Best hardtail under £300?

xtr.eme

Im a 5 ft 9 13 year old looking for a MTB tht gives me growing room. I do mainly XC, and want a hardtail bike that I can afford under £300. Please could you tell me which bike I should buy (I don;t care if its last years model!)? I need a sturdy frame, but still want it to be light as possible (not sure if I need disc brakes, seems like theyre just a fashion accessory at school!) Was thinking of a Specialized Hardrock Sport or Sport Disc

Feel free to ask me any more questions

Cheers,

Tom

xtr.eme

Found a coupla possibles:

GT Avalanche 3.0 Disc http://www.raleighbikes.info/product_info.php?pName=gt-avalanche-30-disc

Mongoose Tyax Elite 2007 http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70320&utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=

xtr.eme

Some say that the hardrock is heavy, but that it can be upgraded to get rid of weight - what parts would I need to upgrade?

Big n Daft

Most say the Tyax is the best specced sub 300 bike out there.....but its true what they say, its all about how it feels when you ride it.

Disc brakes......i would say for XC in the good ole' blighty weather, not a bad option. Wet trails, lots of mud, big puddles....not compatible with brilliant rim braking. The braking surface is in the centre of the wheel with disc's, out of the way of most of the crap.

At the end of the day though, buy what feels good, you can always upgrade bits after.....

BnD

xtr.eme

OK.. think I might make a trip down to my local Evans Cycles and have a look at the mongoose, hardrock and gt one after the other. Is the mongoose definitely lighter than the specialized (adding in the disc brakes)? Would like to compare.

supersonic

The Mongoose Tyax Elite is an award winning bike as it has a fantastic fork and good components. It is important that you go and try a few out. I am not a fan of the Hardrock as a beginners XC type bike as it has a heavy frame and components, though is quite tough. the fork is the biggest bugbear. The GT is good for the money too, but a little cheaper, and doesnt have the same quality of fork.

Big n Daft

No idea on the actual weights to be honest.

To be fair anything at this price isnt going to be a mega featherweight anyway and the weight differential between vee's and disc's is in all likelyhood going to be eaten up on some of the other different components between bikes, wheels, tyres, frame etc.

Better to get a bike that does what you want, safely and without any major changes needed, rather than worry about a pound in weight here and there. The weight savings come later, when you start to upgrade things that wear out.

BnD

guilliano

Giant Rincon (£250 with v-brakes) or Giant Yukon (£300 with cable disc brakes) are worth looking at. Not as well specced as the Mongoose but very good frame to start you off with and worth upgrades in the future if you choose to. Medium would be my off the cuff recommendation (I'm 6'1 and can ride that size, but a little cramped for me) but you would need to test them for fit

supersonic

It is true to say that more 'features' can bump the weight up. Disc brakes and heavy disk wheels may add a couple of pounds, but the trade off is better performance in some conditions. Same with forks - the budget damped suntours and darts weigh more than a basic RST, but totally change the ride character out in the roughstuff.

IIRC:

Spesh Hardrock Sport 34lbs
GT Avalanche 3.0 Disc 32lbs
Mongoose Tyax Elite 32.5lbs
Trek 4300 30lbs
Saracen Mantra 38lbs

mmm_pie

Don't get discs on a sub 300 quid bike

They won't work very well and for very long. V's will be much better.

supersonic

Not sure I entirely agree, the Tektro IO when set up properly generally offers better wet weather performance than a V, and Hayes HMX4 can be found under 300, both which are easy to adjust and have good pads. Saying that I use V brakes, but its about finding the right components for the rider. And you at least know that cable discs braked bikes will offer an easier upgrade route. (if not already disc ready)

mmm_pie

supersonic wrote:

Not sure I entirely agree, the Tektro IO when set up properly generally offers better wet weather performance than a V, and Hayes HMX4 can be found under 300, both which are easy to adjust and have good pads. Saying that I use V brakes, but its about finding the right components for the rider. And you at least know that cable discs braked bikes will offer an easier upgrade route. (if not already disc ready)

I used to have tektro IO's. They just seized up and offered very little power.

supersonic

Hmmm, unlucky I'd say, Ive built numerous bikes with these on and not had many problems. Seems to be rthe cable brake of choice in the mags too. Cable choice is critical though, and maintenance.

dcp1975

oh no you are putting me off getting the Mongoose, thats a sub £300 bike

fozy

Why don't you look at bikes in the £400 bracket and get the price knocked down? If your happy with last years models you should be able to get a bargain, i have just bought this years model Giant Terrago Disc for £340 RRP £425!!! Very good spec for the money.

xtr.eme

(quoting fozy) Why don't you look at bikes in the £400 bracket and get the price knocked down? If your happy with last years models you should be able to get a bargain, i have just bought this years model Giant Terrago Disc for £340 RRP £425!!! Very good spec for the money. (quote)

Thanks, but I can hardly afford £300! Im surviving on a paper round, and not even very good pay. I would rather have the bike soon than save up for even longer.

To be honest, the thing that is partly putting me off the Mongoose is the disc brakes, as many people say that they can be unrelieble in this price range, and need more maintenence.

The bikes I have to decide between now are:
Hardrock Sport
Mongoose Tyax Elite
Scott Reflex 50 (not sure about how it performs)

Can anyone help me? I've been talking with my Dad & he thinks that weight of bikes is a bit of a myth, cos relatively to the riders weight, you might as well lose a few pounds yourself (I dont THINK I have many pounds to lose!). Is the mongoose really any lighter?He uses a Hardrock Comp 2003or4 and has never had much of a prob with the weight, but then he is 15 stone and I am 8. Also I cant find the hardrock for less than £299 anywhere.

Lastly, I might want to upgrade to discs later on a bike without discs: which of these bikes have disc mounts? How much are decent discs? Im pretty sure the hardrock does, but what a bout the Scott?

Thanks 4 all your help,

Tom Harding

supersonic

Believe me, you will notice the difference between a 30lb bike and a 34lb bike. Hardrock has all the weight, but none of the features.