New mountain bike Advice

[Brierly]

Hi, I'm about to buy a new mountain bike for about £1000. I'm not sure what is good, so looking for a bit of advice.

I'm around 6 foot tall and am looking for a hardtail with potential for use on the roads as well as off road. I'm keen to get decent gears and brakes (hydraulic).

I've not had to buy a bike for 15 years and at that time Gary Fisher, Kona and DiamondBack were some great options. What should I look for nowadays?

Given my budget, can anyone suggest good options, in terms of brands, frame size (given the multi use on road and off road) and gear and brake components? So far I've been looking at some options on chainreactioncycles.com.

Many thanks!
Joe

 

[OskarTennisChampion]

GT Zaskar Comp will set you back £850 and would suit you nicely.
Reasonable components which are durable entry level stuff.
I especially like the Raidon fork on it.

 

[Pale Rider]

Lots of decent brands out there.

You say you've not bought a bike for 15 years, which could indicate you are not up to speed with care and maintenance.

With that in mind, having a good local bike shop on side would be useful.

Nothing wrong with buying a bike from Chain Reaction, but it would be worth seeing if your local bike shop has anything you fancy.

A £1,000 mountain bike is a common requirement, thanks to the Cycle to Work scheme, so most shops have a good range of bikes between £750 and £1,000.

 

[lpretro1]

Gary Fisher no longer exist - Diamondback are now very bottom line bikes - not so good. Kona still good. But have a look at Scott, Trek & Specialized - all decent with a range of bikes to suit budget

 

[Boon 51]

My bob's worth..

Several months ago I had a Specialized Crosstrail Comp good gearing with semi off road shocks I sold it and now wish I hadn't its not a full on mtb or road bike but somewhere in the middle, about £900 now... well worth a look?

 

[Jimidh]

I have a Trek Xcaliber 9 - I think it's a great bike - £850 in 2014 - worth a look

 

[Levo-Lon]

Go outdoors have some suprisingly good bikes for your budget..