Recommendations - 29er, HardT, 1 by, under $1500

[thomagreg]

Hi folks,

I'm new to mountain biking, I've arrived late to the party, but I'm hooked. I'm in the market to upgrade from my existing $100 second hand thing, to something way more capable that's going to last and is worth investing in. I ride stromlo and some of the other trails around Canberra - I'm keen to get something under $1500. My preference is a hardtail, 29er, 1 by (sorry I don`t know the terminology, no derailleur at the front), and is capable of accepting a dropper post (for a future upgrade). I've seen the Norco Charger 9.2 which seems to fit the bill, and there is a Polygon Entreat (but a 27.5+). That's all I've found. Is there anything else out there that fits the bill? Not even sure where to look! Local bike stores have big name brands - Trek, Giant - but they don`t have these features.

Keen to make use of your wisdom before dropping serious money

Thank you
Greg

[Calvin27]

Pretty easy to convert any bike to 1x. Just buy the chainring and replace it. Remove all the other crap to do with FD.

[mikgit]

same with a dropper, any frame can accept a dropper, just depends if you want internal routing or not...
just pick you're pricepoint and go ride bikes, don't worry about the other stuff. If your new, don't stress the details, pick the one that feels the best.

but anyway to give an idea:
https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/s/hardt ... e-ids=4015

also at that pricepoint, with 1x, you're shooting for the lower end, like the norco 9.2 has 1x10...not ideal.

[thomagreg]

Cheers. Good to know about dropper and 1by retrofit. Saw a Giant Fathom 29er on sale for $1499 today; has most of what I need. Apparently the 2018 model is out in 3 weeks which promises - according to the bike store - to offer a lot of improvements so I'll stick it out until then and perhaps get a few more dollar off the 2017.

[Duck!]

Cheers. Saw a Giant Fathom 29er on sale for $1499 today; has most of what I need. Apparently the 2018 model is out in 3 weeks which promises - according to the bike store - to offer a lot of improvements ...

Yeah, maybe not. The Fathom was a new model to the range last year, so don't expect any radical changes to the new one.