Help me choose a MTB

Longtallronnie

Should be getting some Halfords vouchers from the insurance company soon and I've been looking at two bikes - the Voodoo Bantu and the Voodoo Hoodoo. The Hoodoo is an extra £100 but I'm not entirely sure where the extra £ goes (other than the nicer colour!) I had a Carrera Vengeance with hydraulic disc brakes before it was nicked and these two have the closest spec. The current vengeance doesn't have hydraulic brakes which is something I quite liked. The Voodoo's are fairly similarly spec'd but, other than a few changes but I honestly wouldn't know what effect these would have overall. 
Could someone a bit more experienced enlighten me please?!

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/voodoo-hoodoo-mountain-bike

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=10151&categoryId=165499&langId=-1&productId=1112467&storeId=10001

Paul_C

strtdv

The Hoodoo has a much better fork than the Bantu which is where most of the difference in price goes (and is well worth it IMO, both in terms of performance and longevity).
As well as that it gets slightly nicer brakes.

The Hoodoo is one of the best hardtails under £500 

bluechargeboy

Yes^^ Hoodoo has nicer derailleurs and shifters too. Basically everything's slightly nicer! Also it is a bit lighter.

nanoman

Yep, the low end Suntour forks (like the XCM) are best avoided. I had a set on my Kona hardtail and the difference when I upgraded to Suntour Epicon was night and day. The Raidons got good reviews as well from what I remember.

RobDavies

You could have this for two hundred quid......

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/83239/carrera-vulcan-mountain-bike#latest

NickBotfield

Consider the Boardman Comp as well - a similar level of kit to the Hoodoo but a slightly less agricultural looking frame, and nearly a kilo lighter.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/boardman-mountain-bike-comp-27-5

shaunyshaun1234

I have recently purchased a Hoodoo that is around 4 years old although the previous owner had hardly used it. With a bit of TLC (new chain etc) it is absolutely brilliant!

Took it to a local trail Wednesday and it was superb.

Longtallronnie

Thanks chaps. Gonna phone insurance co today and see how much they offer. Their first offer was the new Carrera Vengeance which looks ok but is an inferior spec to the Vengeance that was stolen from my shed. 
Going to Halfords later to have a look.  

Longtallronnie

Just need some advice on frame size now.

I tried an 18" Bantu in the shop and with the seat as low as possible I could just about touch the floor with tip toes on one side. I could stand over the top tube with both feet flat on the ground but my crouch was right on the bar, no clearance at all. 
The fella in the shop said that's just as it should be and a 16" frame would be too small but I'm not so sure. They didn't have any 16" frames built that I could try. 
Fwiw, I'm 5'7" with a 30" inside leg. 

NickBotfield

Longtallronnie said:

Just need some advice on frame size now.

I tried an 18" Bantu in the shop and with the seat as low as possible I could just about touch the floor with tip toes on one side. I could stand over the top tube with both feet flat on the ground but my crouch was right on the bar, no clearance at all. 
The fella in the shop said that's just as it should be and a 16" frame would be too small but I'm not so sure. They didn't have any 16" frames built that I could try. 
Fwiw, I'm 5'7" with a 30" inside leg. 

For a road bike that might not be so bad but you tend to move your body about a lot more when riding off road.  Being able to drop the seatpost is pretty useful for going down steeper descents as you're more able to shift your weight back for stability.  What was the reach to the handlebars like on the 18" frame?  Did you feel stretched out?  It sounds like 16" might have more scope for adjustment.

Bowks

I was always advised to have at least 2" of standover height. Sounds like the 18" is too big for you.

SimonC

I wouldn't take advice on mountain bike fitting from my local Halfords to be honest.

Longtallronnie

The reach was ok but I'd have preferred to get a bit more of my foot on the floor when seated. Going by the Voodoo size chart I'd be more suited to the 16" which contradicted what the fella in the shop said - who could be a complete twat for all I know!

strtdv

Go by the size chart. Generally speaking slightly small is better than slightly big.

mynamesnotbob

Don't worry about getting your feet on the floor when seated, if you do that your too low and your relative pedal position is wrong. When seated, your leg should be just shy of extended on the lowest part of the pedal stroke.

But if you don't have enough standover height, you will loose confidence. So look at being able to stand over the top tube, and having the correct pedal stroke. Sounds like 18" is too big.

As others said, drop you seat for the fun bits, or get a dropper - getting it out the way lets you use your body much more to control the bike.

For the two you posted, the more expensive one has a slightly better fork, , it also avoids Tektro brakes on the Bantu, which are always worth avoiding, unless you like bleeding brakes. Although I'm sure they've improved

mynamesnotbob

Oh and on sizing, ride it. If you don't feel comfortable on a certain size you won't ride it, so it's not worth considering, charts only tell you so much and if you don't know what you like are hard to really get great value from

Longtallronnie

Ok, the insurance co's been in contact again. The bike they offered is out of stock (wasn't going to get that one but they give vouchers to the value of) so they've now offered a different bike which they'll actually provide. 

Its a Specialized Pitch Sport 2017 model
http://www.bikereplacement.co.uk/p95259/Specialized-Pitch-Sport-275--2017-Mountain-Bike.aspx

Any my thoughts on this vs the Bantu? I don't think I'll realistically be able to stretch to the hoodoo unless they offer more money. 

Longtallronnie

The offer above also includes £50 worth of Halfords vouchers for accessories. 

mynamesnotbob

Get the Pitch, if nothing else you can resell easier.

Groupset not great, but all three are a muchness. Reasonable brakes on the Pitch too. 

More travel on on the other two, depends what you want. Shorter travel not a bad thing as the stanchions are quite thin.

Go see one in a local dealers and see what you think

littlegreenman

Longtallronnie said:

Just need some advice on frame size now.

I tried an 18" Bantu in the shop and with the seat as low as possible I could just about touch the floor with tip toes on one side. I could stand over the top tube with both feet flat on the ground but my crouch was right on the bar, no clearance at all. 
The fella in the shop said that's just as it should be and a 16" frame would be too small but I'm not so sure. They didn't have any 16" frames built that I could try. 
Fwiw, I'm 5'7" with a 30" inside leg. 

No clearance between top tube and crotch would make a road frame too big, on a mountain bike that's just WAY too big. You'd have no room for maneuver on anything twisty, which can be downright dangerous. Methinks the guy in Halfrauds doesn't know much about actually riding bikes.

16" would be much more like it at your height, I ride 16" frames for MTB's at about 5' 10" with a 31" inside leg and I prefer a slightly smaller frame for "chuckability" and jumps. I do have a long-ish seat tube for riding to and from trails, and drop it down a bit for the fun stuff.

Is Halfords a requirement from the insurance company, or can you buy from a "proper" bike shop?