450-500 hard tail

scoi

I'm looking for a hard tail with hydraulic brakes, the 2 i've got my eye on are:

Specialized Hardrock Pro at 480
Trek 6000 2008 at 450

anyone got any opinions on these or something to better them or equal them at a cheaper price.

Northwind

Carrera Fury at £470.

WMB just did a £500 test this month I think?

blablablacksheep

WMB just did a £500 test this month I think?

if this true can somone post the results.

i just got a rockhopper today actually, though i am waiting for it to be deliv, but i must say this, i tried GT avalanche disc and the rockhopper v break and disc, and maybe this might help.

i found the v break, and the guy said this as well, that v breaks will do most if not all things your hardtail needs could want, the only issue he said would be in horrid weather or very muddy ground where v breaks tend to not give a 100% as disc, but in normal weather they will do the job just as good as discs.


he also pointed out that for bikes under 800 pound most discs will not be as good or that much better than a good set of v breaks, the rockhopper had
Avid SD3 forged alloy V style brake and i found them very good and sharp.

might be idea to consider a v break bike instead of disc sinse it seems disc bikes tend to have lower spec than a v break bike of simular value,

example the hardrock has dart 3 forks and alvio and altus gear set while the rockhopper i got was 390 pounds and had tora 302 sl forks and decore LX gearset, yet cost 100 pounds less.

just a thing to consider

Northwind

blablablacksheep wrote:

he also pointed out that for bikes under 800 pound most discs will not be as good or that much better than a good set of v breaks,

This really isn't the case any more, even bottom drawer Quad or Tektro Comps are a lot better than most v-brakes, and easier to maintain. It's still true at the lower end though, £300-£400, though even then it's not that simple, you still find bikes like the Kraken with decent hydros and a competetive all-round spec. Vs do still make a lot of sense for road bikes or basic XC bikes but mtbs spend an awful lot of time riding in conditions where vs toil a bit.

The Rockhopper you've got there was a great buy but remember you're comparing a discounted 08 model with full price 09 model there- and 09 has seen big changes in bike spec. If there was an 09 v-brake model to compare with you'd find less value

The avalanche 1 would be a fairer comparison, on that you get deore and an X100 fork. Or, the Fury I mentioned would give you a Tora 318 (better model than the 302), SRAM X7 gearing, and decent hydros for £450.

dj02

You can find Kona Caldera 2008 reduced from £700 to £499 on Rutland Cycles.

Comes with Xt rear, deore front and shifters, hayes stroker trail hydraulics and rock shox tora forks.

Mega bargain