Mountain Biking

glitch · 17 May 2025 at 16:26

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/shimano-consolidate-entry-to-mid-level-groupsets-with-new-cues-tier.html

In short - replaced all the lower-tier groupsets into one and brings in the Linkglide technology to give you longer-lasting components, with a trade-off in weight and shifting speed.

silvagti · 18 May 2025 at 20:20

glitch said:
The 8.9 is easily the best value of the bunch.

- 12sp Shimano, so really easy to upgrade with better parts as time goes on. 8.6 has an older rear hub which limits your options and Microshift can be horrible to live with.
- Brakes are better, bottom bracket is more reliable, generally has a superior drivertrain.
- Brakes are far better than the 8.6 has.
- Comes with a dropper post, which is essential for modern mountain biking and possibly the greatest advancement since disk brakes.

Calibre Bossnut is the better value bike though.

Calibre 2025 Bossnut Full Suspension Mountain Bike | GO Outdoors

£1,700.00 | The name Bossnut needs no introduction in the mountain bike...

www.gooutdoors.co.uk

Thanks for the advice. Had a look at a couple in my local Halfords and the general fit/finish of the frame seems pretty good. They had an 8.6 and an 8.8 in stock.

I'd agree with you about the Microshift gearing and drivetrain. It might seem like a minor thing but the gear shifter itself on the handlebar feels really cheap/flimsy and nowhere near as high quality as the shimano ones I've had on even fairly cheap hardtail mountain bikes. That alone would put me off the 8.6 and make me want an 8.8 or 8.9!

MTB Full Suspension

www.boardmanbikes.com

glitch · 18 May 2025 at 21:51

The single best upgrade to make to a Shimano 12sp bike is getting the shifter upgraded to an XT model - will cost you around £33 and makes a world of difference. Crisper shifting, able to change multiple gears at the same time and has a really nice feel to the paddles and the shifting action.

Nobody needs full XT or even XTR, but pair Deore or SLX parts with an XT shifter and you are golden.

Minstadave · 18 May 2025 at 21:59

glitch said:
The single best upgrade to make to a Shimano 12sp bike is getting the shifter upgraded to an XT model - will cost you around £33 and makes a world of difference. Crisper shifting, able to change multiple gears at the same time and has a really nice feel to the paddles and the shifting action.

Nobody needs full XT or even XTR, but pair Deore or SLX parts with an XT shifter and you are golden.

Been meaning to do this, good reminder.

Andrew Moore · 18 May 2025 at 23:06

glitch said:
/The single best upgrade to make to a Shimano 12sp bike is getting the shifter upgraded to an XT model - will cost you around £33 and makes a world of difference. Crisper shifting, able to change multiple gears at the same time and has a really nice feel to the paddles and the shifting action.

Nobody needs full XT or even XTR, but pair Deore or SLX parts with an XT shifter and you are golden.

I enjoy it so much Im rocking XT/XTR mix instead of SRAMs slow as hell transmission. Why? Because the shifting with linkglide is as fast as you could want it without the delays and its robust enough even for a full emtb system. Parts are expensive for a manual shifter but HEAPS cheaper than the sram stuff. +1 on the XT shifter, itll made the world of difference. As for Cassettes, M6100 minimum, you wont even be able to tell the difference between it or the M7/8/9 series of cassettes.

glitch · 19 May 2025 at 17:18

Andrew Moore said:
As for Cassettes, M6100 minimum, you wont even be able to tell the difference between it or the M7/8/9 series of cassettes.

Oh, you absolutely can - XTR is getting on for half the weight of Deore (ish) and you can instantly feel the difference it makes to the suspension.

But as it makes a massive hole in your wallet, unless someone gives you an XTR cassette - anything will do!

For reference, in the 10-51T size.

Deore M6100 @ 591g
SLX M7100 @ 534g
XT M8100 @ 470g
XTR M9100 @ 367g

Andrew Moore · 19 May 2025 at 17:26

glitch said:
Oh, you absolutely can - XTR is getting on for half the weight of Deore (ish) and you can instantly feel the difference it makes to the suspension.

But as it makes a massive hole in your wallet, unless someone gives you an XTR cassette - anything will do!

For reference, in the 10-51T size.

Deore M6100 @ 591g
SLX M7100 @ 534g
XT M8100 @ 470g
XTR M9100 @ 367g

With mavity casing, loads of tyre gunk and some heavy burly wheels when strapped to an already weighty 25kg bike, zip all difference for me. On an XC with trail casing and no emtb bloat at 12/13kg then sure you may notice but for me and for most people, that 200grams is nothing. Having a full steel cassette too also helps keep the replacements down as an emtb can chew the first 1-3gears on the lighter stuff with ease if given the chance.

jamief · 20 May 2025 at 09:16

Andrew Moore said:
With mavity casing, loads of tyre gunk and some heavy burly wheels when strapped to an already weighty 25kg bike, zip all difference for me. On an XC with trail casing and no emtb bloat at 12/13kg then sure you may notice but for me and for most people, that 200grams is nothing. Having a full steel cassette too also helps keep the replacements down as an emtb can chew the first 1-3gears on the lighter stuff with ease if given the chance.

Absolutely this. Saving weight on a emtb just feels like a pointless endeavour.

SDK^ · 20 May 2025 at 13:45

Has anyone else noticed MTB’ing seems to be much less popular these days?

Over the last 18-24 months I’ve done the majority of Trail Centres in the England & Wales and the number of riders I see is tiny compared to what it used to be back in 2007 to around 2014.

I was at Afan Forest on Sunday - the car parks were dead and I saw just 3 other riders on the trail during 4 hours of riding. I was really surprised given the amazing weather and it being a weekend. I did this area last August and it was same then.
I used to ride here a lot in 2008 to 2012 and the car park and trails were very busy. Sometimes you had to park on the road. Sunday there was just one other car parked up !

Pretty much the same story with Coed Y Brenin, CwnCarn and Cannock Chase has been virtually empty on the trail too.

The only place i have seen ‘busy’ is Bike Park Wales.

What happened?

steve45 · 20 May 2025 at 23:09

I've just come back to it after ~2 year break. Picked up a bargain to get back at it, and to make sure I want to commit before dropping any serious money.
Picked up an old 2013 Stumpy FSR 29". Set me back a grand total of £250. Yeah its a bit dated on the Geo etc but its in half decent nick and has lived untouched in his garage for quite some time. I have probably spend almost the same again on servicing it myself and on parts to bring it back up to speed and make it a bit more comfortable for me. Bar/stem, pads/discs, saddle, pedals and a new chain to get it running.
At the moment its going to be purely to get my fitness back up, I've been slacking the last year or so! It will also get my body acclimated back to riding (my taint aint as tough as it used to be...). Its plenty bike to get the fire stoked again I think. I may look at getting something more modern and burly in the next couple of months if I stick at it. If anything it gets me back on two wheels, which I have been missing for a long time now.

SDK^ said:
Has anyone else noticed MTB’ing seems to be much less popular these days?

Cant speak for the rest of the UK but Hamsterley was busy as hell at the weekend, even the overflow carparks were heaving, lots of bikers! My mate who frequents it regularly says thats normal and it wasnt even that nice of a day comparatively, it was a little bit cooler and overcast with a few sunny spells.
We arrived relatively late (mid afternoon) and majority of riders were finishing up their rides. Whilst we didnt encounter lots on the trail there were still a lot of them around.

Andrew Moore · 21 May 2025 at 01:36

SDK^ said:
Has anyone else noticed MTB’ing seems to be much less popular these days?

Over the last 18-24 months I’ve done the majority of Trail Centres in the England & Wales and the number of riders I see is tiny compared to what it used to be back in 2007 to around 2014.

I was at Afan Forest on Sunday - the car parks were dead and I saw just 3 other riders on the trail during 4 hours of riding. I was really surprised given the amazing weather and it being a weekend. I did this area last August and it was same then.
I used to ride here a lot in 2008 to 2012 and the car park and trails were very busy. Sometimes you had to park on the road. Sunday there was just one other car parked up !

Pretty much the same story with Coed Y Brenin, CwnCarn and Cannock Chase has been virtually empty on the trail too.

The only place i have seen ‘busy’ is Bike Park Wales.

What happened?

Oh yea! I found the same at Amsterly forest and Danny hearts descend seem to be ok. Sherwood pines is also ok but loads of other places are somewhat sparse.. given the amount of bikes sold recently I dont get it either.

robj20 · 21 May 2025 at 05:42

I tried the 155mm cranks last night, really liked them felt really good in descending and cornering. Not so good in climbing but when I got home I'd set a few PBs on a couple of climbs. That's all with the same 30t chain ring I normally use.
Absolute bargain for £50 including BB. Atherton have some cranks coming out later this year so I'm going to hold off on Eewings until then see what they offer.

ichabod crane · 21 May 2025 at 16:47

SDK^ said:
Has anyone else noticed MTB’ing seems to be much less popular these days?

Over the last 18-24 months I’ve done the majority of Trail Centres in the England & Wales and the number of riders I see is tiny compared to what it used to be back in 2007 to around 2014.

I was at Afan Forest on Sunday - the car parks were dead and I saw just 3 other riders on the trail during 4 hours of riding. I was really surprised given the amazing weather and it being a weekend. I did this area last August and it was same then.
I used to ride here a lot in 2008 to 2012 and the car park and trails were very busy. Sometimes you had to park on the road. Sunday there was just one other car parked up !

Pretty much the same story with Coed Y Brenin, CwnCarn and Cannock Chase has been virtually empty on the trail too.

The only place i have seen ‘busy’ is Bike Park Wales.

What happened?

I'd agree the popularity does seem to have waned a little, around here if you go out early you get all the usual hardcore riders, and it can be quite busy but if you venture out in the afternoon or evening you can generally have the trails to yourself!

I think the current cost of bikes doesn't help whether full builds or components they are very expensive now, those interested in MTB always will be but not many people can't just try it out without expending some significant monies so for young people it is difficult to get serious about.

I recently went up to Scotland with my son for a weekend and that was really quiet after lunchtime, which was great for us as we didn't have to stop to let people pass us by and we could go back and session areas of trail for as long as he wanted.

SDK^ · 21 May 2025 at 20:47

ichabod crane said:
I'd agree the popularity does seem to have waned a little, around here if you go out early you get all the usual hardcore riders, and it can be quite busy but if you venture out in the afternoon or evening you can generally have the trails to yourself!

I think the current cost of bikes doesn't help whether full builds or components they are very expensive now, those interested in MTB always will be but not many people can't just try it out without expending some significant monies so for young people it is difficult to get serious about.

I recently went up to Scotland with my son for a weekend and that was really quiet after lunchtime, which was great for us as we didn't have to stop to let people pass us by and we could go back and session areas of trail for as long as he wanted.

We usually start riding around lunch time (12 - 1pm), so that makes sense.
Scotland is on our list this year. I did all of the 7Stanes trails, Fort William and Laggan Wolftrax years ago, now my son wants to try them out too

Street · 22 May 2025 at 16:08

SDK^ said:
Has anyone else noticed MTB’ing seems to be much less popular these days?

Tell that to Llandegla at the weekends! If you arrive too late it's a struggle to get parked as it's absolutely rammed. However, compare that to the loop I did around the Clwyds at the weekend where saw a group of three other bikers all day.

Begbie · 22 May 2025 at 16:16

SDK^ said:
Has anyone else noticed MTB’ing seems to be much less popular these days?

Over the last 18-24 months I’ve done the majority of Trail Centres in the England & Wales and the number of riders I see is tiny compared to what it used to be back in 2007 to around 2014.

I was at Afan Forest on Sunday - the car parks were dead and I saw just 3 other riders on the trail during 4 hours of riding. I was really surprised given the amazing weather and it being a weekend. I did this area last August and it was same then.
I used to ride here a lot in 2008 to 2012 and the car park and trails were very busy. Sometimes you had to park on the road. Sunday there was just one other car parked up !

Pretty much the same story with Coed Y Brenin, CwnCarn and Cannock Chase has been virtually empty on the trail too.

The only place i have seen ‘busy’ is Bike Park Wales.

What happened?

I think the popularity of trail centres has diminished with bigger more capable bikes that can be quite dull at your usual trail centres. More people have seeked out unsanctioned places, or build their own trails.

More and more seeking more enduro style riding.

PC777 · 28 May 2025 at 12:29

glitch said:
Very few full-suspension bikes have an actual lockout on the rear - in almost every case, it firms up the compression so it feels more supportive but will still go through its travel when pushed.

Setting aside your concerns about value, storage and your location, you are overthinking eMTBs. You can use the ease of riding to get you to trails that are further away than you would ordinarily be able to manage, then ride the trails on the lowest assistance mode if you want to get a workout. Just because an eMTB can assist your pedalling, it doesn't mean it has to.

An £8k muggers paradise only applies to an eMTB? Do they not like normal bikes?

No you won't and no it won't. Chain and cassette would cost you less than £250, everything else would stand up to a good deal of abuse unless you ride it like an idiot.

It would only lose value from the RRP based on the fact that the second owner only gets 2-years warranty from the date of purchase. I'm not going to buy your Levo at full RRP without the lifetime warranty.

If you are so worried about value, why are you planning on returning it when you could just sell the thing off instead? Specialized aren't going to refund you for returning a bike you didn't buy.

Thanks for useful feedback. After some delay it's confirmed as safely returned now unopened in box with a full refund going to my family member, saving them a huge amount of money. I don't care about getting the money for myself at all, I'd rather they get a full refund, keep more money for themselves and spend a lot less getting me a much more suitable bike.

Despite any e-bike positives, for many reasons including insurance, weight, storage and safety, I just don't want to use a powered bike at all - I want a traditional bike where I do all the work. Though it's true about other £8k bikes being robber bait as well, they do an £8 hardtail and a £5.5k hardtail as well, neither of which I'll ask for instead due to insurance costs and theft risks.

I'll now choose a hardtail for a lot less, likely the £3k Epic Comp Hardtail which is much more suitable for me. As they chose me a Specialized I'd like to keep that brand and they're comfortable ordering from that website. £3k bike not too bad on insurance and as non ebike will be able to keep both bikes on balcony, will keep old hardtail for something I can leave locked up and as spare.

The Epic Comp Hardtail is also much lighter at 22lb vs 41lb for the Levo ebike, plus 5 grand cheaper. I was never or rarely ever going to use the ebike function and also couldn't keep it indoors as per Specialized advice, so sending it back for full refund was my best option.

Epic comp would still be by far the best bike I've ever had, as much as that ebike would have been amazing to keep, it just wasn't viable for me.

SDK^ · 29 May 2025 at 08:55

There are so few 27.5” wheel bikes available now, even fewer of these are trail hardtail bikes :cry:

My son is looking for a trail geo hardtail and there appears to be just 3 options.

Marin San Quentin
Canyon Stoic - size XS
Giant Fathom - older stock

Bike makers should realise not everyone wants to ride 29” wheel bikes.
Kids grow out of their 24” ‘youth’ bike and the next option is a 29” wheeled bike

robj20 · 29 May 2025 at 09:17

SDK^ said:
There are so few 27.5” wheel bikes available now, even fewer of these are trail hardtail bikes
My son is looking for a trail geo hardtail and there appears to be just 3 options.

Marin San Quentin

Canyon Stoic - size XS

Giant Fathom - older stock

Bike makers should realise not everyone wants to ride 29” wheel bikes.
Kids grow out of their 24” ‘youth’ bike and the next option is a 29” wheeled bike

NP Scout 275, plenty available second hand.

kefkef · 4 Jun 2025 at 07:38

SDK^ said:
There are so few 27.5” wheel bikes available now, even fewer of these are trail hardtail bikes
My son is looking for a trail geo hardtail and there appears to be just 3 options.

Marin San Quentin

Canyon Stoic - size XS

Giant Fathom - older stock

Bike makers should realise not everyone wants to ride 29” wheel bikes.
Kids grow out of their 24” ‘youth’ bike and the next option is a 29” wheeled bike

If you want new then how about Ragley BluePig or Stanton Slackline frame and some 2nd hand components? Or just look for a decent one already built on Pinkbike or ebay?