[Closed] Ragley Marley - anything else worth considering?

Anyone?

Probably not fashionable, but the Voodoo Bizango is a great bike (I've had one but moved on to FS now) and would leave plenty of change for upgrades including dropper, etc should be around £460 with BC discount

Depends on your budget but Bird have got some clearance offers on at the mo.

Whyte 901 maybe? Bit more but when I was having a gander the other month I thought about both of these, but the Commencal Meta hard tails.

Never riden a Marley but I am a fan of the Ragley hardtails. I have a Blue Pig and my current hardtail is a Bigwig 29er. Both steel and a bit more aggresive, but from the first ride they just felt 'right'. Have they stopped doing the Piglet?

CRC were doing the Marley frame (last version) a couple of years ago really cheap so there are quite a few that come up on classifieds/ebay as full bikes at devent prices if you are looking for a bargain or to try one out. Probably doesnt say much for the residual value, but if you have killed a rockhopper you are obviously getting your money worth!

scotroutes has a Marley and rates it. Cracking looking bike and pretty capable for general xc riding.

* waves *

Yep, it's my first choice for hooning round the local area. I have it set up with 140mm Revs and 1x11, KOM i25 rims and Bonty XR4s.

It's much more capable bike than I am a rider. Very confidence inspiring.

It's also much better finished than Ragleys of old.

The only bad point I can think of is that the fat downtube really resonates when stones hit it. You definitely want to tape it up.

My son has a Bigwig which has been great.

for general cross country and trail riding this looks unbeatable - Reba and great drivetrain. £850 so slightly over budget but British cycling discount of 10% would take it below:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=165499&productId=1173726&storeId=10001

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-iroko-2-2016-mountain-bike-EV244133

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I have the Boardman Pro 29er linked above for XC duties.

It's very good for that, geometry good and more "trail" than XC. Frame is quite stiff but 2.35in tyres make it bearable.

If I wanted to do more technical riding I'd look at something like the Marley instead.

Thanks everyone (and scotroutes for the great pic!).

The piglet is outside of my price range but the Marley 2.0 on CRC with 10% BC discount is looking quite good at the moment.

A quick google shows the Marley 2.0 is currently 15% off at Globalbike.co.uk with sale voucher making it £722.

Never used them, but it might save you a few quid.

Thanks, I spotted that but was a little wary because I have never heard of them.

eskay,
Did you get one in the end?
I am thinking of getting a 2.0 for my wife and a 1.0 for myself. My strategy is to get 2 bikes under £2000 which we'll use to get really into mtbiking then be able to upgrade/pass on to the kids. The Marleys look to be great value - and certainly have had good reviews.

I'm a little concerned however that the slack geo might make it hard for climbing and less enjoyable when used for canal path type rides (which I am sure we'll be doing sometimes with the younger kids).
I'd love to know your experience/thoughts. (And anybody else's too!)

Thanks.

I've had mine since February. Use it on XC type rides. It's a great bike. Climbs well and the slack head angle shouldn't give you any issues there. I've just developed an issue with my freehub/cassette so it's back to the shop for the second time. First was a missing wavey washer from the non drive side crank arm. I got mine from MTB Monster in Blackburn and they've been great.

Thanks st Colin. Glad to hear it claims well and you're enjoying it for xc.

Did you take the 1.0 or 2.0 - i.e. have you got the manitou or suntour fork?

can no longer edit my last post...

climbs, not claims.

I had a bigwig & hated it

Wanderer - yes I did!

I wanted the 1.0 and wanted to get it through Chain Reaction to get my BC discount but they were out of stock at the time.

My real favourite was the rasta colour model from the year before and quite by chance someone was selling one secondhand that was immaculate. I ended up buying it and have been really pleased with it. I have used it for various different duties, did the Wentwood 50 on it, have been to BPW and Cwmcarn and ridden my local trails.

The slack angles have not affected my climbing at all, it is a great ride, very sure footed and quite a bit of fun.

My only gripe is that the gloss black seems to mark quite easily, I have helicopter taped quite a bit of it.
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Did you take the 1.0 or 2.0 - i.e. have you got the manitou or suntour fork?

I have the 1.0 with the Manitou fork. Seems a decent fork. Pretty stiff and the damping is fine for the bikes use.

I've been running my Marley with 140mm Revelations. It's fine with those going uphill and a hoot down.