Hi! I narrowed my search for a new budget hardtail to 3 bikes but I need help choosing one of them. The bikes in question are the Cube Reaction Pro 2025 , Merida big Trail 500 and Mondraker Chrono DC. Here's the link to 99spokes website:
(Ignore the prices since I found all the 3 bikes at 1000$ at different sellers)
I am an amateur mtb-er. I currently have a cheap Rockrider, but I've been looking for a while to replace it. I want to ride Mountain Downhill trails, xc trails, jump lines, and also urban mtb like stairs and drops. I like the 120 and 140 forks on the Merida and Mondraker, but the Cube has a better drivetrain overall, which won't need to much money spent on. All the brakes, though, are not that good, maybe I will get some XT M8100's in the future. Thanks for your time!
by Lvca_XD
3 Comments
Hey you’re in luck there’s an entire subreddit for your boring question. r/whichbike
If you ride purely XC trails or want to race XC the Cube is the best option. The Merida is a proper trail hardtail. Especially if you want to do more downhill and jumps it is the better bike (It is more similar to a cube reaction TM). The Mondraker is somewhere inbetween, but more on the XC side. Regarding drivetrains, my experience with SX on the mondraker is bad, the cube is super solid, and the merida though 10 speed is highly functional and reliable as any other shimano deraileur (Cues has a wide range casette). The Merida also has the better fork, my experience with recons is far better than judy’s. The basic hydrolic brakes on these bikes all work fine.
If you want a XC race bike I would go cube, but if you want an overall fun bike I think the Merida looks like a super solid do it al fun trail hardtail
If your planning on riding downhill trails, jump lines, stairs and drops the only answer here is the Merida. Geometry > components