Couple getting first mtb's- £500/600

riverer

Hello all!
Me and the girlfriend want to get into mountain biking after hiring some out and having a lot of fun. We'd mostly be doing off road trails and cycle routes.

I've been reading around as many old threads as I can looking for suggestions for entry level bikes around £250-300, I've narrowed it down to the following:


SPECIALIZED HARDROCK SE MOUNTAIN BIKE 2012 - HARDTAIL MTB
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Har ... =Froogle02

Saracen Tufftrax
http://www.bike-uk.co.uk/product.php?ca ... Text=bikes

I'm a bit torn though since I read somewhere I'd be better getting disk breaks if possible. Any feedback on these bikes or suggestions for others to consider would be really helpful. I'm most concerned with getting a good frame so I have the option of adding upgrades later on as/when/if needed


Thanks in advance!

70\ʹspenguin

oops forget that i didnt read the thread

Hidden Hippo

Take a look at the Merida Matts Pro-D. I got one very recently and was looking at similar price ranges to you. The only thing lacking on it is the suspension, but you'll struggle to find a cheaper bike with hydraulic discs.

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/b ... -only.html

cooldad

That Merida is much better than the two you posted, providing the size is right.
One here in 16" as well
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERIDA-MATTS- ... 4ab549fd58

riverer

Hidden Hippo wrote:

Take a look at the Merida Matts Pro-D. I got one very recently and was looking at similar price ranges to you. The only thing lacking on it is the suspension, but you'll struggle to find a cheaper bike with hydraulic discs.

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/b ... -only.html

That does look good, 18 frame would probably be about right since I'm 32-34 inside leg and just over 6ft high. Very tempting!

cooldad

Or worth looking at
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65499#tab2

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-53 ... 68118.html

ElliesDad

When you say off road trails, if you mean eventually getting into red routes and the like, don't make the same mistake I made. I originally went for a Carrera Valour MTB, which was a good bike but it had Suntour XCT forks which weren't really up to anything more than a green/blue route. I still consider myself a beginner but very quickly I outstripped the capabilaties of the bike and ended up getting a Boardman. What I am trying to say is, be realistic about what you aspire to riding and stretch your budget to suit if at all possible. This inevitably works out cheaper in the long run as the cheaper bikes are easlily surpassed by your ability and you end up upgrading a few months down the line. In my case after only 3 months!