Mountain Biking - Which Bike?

I started out on bikes about a year ago and im looking to buy a new bike... im only 14 and i have very little money coming in... i have looked at two bikes so far and both of them seem quite good

Dawes Tamarak DX ( LINK) www.langsettcycles.co.uk/products.php?mcat=1&scat=2&prodid=30

And the Dawes Acoma (LINK)http://www.cobr.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Acoma.html

As im on a budget of roughly £400 pounds these bikes seem quite good, the Tamarak DX is rated 5/5 by mountain biking UK for budget bikes


Can someone please help me! :D

The Tamarak has a fork I've never heard of, and the brakes have a reputation for... well... not stopping you.

The Acoma on the other hand has a Manitou Six fork, which also leaves a little to be desired (but at least I've heard of it), and asside from that, is spec'd pretty well. The components seem, for the most part, to be pretty reliable.

To be honest, however, neither strikes me as a terribly good deal. But then, I know pricing and availibility is different there in the UK.

i plan to upgrade forks anyway so that doesnt matter... If u dont like these can u suggest some good budget bikes for less that £300 whjich is about $700 i think :S

I would recommend sticking with Trek or Specialized if they sell them there in the UK. With 400 pounds you can get a Trek 4000 series or buy a Hardrock from Specialized.

Woah! I found that i can buy a specialized hardrock bike for £299.99! thx alot Mindbogger... i cant find much on the trek 4000... which bike would u say is best for all terrian and XC? With a bit of light jumping

Stay away of Dawes and similar bikes....keep the Specialized option...the hardrock is a good bike with a great upgrade potential...

Are Scotts Anygood?

Originally posted by Transparent
Woah! I found that i can buy a specialized hardrock bike for £299.99! thx alot Mindbogger... i cant find much on the trek 4000... which bike would u say is best for all terrian and XC? With a bit of light jumping

If you can get that hardrock i recommend it. Take that extra hundred pounds and spend it all on upgrades. The frame is really strong and can be upgraded. You'll have a lot of fun on the trails.

what about the hardrock comp? is it worh spending a bit more and getting that?

In my opinion, it really is. I have a Hardrock Comp and I love it. It has a RS Judy TT whcih is alreday a plus from the RST you are getting. Almost evreything on it is better. Whats the price difference?

£100...

For that 100 your gonna be getting a better fork, derilleurs, and shifters. Not sure if its worth the 100 but if your gonna end up, upgrading neways I think its a good idea to stick withe the comp/

Are we talking about the 2003 models?

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Judy TT. I'm pretty sure however it's better than the RST fork but the Judy's lack of rebound and compression adjusters plus the fact that it's a bit too springy makes for a poor handling fork. I would suggest that if you get the HardRock Comp, ask your LBS to get you some stiffer MCUs which should help some.

Yep... the only difference i can see from the specs is that the forks are different... and the Hardrock has a lower spec cassete and mech... thats it i think... I says that the hardrock is only compatible with 80mm forks.... is that right?

http://www.dalescycles.com/comersus_viewitem.asp?idproduct=1631

The HardRock frame can probably take a 100mm fork.

I think you can go up to 100mm but not more then that. The Hardrock Pro uses a Judy TT with 100mm of travel and it seems like the frame is the same.

I think i will go with the Specialized Hardrock and use the extra £100 to upgrade it... starting with the cassete and mechs... then ill upgrade the forks :)


Thx Guys :)

JUst remember forks don't come cheap. ITs better to get the whole package cuz it will save you a bit more. Check out the price of forks to see if its gonna be worth it.

I had my eye on a set of Marzocchi's.... i was gonna put them on my old bike to upgrade them from the store forks which are rubbish...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/viewproduct.asp?category=Forks&ModelID=1298

They're 105mm though... how much is .5mm gonna make?

I think theres a thread on this alreday. Try seraching for it.

Good luck on your new ride and update us when you get it.

Transparent, you will love the Hardrock. I have one also. However, my style of riding has went from leisure xc to freeride xc. Which means I need to make some component changes.

Im not really sure if what i do is XC... itsbasically different routes that me and my riding buddy decide to take... it can go from abit of light downhill to long trails... or maybe even just bombing arouna an area and doing jumps... (Not really trials just jumps) Would the Hardrock be up to this?

The Hardrock would be perfect. I think that its designed for everything you mentioned.

Trans, trials and trails are two different things.

I know they are.... i do very little TRIALS but alot of trails