Specialized Hardrock Vs Trek Marlin?

noob1985

I am sure that there are literally dozens of threads asking similar questions, ie "What bike should I get for sub £500?" in fact the thread below this one answers that question, with a Rockrider 8.1
However after taking my friends Hardrock out for a very wet ride on moderate terrain, I have decided I definitely want a 29er. I am just over 6ft so found it more comfortable than a 26. Whether its flavour of the month or not I know that I personally preferred the bigger wheels. So after doing a fair bit of research I have discovered that there are very few 29ers for under 500, and from what I can see the only one with Hydraulic brakes is the Specialized. The Trek though apparently has better everything else apart from the brakes, so my plan is to pay a few extra quid when I buy the bike to have Hydraulics put on the Trek. And the salesman at the bike shop said that he could do that and still come within budget of 499 (I'm buying through cycle to work.) My friend with the Hardrock however thinks I should just get the Specialized. So I wanted to put it out there to see what the advice was. The difficulty is I have struggled to find any up to date reviews of the Hardrock, but I know that the Marlin only got 3 stars which from what I can work out is down to the forks and brakes, as I said I can correct one of those issues as for the forks I will probably upgrade next summer, when I have a bit more cash to play with, also they are the same budget fork on the Specialized anyway. I am quite content with the fact that most sub 500 bikes have fairly rubbish forks.
FYI the bike will be used mostly for commuting, (I aim to invest in some slicker tyres at Christmas if I think the standard ones don't roll fast enough) and a bit of XC trail riding hence why I'm not getting a road bike.

Could I get some help please?

noob1985

forgot the links
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec042120
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec040961

chrisvanderkaap

what about the new Kona Lava dome
http://konaworld.com/lava_dome.cfm

excellent commuter geo
but i don't know if you'd be able to attain it trough C2W

otherwise get the trek

felix.london

Sounds like you've made your mind up but I'd stay well away from 29er's at this price point. Heavy and well under specced imo

apreading

What 26" did you try? If you found it uncomfortable, it is more likely because it didnt fit you, wasnt set up properly for you or the geometry didnt suit you. Wheel size has very little to do with this.

For the money, felix is right - a 29er will almost certainly be considerably heavier. Specialized in particular have very poor spec components and poor value for money too.

Have you actually tried the Rockrider?

On the other hand, if you tried your mates Hardrock and liked it, then why not just go and buy the same as you already know it fits you and you find it comfortable. It may not be the best, certainly not the best value for money but you are already happy for it and looking for a bike that feels similar.

noob1985

Thanks.

Chrisvanderkaap- as for the Kona, technically can get through c2w, but its only available online atm and I would rather buy from a shop firstly in order to benefit from the free 6 week readjustment service. And also so I can at least sit on it and take for a quick ride before I part with my cash, there is an Evans in my town hence why I linked the bikes from Evans.

Apreading- the rockrider is now over budget, on decathlon its 549 for 2012 model. And also b4 it gets a mention the voodoo hoodoo, no longer has air forks which was the best thing going for it.

In terms of weight I'm not sure if il notice the extra kg or 2 as I don't have a strong basis for comparison. My current bike is a carera kraken which I have had for 10 years and despite being heavy, it is too small for me, and the bike is in awful condition, forks ceased solid, gears don't work well, bottom bracket feels loose when I pedal hard, and the mechanical discs need new pads. So by that logic jumping off that bike onto anything feels good.

supersonic

The hardrock and marlin have awful forks, I'd avoid these two models.

apreading

noob1985 wrote:

My current bike is a carera kraken which I have had for 10 years and despite being heavy, it is too small for me

Thats why the 29er felt better then. As far as I understand the Kraken (when all working ok) was a far superior and lighter bike than the Hardrock... Never tried one myself though.

kajjal

The most important thing is you like how the bike rides and the look of it. Try a few test rides and once you get an idea checkout the reviews and also the specs to confirm the value for money.

My MTB is a Specialized Carve and I bought it based on how much I enjoyed riding it on the test ride. There were other bikes at the same price point with better spec's for the components but for me the Carve was ideal.

Good Luck and keep checking the 2013 sales for good deals

noob1985

Ok went into town today, and went into Evans to get their shop code in order to process the c2w voucher. And to confuse matters they pointed out another 2013 29er for £500 well actually 510. Its a GT Karakoran 3.0 reduced from 600 but does more money mean better bike in this case? Again it has the same shitty suntour forks as any 29er for this price but it benefits from Shimano Alivio M430 and as such has more gears than the other 2. I understand that traditionally GT's tend to be quite weighty any views? If not than what hardtail can I get from Evans that will fit me (I am 6'1 and quite rangy) which is why I like the riding position on a 29er. But I guess 29ers have only been around for a few years so people of my build would have always been happy on XL 26ers.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/ ... e-ec042821

Literally just spotted this online.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuj ... 844#select

apreading

Just noticed you can get a Rockhopper in XL or XXL for £540 at Evans

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec042244

Would be much better than the Hardrock - same crappy components but a much better frame for later upgrading when the components wear out or you are feeling flush!

noob1985

I did see the rockhopper but I doubt my other half will let me spend that much over budget. it was hard enough for her to agree to a £500 bike. she will not see any justification in spending another 40 quid. 10 though I might get away with. So I'm really interested in the opinion on the GT, particularly supersonic as by looking at his avatar he is Mr GT. Other peoples opinions more than welcome. also as the general consensus on this thread is that a 29er is a poor investment at this price range what would be good 26er sub 500 that Evans stock and is still available in L or XL?

supersonic

New GTs are poor value I am afraid - the Karakoram 3.0 has an atrocious undamped fork.

apreading

This one doesnt seem too bad, gets decent brakes and Deore rear mech:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... 1#features

97th choice

Supersonic is obsessed with forks, obsessed...and with good reason. You can get away with an average drive train or brakes, but a poor fork just knackers your ride.

The Rookie

Indeed, cheap drive train (these days) does the job just as well, it drives, it changes gear, it may not be as tactile and it's a bit heavier than top end stuff is all, cheap (as in not good, rather than inexpensive) forks ruin a ride compared to the enjoyment you'd get from decent ones.