sub £800 MB

Admiral Huddy

Admiral Huddy

Admiral Huddy

Man of Honour
Joined
17 Feb 2003
Posts
29,640
Location
Chelmsford
I need a full suspension MB for cycling to the station. I don't need a ultra high over priced super spec bike... just something that works, gets me to my destination and will help save my back. I've had a hybrid with a sprung seat post over the last few years but it's just not for me.

Any suggestions.

thanks
 
You need a full suspension bike for cycling to the station? Where is this station, in a volcano? :eek:

In all seriousness, from what i remember of my MTB days it would be quite hard to find a full sus bike for that money. But the good news is that if you're just using it for a commute on roads/bike paths/even dirt tracks, you really don't need one. There are a bunch of dedicated commuter bikes out there that will do that job and do it a lot better than a mountain bike would.
 
A full sus bike will not help you're back because of the suspension. It will slow you down though and require you to put more effort in, causing probably more stress for your back.
 
I had a full sus bike, thought I needed it and it was the worst mistake of my life. You don't even move you just bounce..

I replaced it with a 2015 Trek Marlin 6 29er for £450 brand new and its a dream to ride when it's needed. It's mainly for canals and the odd trip in snow.. I use a roadie 95% of the year now though.

My advice, Cube, Giant, Trek MTB, possibly 29er as they roll better.. If you're not doing many miles on it get a cheaper one like my mtb, don't waste your money unnecessarily.
 
Supercow said:
Nope, you don't.
At that price, new, all you'll get is a sack of horse patty - as Perma said above, find yourself a commuter bike.
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I have a bad back for as long as i can remember so would prefer the comfort and protection a full suspension frame gives over a rigid frame. I'd rather have the rear suspension take the stress of any sudden impacts rather than my spine. A rigid frame (even with a seat dampener) gives me no protection at all.

I've been cycling back and forth to the station for the past 18 years and in that time i 've had a few MB and never had any issues. I decided to spend a little more on my current hybrid and have had back problems throughout..even with a saddle dampener. All the bikes i've had cost me under £600 at the time but it seems with everyone now hitting the saddle one way or another it seems to me that current prices are nothing more than jumping on a bandwagon

tbh i'm not after anything flash to stand back back and admire. If i get 3 years out of it and it functions like i expect to then i'm happy.

Begbie said:
A full sus bike will not help you're back because of the suspension. It will slow you down though and require you to put more effort in, causing probably more stress for your back.
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My back is strong enough to put effort thought but won't take the impact of today ****** roads.
 
I know you're set on an MTB and people here are going to be set against it so it's going to be hard to reach a good conclusion but...

There are a few things you should probably consider:

* Back issues (and pain) with regards to bikes are not often fixed by more suspension.

* Usually a mixture of the bike properly fitting you, improvement in core strength and having a mixture of tyre/frame type that is suitable for your riding conditions will help more.

* Full suspension MTBs in the price range you're talking about tend to be kind of cack. You would realise more improvements in comfort if you either upped your budget or considered an alternative (a good quality hardtail for instance).

* The point above about the MTB requiring more effort to move and hence likely putting more strain on your bike is extremely true. I know you notice bumps and such more readily when you're cycling but actually repetitive strain all adds up and you might find that your back is generally in a healthier state if this is reduced.

Based on all this I'd weigh up the alternatives:

* MTB hard tail with slick tyres. Should provide a "soft" ride. If you got a carbon bike and/or seat post it will absorb a good amount of road vibration and bumps too.

* Road bike (perhaps CX/Gravel so you can fit wider tyres). With wider tyres you will still have a softer ride but the general set up will be more natural and hence you'll have less strain on put on your body. You'll also be able to put out power more efficiently, further reducing strain. Once again, carbon seat post and/or frame will help with shocks. Basically avoid aluminium.

Whatever option you choose you should definitely:

* Get a bike fit. Being properly measured up will reduce the strain put on your body and your back a huge amount. I was dismissive of them for years but getting one made a huge difference to my comfort when cycling.

Most people here hate hybrids for similar reasons to those you've hinted at - they're a horrible middle ground that provide the worst of both worlds.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
I've been cycling back and forth to the station for the past 18 years and in that time i 've had a few MB and never had any issues. I decided to spend a little more on my current hybrid and have had back problems throughout..even with a saddle dampener. All the bikes i've had cost me under £600 at the time but it seems with everyone now hitting the saddle one way or another it seems to me that current prices are nothing more than jumping on a bandwagon.
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It does seem like the issues with your current hybrid could be because of the seatpost suspension, not in spite of it. But i have to agree with FrenchTart here. If you don't believe us then actually go along to a bike shop, get fit and try out the options. You'll soon find what works for you.

I don't know the nature of your back problems but i'd hazard a guess that if you can get into the slightly more aggressive position of a cross bike and be comfortable there then that would be your best bet. Something like a Charge Plug 3, Genesis CdA 20, all different materials that will absorb the road vibrations differently so you'd have to see what you'd prefer. There are even some carbon road bikes in your budget which may give you a smoother ride, like this which has a pretty relaxed geometry as well:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/eastway-r20-2014/
 
having a full sus and a lower back problem id be inclined to agree with what the others have said.

ive used it a couple of times to commute to/from train stations as a last resort and its far from ideal as a commuter, even with pro pedal (fox shocks semi lock out mode) enabled on the rear shock its a very bobby affair. you end up putting more stress through your lower back counter acting the bob.

might be worth learning to read what the road is doing in front and react by raising your bum from the saddle and using your legs as dampers?
 
Just to balance the scales a little bit - I rode an Kona Four Deluxe with semi slicks to work for years and I still maintain that it was the best commuter bike i've ever had (Obviously I used it off road as well recreationally)

Soaked up the bumps, and was versatile enough so that I could detour if necessary, go through parks and have a bit of fun.

I was gutted when the frame cracked (Scandium construction and on the seat post weld, so not an easy repair weld - 1 month out of warranty too). Unfortunately I'd already bought a racer (Giant Defy 2) as a ride to work bike when I moved out here - something I regret as I never really got on with it for the couple of years I commuted with it.

Rather strangely the Four Deluxe wasn't any slower than the Defy in terms of commute, due to the terrain, poor road surfaces and traffic - you could simply attack the journey with the Four Deluxe, keeping an eye on the traffic and not the road surface. Bob wise I ran a reasonably high shock pressure and did use pro pedal on some hills, but whereas bob was noticeable, I honestly didn't find it that bad. Perhaps due to the relatively mild 2-3 inches of rear travel.

I've also suffered with recurring lower back problems/sciatic nerve problems before and never had any grief when I was using the bike - not saying at all that it will be the same for anyone - I could well be the exception.

I'm not suggesting that anyone suggesting otherwise is wrong - just that I got told exactly the same thing when I bought the Four Deluxe and I went against the grain. I tried to be as sensible as possible with it though - being a lightweight, low travel, full suspension bike with lock outable suspension and not some crazy freeride monster - that would be a bit silly!

Huddy - I got mine as a clearance job from jejames cycles on a ride to work scheme - they had a lot of cheaper full sussers - less so now - but there are a couple of giants for around your budget. I'm not up to date on specs and so i'm not aware of the pros and cons of 29er and 27.5 would be for your usage.

Good luck!
 
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Admiral Huddy,

Hopefully I can help a little on this. In September I broke my back (L1) and I have since got back riding since December on both a hardtail and a road bike. I would agree the road bike is more difficult on my back (it is alu frame and seat post).
I also did have a suspension seatpost on the hardtail originally and I found it actually worse for my back than when I went to a standard alu seatpost! I do think give a hardtail a test ride as I find it totally fine for extended distances, for £800 you will be able to get one with a decent front fork and you will want to use large volume slicks to allow a nice low pressure. I run 2.25 Nobby Nics on a quite XC orientated frame (Scott Scale 760) and I find it totally comfy.

On a side note what size and pressure tyres are you currently using? I find having the pressure low enough was the largest help with removing jarring to my back.

If you got for a mountain bike, full suspension or hardtail, I would say definitely go for a 29" wheel one. They roll better so for your use you don't need the potential increased flickability smaller wheels give.

For a hardtail something like this would do perfect.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/voodoo-bizango-29er-mountain-bike-18

Now even after all this you do still want a full suspension bike then I would say the Decathlon Rockrider 9.1 seems to be the best you will get for £800. See the link to it below and a review carried out by Bikeradar. Also yes unfortunately it isn't a 29er.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-91-full-suspension-mountain-bike-id_8213074.html

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/categ.../product/review-btwin-rockrider-9-1-12-45756/

With both of those bikes you would want to fit large volume slicks to make it roll well. Something like the tyre I linked to below will really smooth out the bumps. Also hat shop is quite often one of the cheaper places to get tyres, I use the place myself.

http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content...e=1;menu=1000,2,103,212;mid=6;pgc=0;orderby=2
 
I've also suffered with recurring lower back problems/sciatic nerve problems before and never had any grief when I was using the bike - not saying at all that it will be the same for anyone - I could well be the exception.
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you can get those problems from riding an ill fitting bike.

makes me wonder wether the ops back problems started when he started riding 18 years ago
 
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