£700 all purpose hardtail

Technoallthetime

Ok, here's the deal.

I used to be really into mountain biking when I was younger, but in recent years haven't been riding at all. I'm looking to get back into riding and am going to buy a new bike. I would appreciate your input and suggestions as to what might be a good purchase, as well as any thoughts you have on the bikes I am considering. Having been out of the loop for quite a while, a lot has changed in the mtb world. Some previously respected brands seem to have fallen from grace, others that were previously maligned seem to have stepped up their game and are producing good products. The mtb world is a very different place to the last time I looked.

Now, I'm looking to spend around £700 on a bike. I might be able to find a little more, but only if it's really going to make a significant difference to what I'm getting. Thankfully, what I can get for this price is streets ahead of what I would have been able to get when I was last a part of the scene, so happy days on that front. My bike will be used for a bit of everything: trails, dirt jumping, street, the short commute to work (zzzz, only just over a mile though). Essentially what I'm looking for from my bike is a quality frame with geometry that is suitable for the fun stuff but also retains a degree of practicality. Of course componments are important too, but these can be upgraded at a later date if necessary. I'm unlikely to be engaging in any serious xc riding, but it would be nice if my bike was actually useful for getting me places rather than just mucking about on, which has been the reason for me most likely discounting a few bikes I was thinking of (24seven slacker, identiti 666S comp). Whilst I'm sure they would be really fun and the benefits of single speed I find quite attractive, I think it would start to irritate me (along with the heavy weight and geometry of these bikes) when riding trails etc.

All this brings me to the bikes I have been considering:

Kona Caldera 2009
Marin Northside Trail 2010
Giant STP 2 2010
Charge Blender Mid 2009
Kona Stuff 2010

At the moment I am thinking that the Marin Northside Trail would be the most suitable option, catering for all of my needs pretty well. I have no idea what the conponmentry is like in terms of quality, but I like the frame and it seems that it would be pretty versatile. Definitely going to get a test ride on that one. What are your thoughts on these bikes, and what else might I consider?

The final thing to add is that I'm quite a big lad (6'4"), so the bike has to come in a size that is going to be appropriate for me considering what I am going to be using it for.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Let battle commence!

pmac1893

Specialized Rockhopper SL pro. a little bit out of your price range but you get XT, elixir brakes and a reba fork.

The Spiderman

Asking a lot of a bike if you want it to be up to dirt jumping,aswell.If it weren`t for the dirt jumping it would be fairly easy,but for dirt jumping nothing less tha a dj bike is really going to be up to it,and a dj bike will be crap for everything else.

Can you get a cheap second hand jump bike and more of an all round xc/trail bike?

xtreem

You can get the STP 1 under £700 from everywhere, but from here you can
get it for £540. Better components than the STP 2, but 15" is the largest size.
http://cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails. ... ctID=17299

On the larger size you have the Mongoose Amasa Super 2008

or if you want newer model but a bit lower spec then consider the Mongoose Tyax Super 2010

Also you have the GT Avalanche Expert 2009

These three aren't a propper DJ bikes or the lightest XC bikes, but can't take a bit harder riding.

But for the hardest riding this one is a good bike NS Bikes Core II Bike 2009
The large size is 17" and it weights 16.8kg, so doing XC might be a little harder with that bike.

lloydrulez15

KONA FIVE-O does it all!!

grantus

Can you still get the Kona Hoss?

Technoallthetime

The Spiderman wrote:

for dirt jumping nothing less tha a dj bike is really going to be up to it,

Sorry, but this is so wrong. What do you think people did before the current proliferation of dj bikes? It's only in the last 5-10 years that specialised dirt jump mountain bikes have become widespread. Sure, a dj bike is going to do the job far better than other types of hardtail, but there are plenty of bikes around that can handle a bit of light jumping in the middle of the trails.

Really like the look of the NS Core II, but 16.8kg is really heavy and not sure whether 17" would be big enough for me. Hmmmm, decisions decisions.

Kona 5-0 looks really nice too, but the biggest size they have left is 18". Reckon I might end up going for this though. The last bike I rode was a 16" and I'm pretty much the same size now as I was then.

supersonic

Light jumping yes. Big dirt jumps, no.

Sizing varies according to the bike. Nobody can say they ae a set size for all bikes.

Technoallthetime

That's fine, I have no intention of doing lots of big dirt jumps. For a start there's no way my skills will be up to it after so long out of the saddle. I know there's no real way of saying whether a certain size will be ok for someone because it depends on bike geometry, how the manufacturer measures the frame, personal preference etc. I'll just have to get myself down to somewhere that sells kona 5-0's and have a ride on an 18".

supersonic

Have a look at the GT Aggressor XCR too.

The Spiderman

Technoallthetime wrote:

The Spiderman wrote:

for dirt jumping nothing less tha a dj bike is really going to be up to it,

Sorry, but this is so wrong. What do you think people did before the current proliferation of dj bikes? It's only in the last 5-10 years that specialised dirt jump mountain bikes have become widespread. Sure, a dj bike is going to do the job far better than other types of hardtail, but there are plenty of bikes around that can handle a bit of light jumping in the middle of the trails.

Really like the look of the NS Core II, but 16.8kg is really heavy and not sure whether 17" would be big enough for me. Hmmmm, decisions decisions.

Kona 5-0 looks really nice too, but the biggest size they have left is 18". Reckon I might end up going for this though. The last bike I rode was a 16" and I'm pretty much the same size now as I was then.

Sorry,dirt jumps to me implies to me the mini mountains I see at Woburn and at my local dj spot....

I do a bit of light jumping on my xc bike,but it`d fold at the first sight of a real dirt jump!


If its a bit of light jumping then yes,the 5-0 would be ideal.

Technoallthetime

The five-O and Core II are hardly xc bikes though! I'd like to think they would stand up to a bit of punishment. Quite a hard choice between these two. My only concern is sizing.

The Spiderman

Technoallthetime wrote:

The five-O and Core II are hardly xc bikes though! I'd like to think they would stand up to a bit of punishment. Quite a hard choice between these two. My only concern is sizing.

As ever its all a bit of a compromise.More so in your case,because you want the bike to do so many different things.

Have you test ridden either?

Technoallthetime

The Spiderman wrote:

As ever its all a bit of a compromise.More so in your case,because you want the bike to do so many different things.

Have you test ridden either?

Not yet. Going to pop up to cycles uk today to sort out a test ride for the five-o and northside trail. Trying to do so for the core II may be a little more difficult.

Of course, when you want a bike to do as many different things as I do there is going to be a limit to how well it performs each individual job. However, I'm not likely to be doing any of the disciplines mentioned to any serious level, and I'm essentially looking for a bike that will deal with both trails and some mucking about on. I don't think that's a great deal to ask.

stanfree

supersonic wrote:

Have a look at the GT Aggressor XCR too.

Thats what I got for £750 , really good bike and forks for the money.

Technoallthetime

GT Agrgressor has a nice spec, but it's Halfords only yes? I don't really fancy it if that is the case.

supersonic

It is Halfords only - but that allows them to fit a better spec for the money. far better value tha the Kona 5 0.

Technoallthetime

I've always loved Kona frames though. You definitely lose out in terms of componments, but the frames are IME lovely.

joshtp

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499
crash bang wallop, i won!
there you go, the best bike for the price, fitting your description perfectly! get one, you WILL NOT regret it!