Decathlon Mountain Bikes

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 humptydumpty 12 Jul 2019

I know nothing about bikes, but want something for long-distance bike packing.  I have about 800 quid to blow.  Are the Decathlon 29" bikes decent value around that price, or should I be looking elsewhere?

 thepodge 12 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

These days it's really hard to buy a bad bike, especially around £800. Go somewhere else and you might get better this that or the other but nothing so wildly out that you'd really notice. 

If you're doing long distance stuff then the most important thing is not spec but fit. You're more likely to get a better fit in a physical shop than mail order even though you might buy (on paper) a worse bike.

 daftdazza 13 Jul 2019

The decathlon bikes your on about for that price provide great value for money, not really going to beat them on spec.

 abr1966 13 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

There are some good review videos on YouTube in different price categories that are worth a look. Depends what you want....29'rs are getting more and more popular for example. Halfords sell the Voodoo Bizango around £600 which has won best bike in its class for the past couple of years...

 GPN 13 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

It really depends on what you mean by long distance! For 100 mile rides in the UK a Decathlon bike will be fine. For 1000 mile rides in remote areas, not so much.

 CragRat11 13 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

Spending £800 on a second hand bike made by a better manufacturer would get you a much better bike in the long run. Depends how willing you are to tart it up a but if it needs it.

 daftdazza 14 Jul 2019
In reply to CragRat11:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/xc-100-mountain-bike-nx-eagle-29-id_8405350.htm...

I personally think this would be the perfect bike for long distance bike packing and fast xc riding in general, great for rough stuff like the HT550 or silk road MTB race, or more gentler gravel routes like wild Argyll trail. It has the gearing to get up any hill, and it's very light weight for the cost. Don't gamble with second hand unless it's fairly new, who knows how many of the components will need replaced soon after you buy it, and for the spec your getting from decathlon a second hand bike wouldn't be offering you much in upgrades.  And don't believe the brand snobs either, there is little value in the big brands compared to direct sale companies, with most frames made in the same factory.

1
OP humptydumpty 16 Jul 2019
In reply to daftdazza:

Thanks for the tips.  Any idea why you got a downvote?!

I was looking at the XC 50 from Decathlon (https://www.decathlon.co.uk/xc-50-mountain-bike-sram-nx-29-id_8548144.html), and also the Voodoo Bizango (https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/voodoo-bizango-29er-m...).

Any thoughts on what the XC 100 offers over them?

Post edited at 18:51
 Mooncat 16 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

I've been using a bizango for the last few months, really impressed with it for the price. 

 abr1966 16 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

I've ridden the Bizango....very good bike for the price! Rolls well, responsive, good geometry and single drive train....definitely in the mix for me...

 Dark-Cloud 17 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

You don’t really mention what sort of ground you are thinking about covering but if it were me I would be thinking more of an adventure/gravel bike, much faster over easy terrain/roads etc than a mountain bike

OP humptydumpty 19 Jul 2019
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

What's a gravel bike?  Does that mean no front suspension?  I'll be riding on a mix of dry dirt roads, alpine single track (earth/rocks; sometimes damp or wet), and the occasional bit of potholed tarmac...

Rigid Raider 19 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

A gravel bike is essentially a road bike with thicker wheels and tyres so that you can ride it off road (or on British tarmac). 

I don't want to swim against the tide of recommendations for Decathlon bikes but.... we've had one and there's a reason they are cheap. True, they ride nicely and are great entry-level bikes but the components especially wheels are cheap and not very long-lasting. Last time we needed a new front wheel for a Triban 3 it cost £25.00. Go figure.

Wasn't it Keith Bontrager who said you can have cheap, light and strong but only two of those at any time?

1
 daftdazza 19 Jul 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

The main difference is the xc100 has a better fork and better gearing with the 1x 12 giving a much easier granny gear for loaded bike packing.  The wheels on the bikes above look good, so wouldn't worry about that either.

 dsh 19 Jul 2019
In reply to Rigid Raider:

> I don't want to swim against the tide of recommendations for Decathlon bikes but.... we've had one and there's a reason they are cheap. True, they ride nicely and are great entry-level bikes but the components especially wheels are cheap and not very long-lasting. Last time we needed a new front wheel for a Triban 3 it cost £25.00. Go figure.

That's a £300 entry level Road Bike. The OP is looking at £800 Hardtail MTBs which is a step above entry. Not quite the same.

Incidentally £25 is dirt cheap for a wheel. The wheels on the MTBs aren't anywhere near top of the line but they are decent, although they don't come with tubeless tires.

I am curious about this part:

>Your ROCKRIDER XC 100 mountain bike is SWITCH & RIDE. It is compatible with 3 different wheel sizes: 27.5", 29", and 27.5" Plus. Multiply your experiences with the same frame and components. With the 3 "ready to ride" wheel kits available in  Decathlon stores, you have 3 bikes and 3 different experiences!

Usually the bike is optimized with its wheel sizes in mind. I would be curious if this creates a less than ideal geometry.

Post edited at 15:44
 TobyA 19 Jul 2019
In reply to dsh:

It's quite normal for mountain bikes to be able to take either 29 or 27.5+, or on gravel bikes either 700c or 650s, 

 Stig 19 Jul 2019
In reply to dsh:

There’s not much difference in diameter, depending on tyre size etc, I don’t think?

 daftdazza 19 Jul 2019

But the fact that you can swap out to 27.5+ wheels is an excellent selling point, perfect for bike packing on rough terrain.

 ChrisJD 19 Jul 2019
In reply to TobyA:

> It's quite normal for mountain bikes to be able to take either 29 or 27.5+,

Not if its a 26 or 27.5 wheeled bike ! (though some 27.5 plus types can sometimes be squeezed in on some 27.5 bikes).

... and you could of course upgrade the front to a bigger wheel independent of rear, front fork dependant of course ...

 dsh 19 Jul 2019
In reply to TobyA:

> It's quite normal for mountain bikes to be able to take either 29 or 27.5+, or on gravel bikes either 700c or 650s, 

Interesting, my bike is a bit older 2013 Trek Rumblefish but I think it wouldn't ride as well with 27.5s. Different kind of riding though.

 TobyA 19 Jul 2019
In reply to dsh:

My mountain bike came with an eccentric bottom bracket. This supposedly means that you can change between 27.5 and 29 wheels easily. Oddly on gravel bikes it seems that you don't need to to change the effective chain length.

I have actually wondered how much people do change between the two though. I've certainly just kept the 27.5 plus wheels on my mountainbike.

Serge F 12 Sep 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

Just bought  XC 100 29er Hardtail over 2020 Big Nine Limited and 2020 Fathom 1 29er because of....

---Frame

Switch & Ride System capable of switching 27.5, 27.5 plus from 29er.

Triple Butted Frame vs Double Butted from both.

Frame is made and handcrafted from France vs from Taiwan.

---Drivetrain

SRAM NX 11-50 Freewheel and 34T Chainwheel vs 30T from Fathom & 32T from Big Nine Limited.

---Integration of Fork Remote Switch.

---Access to Air Fork Adjustment.

---Best After-sales Support.

---Lastly the PRICE.

 sxrxg 12 Sep 2019
In reply to humptydumpty:

The Sonder bikes from Alpkit might be worth a look. The Frontier is specifically designed with bikepacking in mind and the geometry will surely be optimised for this type of riding (the Decathlon bikes look very XC in the geometry...). Rigid bikes can be had within the price range although you might have to stretch the budget a bit for a suspension fork. 

https://www.alpkit.com/sonder/sonder-frontier

Calibre bikes from Go Outdoors might also be worth a look. The 29'r offering is more 'enduro' orientated and therefore will be heavier however it will be more robust and has features such as a dropper post and boost spacing for a bike that will handle technical terrain better. 

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15910272/calibre-line-29-mountain-bike-1591027...


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