£600(ish) Hardtail for 6'4" bloke?

shootinstick71

Hi to all,

Hoping someone can help?
I've been using a hybrid bike for the last 3 years, riding 4 or 5 times a week, but have decided, with the advent of a new cycle to work scheme, to go for a mountain bike.
There are some good reviews for a couple of C.£600 bikes, but as I'm 6'4", I need an XL or XXL frame and these bikes don't go large enough.
Soooo, I've narrowed it down to what I think are a couple of decent options, but would like to know what those here (that know a lot more than I do), think.
Looking at a Carrera Kraken:http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/carrera-kraken-mountain-bike-2015
Trek x- calibre 7:http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/mountain/cross_country/x_caliber/x_caliber_7/
The Trek is obviously more expensive - is it worth the extra £150?
Am I missing any other decent options? Looking at riding trails, tarmac, nothing seriously taxing.

Thanks

thisismat

I'm 6ft 1" and just picked up the 19" x-caliber 7 and it fit's me just right, the 21" was a little to big for me, there are better spec'd bikes out there for the price which the guys on here kindly advised on but I took one out from my LBS and fell in love straight away, such a smooth ride, just waiting until the weekend to take it on an off road trip

Antm81

You don't necessarily need those sizes, different manufacturers and different geometries will alter what feels right. I'm the same height and had an XL Cube Analog, always felt to long for me. Both my bikes are now Large sized frames and feel good.

Best advice is to try them and don't limit yourself to bikes that you think will be big enough. Or more importantly don't discount bikes that aren't an XL frame size.