Yes, another one of these threads...
My GF and I went mountain biking while on holiday and she really enjoyed it (so did I, but I knew that already) so now I'm looking at getting a couple of bikes to use once in a while. I've been looking at options and I thought I would check with the fine folks at BF to see what they think. I know it will be suggested so I'll say before starting that I have been looking at used options and will keep doing so to see if anything good appears.
Now to the good stuff. My max budget is $1,000 and I am not going a dollar over that. In fact, something between $600 and $800 would be best. Full suspension is, naturally, not an option. Obviously I would prefer a better frame over a worse one, I think I want hydraulic discs rather than mechanical (or should I not bother?) and an ok groupset, don't care too much as long as it is good enough (say, a Sora equivalent), I would also prefer a single chainring up front but I can live with a front derailleur. 29 or 27.5 wheels I don't really care much for.
Should mention that I'll probably be riding once or twice a month if I am being honest and since I'll be with my GF we won't be doing any hardcore stuff.
From what I've seen so far, my two favorite options:
Marin Pine Mountain 1: I think it looks cool, I think the drivetrain is good for the price (don't really know though, is it?) plus it is a 1x system so I like that. It also has the Shimano hydraulic brakes which is nice. Of course the main issue is that there is no suspension. Would I be missing out on a lot by going rigid? I'm assuming if I really wanted a front suspension down the line I could just buy a fork, is that correct? There is also the whole 27.5+ thing.
Raleigh Tokul 2: Another one with a 1x drivetrain, hydraulic discs (Tektros though), 27.5 tires. The fork is a SR Suntour XCR 32, which I have no clue whether it is any good or not. Seems like a good option from my uneducated perspective, but I am not sure which is why I come to you peeps.
So what do you think about those two? Which other bikes should I consider? Is going rigid a bad idea? Should I just get two 90s bikes for $100 and be done with it? Thanks for your feedback.
