£500 to spend

partyboy1101

I'm looking for a first bike, there seems to be plenty of choice at this price....I know most of which have probably been discussed before. I would value opinions on the following:

07 Kona Cinder Cone
06 Kona Kikapu
07 Specialized Rockhopper Disc
07 Merlin Malt 1

Any thoughts gratefully received!

nicklouse

read this? http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/vie ... t=12540401

partyboy1101

Read it, but there's no advice about the bikes I'm looking at!

Anyone else got any comments????

The Spiderman

Unless you live near Merlin and can try a Malt for size,I'd go for the Rockhopper.
Good all round starter bike,no obvious kit weaknesses in the spec,with a good reliable fork in the Tora and an Octalink rather than Isis bb.(More reliable)
More importantly a very good frame,which is more than good enough to upgrade as bits wear out or as the mtb bug cathches,and you wnt to make it lighter.

Specialized are know for their good aftersales,too and lots of dealers which is a good thing,when you are starting out.

Can't really go wrong with a Rockhopper..

dawnophile

I'm a little skeptical of the hefty looking frames on XC Kona's of recent years. The higher end bikes still use frames with skinny frames. Kona's sometimes have worse spec, as they seem to trade on their name.
I wouldn't bother with a full susser at this point, you'll just get bad spec, and learn bad habits.
Merlin Malts get good reviews and are generous with spec.
The specialised has a good frame, and the spec is ok.
I'd give serious thought to those two.

partyboy1101

Thanks folks, pretty much what I'd decided too, Rockhopper or Malt!

I'm going to Merlin on Monday and will decide from there.

It's not the first time I've heard comments like that about Kona!!!