£800 Hardtail - which should I buy???

Luggers

I want to buy a hardtail and have got around £800 to play with. Problem is i'm fairly new to the mountain-biking scene and with so many bikes available I need some advice as to the best one to get. I was looking at a Kona Caldera but have been reading some reviews and am now thinking of a Merlin Malt 4, Trek 6700, Orange, Marin..... the list goes on.

Has anyone got any advice which I should go for?

Cheers for now

pauldowker

I have a Merlin malt 1 LTD, great bike for under £600, plus you'll have some money spare to spec it up,

i built mine myself, so have spec up on parts, i think it's a sensible choice, or look at the range of Boardman bikes through Halfords, i've been told they have a good spec for the money. hope this helps a bit.

steelo

Specialized Rockhopper - Faultless!

For £800 you can get the Comp Disc version. My 'hopper disc has been fantastic, just need a decent headlight and i'd be out in the woods all night long!

supersonic

For a standard sorta xc/trail bike, the Hopepr takes some beating, as the frame is excellent. Saying that, the top end MALTS are too, and component wise better vlaue, though testing is problematic. 900 quid will score you the Zaskar Pro in the sales.

The Spiderman

The Rockhopper is a great bike,I had a 2003 version,which I loved but the newer ones are better stlll.The new frame is the same spec as the old Stumpjumper hardtail,s you get a very good basis for upgrading.

I now have a Giant XTC,which is also worth a look as they can often be got significantly cheaper than the Specilized due to discounting.

I found an XTC 2.5 on pauls cyles for £650,which is a very good deal.

www.paulscycles.co.uk

(If you don't want to buy via the net,see if you can get your local shop to price match,or chuck in some extras to the same value.)

Luggers

Thanks Guys,
I definitely look into the specialized and giant. I'm getting through a cycle-to-work scheme at work and have to get it through Halfords. I've got a £900 voucher just buring a hole in my pocket at the minute (want to get some SPDs and clothing as well). Part of me's thinking to wait for the 2008 models to come out and get one of them - what do you think?

Luggers

Just been looking at the Marin Nail Trail - can't find many reviews about it though. Can anyone help?

zazer

Can i recommend the Specialized P. All Mountain. It's a great hardtail aggressive xc/trail bike, and can take a good ol' beating...

Here it is on the spesh website: http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?sid=07PBikes

I think its also got a pretty decent spec for its price as well, check out the website.

Good luck with your purchase,

Zaz

dixonpj

Perhaps it's too expensive, but you can pick up the 2007 Trek 8000 for £900 (rrp £1100) if you shop around. You'd struggle to get a better frame for that money and the spec is generally very solid, too: Reba fork, LX/XT, Bontrager Race. It may be a bit race orientated for some, though.