Ok, after much thought Ive narrowed my choice of first "serious" mtb down to two options, The Specialized hardrock pro disc 04, or the Specialized rockhopper 04 (entry level). Both are a similar price (£500), the hardrock has a Marz comp fork and the rockhopper has the Marz axel elite, and dosent have disc brakes. Iv heard all good stuff on both bikes, so wich one?? Any advice greatly appreciated, especially if youve got one of these bikes!

Matt

i think u mean manitou axel elite. It really depends on which one feels better but if they feel the same, i am gonna hafta recommend the rockhopper. Ive ridden a 00 hardrock, 01 hardrock comp, 03 rockhopper pro and i find that the 03 frame gives me a more comfortable feeling. But its all up to you. have fun deciding

i have an 04 Hardrock sport disc, and the feel of it is very good, it depends what sort of riding your doing really, as the rockhopper is based as more of an XC bike, and the hardrock has a burlier frame... So is more suited to freeirde and small jumps... The rockhopper is alot lighter i believe.... So that really depends on what your planning on riding, if your doing more jump oriented trals, then i would go for the Hardrock, if your strictly XC, then go for the Rockhopper

I asked the same question not long ago. I agree with Cornish_Rdr_UK, you really have to ask yourself what you like to ride. I chose the Hardrock comp because I am a bigger guy (210 lbs...90 kilo?), like to jump, and am hard on my equipment. My local bikeshop agreed that the hardrock frame was better suited to my needs. However, if you ride mostly XC or like to do strenuous uphills, you would benefit from the geometry offered by the rockhopper. As far as the forks go, not too many people know about long term use with the marz comp as it is a relatively new entry level fork. However, I rode both forks for a short time and peferred the feel of the marzocchi over the manitou.

I am loving the hardrock comp so far, and will give you a better review after I get some more riding time in, hopefully after Christmas.

*edit* The rockhopper I rode had the Manitou Six, not the Axel elite. The Six is notoriously problematic, but I don't know enough to comment on the Axel.

ROCKHOPPER. Get the better frame - components can be upgraded.

I agree smart monkey