Best hardtail for Under £750

[Berger and Chips]

I am trying to find a good deal on an upper mid level hardtail, I have surfed the web and looked in the local lbs's recently.

Generally speaking I am horrified these days what is available at the moment in terms of the cheesy groupset and forks offered.
No good deals on last years and the year before's bikes and £600+ bikes with Darts when a couple of years back these would have been Recons and last year Toras.

So far my current shortlist is this

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Black_Forest_2009/5360037562/


Here is its supposedly superior brother but the forks look more suspect to me, seem like a downgrade from the Fox forks.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Black_Forest_Expert_2009/5360037560/


The other two I have my eye on are:-

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-8-1-66759353/

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/rockrider-8-2-34963146/

Any one know of genuinely better deals elsewhere?

My main criteria is high quality, durable components not a bike that the bike mags reckon rides amazingly well, even though it has some crappy cheap parts such as the base Rockhopper 09 - which recently got 10/10 in a review of best £600+ bikes despite having Rock Shox uber budget Dart forks and Tektro disc brakes.
Basically a fast, high quality bike that could go for 3 years without needing repairs or upgrades.

Anyone know why the first Focus is so cheap, seems to me the forks are about £600 on their own which means the rest of the bike is about £110!

 

[Mr Pig]

That first Focus looks superb. I think it'll be hard to beat the spec on that for the money.

 

[Berger and Chips]

Yeah it looks a crazy good deal, the Expert looks oddly worse and then there is an even higher model the pro, which has only Rock Shox Recons which I thought were like £300 forks compared to the £600 Fox forks on the base model...
Seems to me the Fox's negate the possibly otherwise higher spec of the other two versions and after owning a pair of abysmal MARS Elite forks, which blew their seals with little use (and replacements are not available) and the bankruptcy and takeover by Hayes of Manitou, I would be loath to try their forks again - though an old pair of 96 Spider R's lasted a decade on my old Marin...

 

[yashicamat]

I have a Rockhopper Comp Disc 09 which was under £700 and is fantastic. Avid Juicy 3 discs front and back are very powerful. The bike handles very very well and is a blast on both fast trails and technical rocky terrain.

 

[Berger and Chips]

Yeah, very nice bike, but my full suspension bike is a Rockhopper FSR and my brother also rides a Rockhopper, so I would fancy something different.

 

[Berger and Chips]

So

http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s2p1264

or

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Black_Forest_2009/5360037562/

Which is the better deal? Any thoughts?

 

[02GF74]

chin reaction: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=163

 

[Berger and Chips]

I am not seeing any better than Tora/Deore equipped hardtails on sale at Chain Reaction under £750 these days.
They were actually giving away an Aspire 2.0 for £275 with Deore and Tora's only two weeks back, but I stupidly missed that one and without that kind of bargain available have set my sights a little higher.
I am currently looking for the sort of bike that has LX/SLX or higher 27 spd groupset and decent alloy stanchion mid level forks (hence not Dart or Tora) in the £500-750 bracket.

Things are bad out there deal wise atm - I picked up a Scott Scale 60 2007 two years ago for £399 its full price was £560, now its shot up to about £899 for that bike's current model (maybe more) and I see some scamster site asking more than its original price for it (the 07 bike) now! This by the way is my Malvern bike which lives in the Midlands, I am after something equivalent for down South Bristol way.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

dare you buy from Halfords? The specs of the Boardman's is great.... and they get v +ve reviews in the rags.

 

[Berger and Chips]

I already have 3 Carreras, 1 hardtail, 1 gryphon hybrid, and a racer.
I don't want another Halfords bike for that reason.
I did look at the Boardman's but they have dropped the spec and upped the prices from last year and the only one I really rate now is the £1k job and since I cant get the cycle to work deal I aint paying that.
If I did think about going down that path I would be tempted by the £1k Carrera Titan Carbon hardtail.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

For the spec you are wanting at the price point you are aiming at I reckon you will have to wait until the 2010 bikes hit the street and then pick up a 2009 model being sold off cheap.

Surely most bikes this year are lower spec higher price with similar expected for 2010? Demand is up, supply is static, and the pound just doesn't get that many Yen these days.

I have no issue with Halfords, Carrera's are tidy bikes for the price and I own a Boardman Pro MTB and am saving for a Boardman road bike

 

[Berger and Chips]

Yeah Carrera and Boardman are good, which is why I have picked up 3 different style Carreras in sales over the last 4 or 5 years. I ride to and fro work and off road.
But its also why I dont want another.
I think that the Wiggle with Fox's, the GIANT with the Rock Shox and the Decathlon Rockrider 8.1 and 9.1 are pretty good, wondered if anyone else knew of a bigger bargain elsewhere. Obviously not.

 

[Berger and Chips]

Have now bought an 08 Red Rockhopper with Toras for £399 (New Old Stock).
Seeing as this years model got a perfect 10 in mbr July - with Darts at £600 and the current model with Toras is £700, I thought it had to be a good deal.
Ok, its not as good as the Focus probably, but it was £311 less...

 

[GrumpyGregry]

you can't go wrong with a Spesh imo. Still riding my '95 Rockhopper, though gently these days, and you have bagged a real bargain by the sounds of it. NoS is great when you find it in your size (I never can!)

 

[Berger and Chips]

Its probably slightly too small for me, to be honest.
I am 5 7/5 8 and its a 15 inch, (I normally ride 16 (Vulcan with Maguras) or 17inch(Scott Scale up at my parents in Malvern)) but seeing as its only for riding on the local tight and twisty Timberland mtb trail, which is 5 mins up the road in Ashton Court, I reckon it will be fine with the seat post up high.
I might have to change the stem to increase cockpit length, but I actually have quite a few of those in a box of spares, including a nice Easton one.
I would definitely not have bought a 15incher for commuting or all round use as a sole bike though nor would I have bought that for the Malverns which is quite open and not gnarly and technical...