Mountain bike buying advice.

[Maffu]

I'm about to buy a Merlin Malt 1, with a few extras.

All I've heard is good things about the Malt 1. Anyone want to tell me any different?

Anything else around the £500-600 mark that's notably better?

I'm getting Marzocchi MX comps, Magura Julie Hydros, full Deore set, handbuilt deore hubs/XC717 rims. All hand put together from scratch. Nice.

Pondered a 2005 GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc, but the brakes look dodge, and it's got Judys, which aren't what they used to be.

Ta.

[Dorza]

I would have suggested you take a look at Kona but after checkng the Malt 1 out I'd say go for it. The Kona models which compete with this bike do have so called "better kit" in certain areas of the bike but their much dear and are not worth the extra money for whats better imo. However deals may be going on kona bikes now since the 2005 models will be unvailed shortly, so you "may" get a deal on a 2004 model, and there isnt that much difference between the years in most cases any way. The only other bikes i could suggest at this point are Carrera. Halfords own make who are now owned by kona (so ive been told). Their far better than what they were and are actually very good value for money bikes for the kit you get.

If you havent been to Evans-Cycles it might be worth checking them out. They have a wide range of bikes available.

But if you decide to get malt 1 you'll be getting a nice bike for that price going from its spec. The only bad thing ive hard about this bike so far is cable rub. But that can probably be sorted one way or another if yours happened to rub.

I don't really know much about bikes in this market price range but i hope this helps you in some way.

EDIT: In general I feel that Marzocchi make better forks than Rock Shock. Id go with Marchocci every time unless I knew otherwise.

[Maffu]

Ta.



Had another look around tonight - seems the Merlin makes the most sense.

[Dorza]

As i said above its a well spect bike for that price. It would be hard to beat i think

[Maffu]

Yeah. Others have said that, too. If indeed I did feel like upgrading anything next year, it'll probably be the frame, and not the groupset. It's not XT, but I've giving up the days of lobbing me bike down a hill, so the Deore stuff should see me. The discs got a good review in MBUK this month, as well.

Wonder if they'll paint the frame black for me...

What Kona have you got, Dorza?

[Dorza]

I have a Stinky 03, fantastic downhills, an effort going up em lol. To be honest from what I've been told by the guy that sold the bike to me was the main difference between the deore derailleurs is the weight. If you want light ones go for the XT/XTR. If weight isnt a concern LX and normal Deore is more than adequate. Ive been told that the deore LX R Derailleur is put together better than the XT/XTR which is why its heavier. And their much cheaper to buy.

[Apex]

Orange evo3

[Rave]

I haven't been into mountain biking seriously for a few years now (live in London, flat is too small for a bike, so it's at my mum's), but I kitted my Zaskar out with a lot of stuff from Merlin in '99, including a £140 pair of wheels. Merlin build some of the best wheels in the country, I went for XT hubs laced to the top of the line (at the time) Mavic rims with DT Revolution spokes. The Ti spokes I reckon were well worth the extra tenner, light wheels make all the difference; the Zaskar when I'd finished with it accelerated like a bullet from a gun. I also had Bontrager kevlar semi-slicks, which helped.

I'm sure the Deore hubs will be fine, but don't skimp on the rims and spokes.

Rich :¬)

[Apex]

Aye, thing is you carn't skimp on any of it......

[Maffu]

Just seen this:

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=4084

That a 'better' buy than the Merlin Malt 1?

It looks gorge...

[Rave]

Aye, thing is you carn't skimp on any of it......

Sure you can- my bike cost me about £950 all in, which nowadays probably equates to £700 or so, what with prices having come down and quality improved. My seatpost was a £20 Ritchie, stem a £10 Kalloy Uno, brakes were the cheapest half decent Vs Shimano did at the time, groupset was largely LX (Deore didn't exist at the time). It rode (and still rides if I could be bothered to tune it up again) brilliantly. The bits that make the biggest difference to the ride are the frame/forks and the wheels (and the handlebars etc. to make sure it's set up right for you). Realistically, you are not going to notice the difference between a Deore and an XT chainset when you're out riding.

Rich :¬)

[shiato storm]

no. for the same price you can upgrade the front and rear mech and the shifters too on the Malt to xt (second best available). best you get with specialized is LX rear I'm afraid. with merlin the frames are custom made for Merlin, and all the components are specially chosen and fitted i.e. better than your typical bike make because money goes into everything not just one good part thats noticable - like forks or something.

Malt's tyres are WAY better. I have a set of the Fire XC's on mine and they grip in most UK conditions, wet or dry. (I can recommend tyres if you need help).
disk brakes - about the same on each bike, personal preference magura or shimy? my guess is magura at that level...
oh and with the malt you get Merlin cycle's excelent wheel build reputation on both spinners - and if you want better ones just select. by the way 717's are great...
I'd say Merlin are better given your options. but do look at all available bikes out there. I got an awesome deal on my stumpjumper, £400 off original price, xtr/xt bits, fox forks, weighs around 10kg and goes like a rocket on speed! I guess it pays to look around.
oh and the sales are on now/soon, so nab a 2004 bike cheaper since the 2005 ones will be pushing the market.

edit: recommended choces if you go for the Malt and squeeze a few more pennies out
group upgrade: upgrade to F&R XT Mech and shifters £45
fork: Maz MX Comp ETA [lock-out thingy, meant to be quite good] £45
Rims: xc717's (silver - there's absolutely no difference in weight/strength between black and silver, just how they look) £13
Bar, Stem, post: FSA riser, stem and post £8

total cost = £660...i'd call that a good'un
best of luck

[Dorza]

no. for the same price you can upgrade the front and rear mech and the shifters too on the Malt to xt (second best available). best you get with specialized is LX rear I'm afraid.

Whats wrong with LX? As I have said above the only noticeable reason for having XT is because its lighter? LX are for most people the best balance for price, weight and more importantly durability. Their put together better than XT and XTR. You probably have smoother shifting with XT/XTR but really your not going to notice much of a change. As long as you look after you LX they'll keep on performing just as well as XT.

[shiato storm]

fair point. but spec has - as often the case - a real mix of parts where yu get an lx rear, deore front and unheard of hubs and low grade bearings which I know you wont get with a merlin.

[Maffu]

Cheers, Mr Storm.

All taken on board.



Should be deciding, and ordering begining of next week, hopefully.

[shiato storm]

go try out lots of bikes to get the right size - each bike is different regardless of its size, due to geometry shape...