Help Choosing 29er Hardtail for the Ballyhoura Trails

mslemon · 13-03-2014 03:29PM #1

Hi folks,

I'm very new to mountain biking and would like your advice on which bike to choose. I have decided to go for a 29er hardtail as I believe I will get a much better spec bike for the money.I'm looking to spend between €1,000 - €1,200 on the bike in question. I have been looking at the Boardman HT Pro 29er
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/29er_pro.html

which I understand has a very good spec. Can you please express your views as to what you would recommend.

Many thanks
mslemon

gman2k · 13-03-2014 05:55PM

Not the answer you are looking for, but ditch the hardtail idea and move towards full sus.
You will upgrade to f/s in the future otherwise.
Plenty of SH bargains out there.

Popoutman · 13-03-2014 06:34PM

^ I disagree with the above poster, and I've been involved with a lot of cycling beginners through the University club I am a member of.

You are much, much better learning how to ride a hardtail properly before going to a full-suspension bike. Trust me on this. Once you have a few thousand km on a hartail offroad, you should have the skills learned that would transfer well to full suspension.

If you start on a full-suss, you will not learn how to move the bike around under you as easily as you would had you started on a hardtail. When you take the skills that are hardtail-specific and transfer to a full-suss, you get a *lot* faster. I can easily tell those that learned on a full suspension bike as the yare "lazy" on the bike and do not move the bike around under them when offroad.

29" isn't as useful as you'd expect - I'd recommend either a 26" or 27.5 for futureproofing as 29" is not expected to be common in a few years time given what the manufacturers are saying over the past few months.

ford2600 · 13-03-2014 07:00PM

Nice carbon hardtail 26

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1530172/

Boarman 26, much cheaper

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1528765/

Just two for example.

There is no right answer. Buy a good quality 2nd hand mtb, great value in 26" at the moment.

Ride it as much as you can. In a year you'll
* know more from riding than you'll learn on here
* know more people who ride mtb's
* you'll probably get a chance to try other bikes, full sus, 29, 27.5 etc
* make mistakes on bike care with something that hasn't blown your budget
* may not like it and can sell for most of what you paid or just use for cycling to shops

MarkG1975 · 13-03-2014 09:29PM

For your budget a hard tail is the best bet especially buying new, better parts, that Boardman is decent and reba forks are good and reliable, I ride a 29 canyon hard tail and love it, I wouldn't buy a 26 ht now, 29 is more comfortable and you will never sell it on as they are almost history with most manufactures not making them anymore

Junior · 13-03-2014 09:56PM

What height are you ?

rizzodun · 13-03-2014 10:31PM

ford2600 wrote: »

Boarman 26, much cheaper

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1528765/

That boardman 26" is tempting alright.

The bonus of a 29er is you can hit rougher ground with a fork that has less travel, it's said a 29er with 100mm fork is like a 26 with 120mm fork, how true that is exactly I'm not too sure.

29ers tend to be a bit heavier and longer too, making it harder on the climbs and harder to get the front wheel up, something you might have trouble with if you're new to mountain biking. But they do give more speed as you fly along the trails.

I have a Trek Mamba 29er, love it, but miss the ability to throw it around with ease like a 26, I have a frame for 26 wheels in the shed I'm going to resurrect for another option.

If you're thinking that you could be really into it, pick up a cheap reasonably spec'd 2nd hand bike to start off, then save for the full sus you will no doubt buy. I doubt you'll notice the difference regarding components just yet.

Just my opinion.

ADW1 · 13-03-2014 10:36PM

I ride in the Ballyhouras every week and a hardtail is more than sufficient. I also have a Canyon 29er and must say they are a super bike. Look for a bike with at least with a Reba fork, these are light and reliable. Groups sets look at Shimano SLX or XT. I have SRAM on mine (X9) and cant fault it. Trailriders in the Ballyhouras have 29ers in their rental bikes so it might be worth trying one out before you buy. I did, and after completing the red loop I was converted (to 29ers)

mslemon · 14-03-2014 12:10AM

Junior wrote: »

What height are you ?

Hi Junior , I'm 6 ft 2

mslemon · 14-03-2014 04:23PM

Hi All,

Thanks to you all for your great advice. Having read your posts I think I will be sticking with the 29er hardtail to learn the basics and once I have advanced my skills will then move to a full suss. I would very much like a Canyon 29er after looking at the website but they only sell direct.

Having looked at more reviews I see the Scott Scale 960 got mbr Hardtail of the year last year at a similar price range of €1200 to the
Boardman Pro 29er http://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/products/234246006/SCOTT-Scale-960-Bike/

The Boardman Pro 29er still seems to have the better spec and also seems to be getting great reviews from end users, will let you know what I decide down the line.

I will be heading out to ballyhoura in the next week or two so will rent a 29er their just to make certain of my decision.

Thanks Again
Mslemon

Budawanny · 14-03-2014 05:38PM

mslemon wrote: »

Hi folks,

I'm very new to mountain biking and would like your advice on which bike to choose. I have decided to go for a 29er hardtail as I believe I will get a much better spec bike for the money.I'm looking to spend between €1,000 - €1,200 on the bike in question. I have been looking at the Boardman HT Pro 29er
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/29er_pro.html

which I understand has a very good spec. Can you please express your views as to what you would recommend.

Many thanks
mslemon

Boardmans are great value in general and will do a great job up around BallyHoura.

Tenzor07 · 14-03-2014 07:04PM

Like others have said, Canyon is the best deal, and most employers will allow you to purchase online for your B2W scheme..

29ers will Always have a place in XC and are here to stay, perhaps only in hardtail form or short-travel XC.
27.5" will take over the "Enduro" market and for shorter riders.

26" will be on "budget" only bicycles.

and 29er HT is perfect for Ballyhoura and suspension is not essential for the Coillte trails..

FirstinLastout · 15-03-2014 03:50AM

http://reviews.mtbr.com/the-angry-singlespeeder-youve-got-too-much-bike

You don't need bounce for Ballyhoura, hardtail at the very most and even then it's still more than is actually required for the job.
It's nice to have nice things but fashion determines alot of people's choices in regards to cycling in this country as far as I'm concerned.
I'd see what hire/borrow options are available before unfolding the folding stuff.
Good luck either way and happy trails!

Help Choosing 29er Hardtail for the Ballyhoura Trails

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