Help with new MTB

How Far is too Far

I am fancying buying a MTB after not having one for a few years. I have several road bike and CX bikes and ride 5 days a week. But now I fancy another MTB for riding some trail centres and to do some racing like the Nutcracker events.

I am not sure what would be the best bike to get, in the past it I have had 26" wheels, Cannonadale Tarine Hard tail with 80mm fork as well as a Cannondale Prophit with 140mm travel.

I have a budget of between £750 and £1250 would buy used or new, what I am better off with. At first I though a 29er hard tail, then I though what about a 27.5 HT , then I though get a FS 27.5. Now I have no idea.

I have seen a few bike on Pauls cycles and they seem to be good deals.

any surgestions

The Rookie

Only you can decide what will suite you and the events you are likely to do, it also depends to an extent on how good a rider you are, a better rider will loose less time on a technical section on an HT so making him potentially faster (on the lighter bike) than on an FS, but a less good rider may be faster over the tech section on an FS and be fatser than he would be on an HT overall.

As you are also talking trail centres, IF YOU WERE ME I'd probably be looking at an XCorientated 27" FS with shortish travel, if you can find a good one at the right price, otherwise a good spec 29" HT as at that price point 29" FS suffer on spec and weight quite a lot.

One worth considering
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499
Leaving you £250 to sort the cockpit fit for you and maybe save a little weight (14kg is a little heavy for XC racing).
You can get money off by various techniques as well......quidco for example.