Originally Posted by bmw_maniac
I weigh about 71kg, which I worked out to be 156.5 lbs?
I wont be thrashing the bike as such, but at times in the middle of summer I can be rather strong from riding on the road alot, and I'll probably ride very fast on the MTB, just not jump it and stuff.
I personally would be looking at the Specialized Rockhopper lineup (Comp or Pro Disc) and the K2 Zed series (4.0) as they're right in your price range and are very solid hardtails with an excellent mix of components. There are of course others too such as the Trek 6700 and the Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo.
Originally Posted by bmw_maniac
Also I need to look at pedals/shoes. I have Sidi road shoes, and Wellgo (look compatible) pedals. Am I best off going for a different setup on the MTB? My thoughts are either get a MTB shoe and pedal setup seperate from the road bike, or get one that I can use for both road and MTB, so I have one pair of shoes for both types of riding.
In your pricerange, the bikes will probably come with clipless pedals. Most likely they'll be equipped with SPD or SPD clones. The cleats for these pedals will not fit your road shoes nor would you want to attempt hitting the trails with road shoes. Those things are awkward enough to walk and stand around in on a hard flat surface nevermind anything uneven, rocky and rooted. I would recommend getting a MTB specific shoe. They will most undoubtedly be SPD compatible so you don't have to worry about pedal/cleat/shoe compatibility.