£500 First time MTB advice!

Me and my girlfriend are looking to purchase our first mountain bikes for around £500-£600, we are complete novices but I've managed to narrow it down to these two:
http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/2014/kili-trail
and
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/ ... p-29#specs
My girlfriends down to these two:
http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/ ... sport-650b
and
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 256/77404/
If you could offer us any guidance that woud be amazing. We know Decathlon is widely recommended here but we don't have a local shop to test out the bikes.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/2014/kili-trail
and
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/ ... p-29#specs
My girlfriends down to these two:
http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/ ... sport-650b
and
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 256/77404/
If you could offer us any guidance that woud be amazing. We know Decathlon is widely recommended here but we don't have a local shop to test out the bikes.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
0
Posts
For the Mrs , from my experience best to take her to a bigger bike shop and let her see and test ride some bikes, she may prefer mens mountain bikes.
VOODOO CANZO
Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
Consider also the Rockrider 8.1 (name changed yet?) for circa £550, excellent value.
Took the misses to have a look at a Carrera Vulcan today (http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/m ... -2015#tab1) and she really liked the feel of it - any opinion on that model here?
Cheers again everyone