Advice on a new hardtail
 

I ride recreationally, for transportation and for fitness. I have a nice road bike and an old hardtail. the MTB I have now is ok but it's really cheap; it's very heavy and damaged from a couple of wrecks. I'm thinking of giving it to my brother and picking up a new bike.

I will use the bike for urban riding, light trail riding, and wet/snowy weather. I want to take part in some group trail rides next year.

I'm attracted to BD's Titanium XT model http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...e/fpti_09x.htm but I don't know much about MTBs. I could order it and pick it up next time I fly into the states. I like the idea of a titanium bike with such a low weight. I wouldn't call it a beater but I want a bike I can toss around a bit. Any owners want to talk about this bike? I'm also open to learning about other light hardtails with similar components for the same price or less.

thanks

Yeah that's not a bike most people wanna "toss" around on a regular basis. That said, I did a two foot drop on a carbon hardtail last fall.
I guess it's about your skill on landing your "tosses". If you feel confident in your ability to "toss" the bike gently, it could do a lot of things it wasn't designed to do.

Sorry, I just bought the last one in stock. Thanks for the hook up. Seriously though, that looks like an excellent package for the money. He who hesitates is lost.

Sorry, I just meant be able to drop it on the ground and stuff. The highest i'd be dropping off of is a curb. You should be able to treat brushed titanium pretty rough without worrying about scraping and stuff right? I love my carbon road bike but i'm constantly worrying about damaging it.

Like any other material, titanium can be damaged without any visual cues. Just be careful with your shiny new ride?