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Bear with me, sorry if its a bit of a waffle, trying to explain.
I (hopefully) will receive an insurance payment in the next 6-8 weeks, settlement has been sent off but this is the timescale i have been told. By the time we have purchased an electric wheelchair for my wife (following an unsuccessful operation to the spine in her neck) and other bits and bobs we need, i should be left with £1200-£1500.
I ride (when possible) my Norco Threshold on the road and my current bike is a 17.5" Stiffee, 140mm Pikes, 1x9, etc. Hasn't seen much use due to baby, torn ligament in my ankle, wife's condition and me caring for her etc, but with little one going to school in January, i am hoping to be able to start getting out again.
While i have the money i would like to get a new full sus to replace my Remedy which i sold as i never used it ready for next year. What sort of bikes should i be looking at? Don't mind building my own, second hand or a bike to upgrade.
I know a lot will change between now and then and possibly different offers with new season bikes upcoming but starting to look ready.
Any help will be greatly appreciated, Thanks
Depends on where you're going to be riding?
Sorry, that would help. Brechfa mainly, NyA, hoping to get to Afan too etc. Not blacks, but reds and flowy stuff.
Boardman pro looks hard to beat for the price.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/boardman-mountain-bike-pro-full-suspension-27-5
Halfords regularly have 20% off sales and if you join british cycling you can get 10% off everything at halfords. IIRC that bike was going for about £1200 just before xmas when both discounts combined.
The singletrackworld guys liked it too
http://singletrackmag.com/reviews/review-boardman-pro-fs/
Calibre bossnut looks good for a grand
Already a member of British Cycling, hadn't thought of Halfords.
If you are buying new then a Boardman Pro FS has to be right up there on your list. Better components than a Bossnut (pikes, GX 1x11 etc) and will ride well for what you have said you ride. I had the previous version that had a marginally steeper head angle and it rode well xc / Cwmcarn reds / blues and reds at BPW / technical stuff at FOD. The current version has a marginally more laid back head angle (think 67.5), so should be more fun towards the faster / more technical reds.
Hardcore hard tail? Orange crush
2016 T129s?
Already have a hardtail, thanks Chris.
Thanks for the suggestion Andy, i have thought about a 29er but think if i was going up a wheel size it would probably be to a 27.5.
So full suss 27.5 definitely?
Trying to think of good alternatives to the 2 I mentioned earlier but struggling without sales on.
Maybe look at Paul's cycles and see if there are any Giant Trance in a sale or maybe a Cannondale of some description.
Or look second hand and you'll get a lot for your money if you buy well.
Not definite 27.5 but 29 doesn't appeal to me. I am 5'8" with short legs but a longer torso so not sure how a 29 would be? Unable to get to any demo days due to my wife as mentioned earlier as it would be a day long rather than a few hours for a blat.
I have checked the boardman and it is great spec wise, so it is a possibility. I won't be able to commit fully until i receive the payment so the likelihood will be more choice by then (hopefully). Just trying to get the research and opinions in now so i have plenty of time to make some sort of shortlist.
I've had a go on a couple of mid range hardtail 29ers and I found them a bit hard work - especially in tight corners. I'm 5'9 with longer legs but short arms!
Maybe the more modern geometry 29ers are better, but not sure how many 29er full suss bikes with decent geometry are within your budget.
Canyon are doing the spectral 5 for 1600. Think it's last years model but looks good in green
Just been having a look at other bikes:
Canyon Spectral 5 al as mentioned above
Radon Skeen (cheapest model)
Neither are as well specced as the Boardman and both cost more - but are bigger brand names. YT Jeffsy 27.5 is about another £100 more so probably a bit outside of budget.
I really like that Jeffsy!
The Boardman is great value for money, especially when it's on sale with the BC discount, but that Jeffsy is awsumz. Will the Jeffsy make me a better rider?
Wallet vs head vs want vs need.
Did i mention i like that Jeffsy?
Will the Jeffsy make me a better rider?
It might make you think you're a better rider - and thats almost the same thing 😀
The Giant Trance 3 is also worth looking at. You should be able to get it for around £1500 if you haggle with your dealer. I've got a Trance 2 and its ace. But the Jeffsy looks great too.
Having said that there is a lot to be said for buying from a UK shop in the event of warranty issues. Halfords don't have a great reputation on here for assembling the bikes, but they are good at customer service when things go wrong in my experience.
I agree it's good to have lbs support, but the Giant Trance 3 has significantly worse spec.
Both the Boardman and Jeffsy have Pikes vs Sektors on the Giant. Both have better brakes, better wheelsets etc.
Comparing Jeffsy and Boardman the Jeffsy is longer travel and slightly more laid back angles. Boardman has a 1 x 11 drivetrain instead of 2x on the Jeffsy.
Given the choice I'm not sure which of the two I would take. Guessing the Boardman will probably climb better / is lighter, but probably less capable in the downhills.
You can't test ride the Boardman -but then now that YT have had all their demo bikes stolen you might not be able to test one of those either!