usually look better.
