Suggestions on a new hardtail please <£2500

sizeablesausage

Ex long time roadie looking to get into something different (preferably 29 hard tail). I would be open to a full sus but I had the mindset of get a better hardtail than a 'cheaper' full sus

Looking for recommendations on bikes <£2500 that I can still ride fast'ish on road sections but suitable for the trail / xc riding too.

Im tall at 6 5 which made my road bike buying select due to stock options.

So far i've seen:

Orbea Laufey
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Orbea/Laufey-H10-29-Mountain-Bike-2021/QE5S

Specialized Chameleon 7
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Santa-Cruz/Chameleon-7-AL-29-D-Mountain-Bike-2021/RXK1

I like the look of the chisel comp but stock options are not there. What would you guys go for ?

peugeot206

Hi
Have you looked into the Trek Farley 9.6 full carbon, spec is awesome and ride is out of this world, go tubeless, run the tyres at 8PSI for trails you'll have the time of your life.
I'm converted from MTB to Fatty and never looked back.
Take a look at it, the new Trek Farley 9 (2021) is an absolute beast.
Failing that you really don't need to spend 2.5k on a MTB unless your on it 5 days a week doing mega tough rides/trails, go for the Calibre Bossnut or the Boardman MHT 8.9, plenty good enough, with a very good spec indeed. Good luck
Cheers

singleton

As a long time roadie, I've just bought a 29er hardtail but at a lower price point than you and maybe for different terrain.
You mention trail and SC - A lot of it seems to come down to frame geometry as to which of those 2 the bike is biassed towards:
Do you want something faster on smoother trails and better at climbing (more XC) - then look at bikes with a steeper head angle, shorter wheelbase and more upright seat tube.
Do you want something to handle rougher trails and be more stable when descending (more trail) - then look at bikes with a steeper head angle, shorter wheelbase and more upright seat tube.

Some others to look at:
Nukeproof scout 29er
Ragley big-al
Orange Crush 29
Whyte 529

JBA

Have a look at Sonder - the Frontier or Dial might suit your needs.
Sonder/Alpkit are great to deal with and you can upgrade/change components to get just what you want.