Another "spec me a bike thread"

[booyaka]

I'm currently looking at getting the Boardman Team FS, how come you've decided for HT?

The Team FS has a great spec for the price, whats am I missing? lol

I am/still between about 15 bikes!

I decided that for a good/very good FS you need - £1500 plus/ for a good/very good hard tail you need £700-£1000.

Therefore with £1k to play with give or take and the likelihood of not actually "needing" a FS, a good/very good built hard tail will be better for me. I don;t envisage anywhere were I would be thinking - christ I need a full sus bike for this. I know my limits etc.

Also for £1200 I can get a 456 trail carbon which looks a superb bike for the money. A bit over my original budget but hey ho!!

I've also always had a soft spot for the Cube range of bikes, very nice looks, decent spec etc.

Once my latest exams are out the way (2 weeks time) I will be getting something sorted.

I was waiting for the new 2011 boardmans spec/range to appear but can't see anything solid yet about them.

Horses for courses I guess but budget wise/ability wise a good hard tail for me will be more than sufficient!!

 

[Blinkz]

I know the feeling haha. I'm currently looking at a fair few and am stuck in the middle of getting HT or FS.

All the reviews and friends recommendations of the Boardman Team FS are great tho, its an amazing spec bike and out performs many £1500+ FS bikes, its also on sale at Halfords because its 2010 so its only £850 at the moment. The parts alone are worth more then £850, so I've been told anyway!

As you say I wouldn't NEED a FS, but then you don't really NEED anything, its about it being nice. As I understand it (and anyone feel free to correct me!) the main differences are that the FS will allow you to be a lot quicker over rough terrain, but over a long ride can obviously use up a little more energy. HT can be a little more of a handful on rough terrain but then are more 'responsive')

Problem with waiting for the 2011 means that prices will all go up. Components are more expensive now so the new bikes will either be lower spec or more expensive! Good deals to be had at the moment on the 2010 ranges.

I've not riden for around 5 years now and had a Kona Caldera, which I loved. Hence the issues between deciding between the amazing deal FS bike or a HT!

 

[Duke_]

I am/still between about 15 bikes!

I decided that for a good/very good FS you need - £1500 plus/ for a good/very good hard tail you need £700-£1000.

This sums it up to me, had I seen this thread earlier it's what I would have suggested.

However... if you can stretch your budget a bit to a full suspension I would highly recommend it. I tend to ride mostly 7 Stanes trails and riding FS has completely changed the way I ride, I can now ride a lot quicker downhill while still under the illusion that I'm in control . Uphill, yes a bit heavier but no suspension bob or other problems which historically plagued FS mountain bikes. I picked up a last season ('07) Rocky Mountain ETSX when they were still around and it's been great. The previous bike was a high end Giant ATX 880 hard tail bought for £750 with a employee discount - it's been a brilliant bike and still going 10 years on.
I hope you're happy with whatever you choose. If you buy online I highly recommend Wiggle, great customer service - just bought a Jake the Snake CX bike for commuting.

 

[SDK^]

Dude - It doesn't really matter which bike you buy, so long as it's comfortable and fits your size.
There is no bad bike in your list - Buy one and get riding