Mountain Biking - I know you folks hate these threads....but I'll post anyway

I have a friend who wants to get back into cycling. He doesn't want a hybrid or a comfort or a road bike. He wants a Mtn bike with front suspension.

He currently rides a full suspension X-mart mtn bike (weighs 35lbs!!!) and he's pretty rough with it. He'll sometimes take it to the trails .....but he does most of his riding around the City.....but he enjoys being able to decend stairs, etc. He's also able to keep up with me (somewhat) on 30 mile rides on pavement. It's just that we'll lose him on hills when he has all the extra weight to carry up.

He doesn't want to lose option of going off pavement....so that's why he's willing to carry the extra weight of a Mtn bike.

Now, here's the question.....I know absolutely NOTHING about mtn bikes. He wants something around $400. I think I can push him up to $500 (if the bike is THAT much better).

I suggested looking at the Specialized line:
- Hardrock
- Rockhopper

What other suggestions should I give him? What other bikes should he test ride? I'll bring him to the LBS one day. He seems to be ready to pull the trigger.

jamis

model?

If at all possible I would have him read through the $500 MTB thread by Raiyn, it has a lot of posts and he could probably come up with exactly what he needs!

Or buy a used aluminum hardtail from any of the big names. He'll get way more bang for his buck.

If at all possible I would have him read through the $500 MTB thread by Raiyn, it has a lot of posts and he could probably come up with exactly what he needs!
Or even the FAQ at the top of the page

I just sent him the $500 Mtn bike thread. I'm sure he'll have lots of reading to do.

Thanks folks!

Another dumb question. I was at the LBS this past weekend and I test rode both the Hardrock & Rockhopper.

The RH is seems lighter and I was able to accelerate quicker.

Anyway, I thought I somewhat knew Mtn bike components. When I had a hybrid a few years back, the components were Deore. I thought it is the following:

Deore
Deore LX
Deore XT
Deore XTR

Is this no longer the case? Both the HR & RH uses another line of Shimano. I really didn't remember the name.

But can someone match up the "new" component to the Deore line????

Thx.

PS - Are Deores better or is this new line better?

Another dumb question. I was at the LBS this past weekend and I test rode both the Hardrock & Rockhopper.

The RH is seems lighter and I was able to accelerate quicker.

Anyway, I thought I somewhat knew Mtn bike components. When I had a hybrid a few years back, the components were Deore. I thought it is the following:

Deore
Deore LX
Deore XT
Deore XTR

Is this no longer the case? Both the HR & RH uses another line of Shimano. I really didn't remember the name.

But can someone match up the "new" component to the Deore line????

Thx.

PS - Are Deores better or is this new line better?
You mean the Acera, Alivio, Altus, etc? They're worse than Deore.

I really like my Gary Fisher Marlin. It's about in the right price range. I didn't want to spend a lot of money either and the Marlin was about the best bang for the buck.....at least around here. The GF has more of a "stretched out" feel...which I liked since I was already used to riding a road bike. The Trek 4500 I test road felt much more "upright".

For 2006, the Hardrock Sport has: SRAM SX-4, 8-speed, mid cage

Is that worse than regular Deore?

Anyone know what the 06 Rockhopper (base model) have?