Who make a Good CroMO MT bike?

My dad wants to get a hardtail MTB for some easy trails. He been road biking off and on his whole adult life. He wants a Cro Mo frame for a nicer ride but he weighs about 230 lbs. He doesn't like how stiff my aluminium MTB is.

He would like a quality bike with decent components but would like to stay under $500. Is it possible? I 've done some searching on the net and have found that if you want a steel bike, you either get cheap junk for less than $300, or really expensive, over $1000.

Who makes a good, relatively cheap steel MTB? I figure he wouldn't need much better than Deore or LX level components.

Thanks--------------Dave

specialized's entry levels like hardrock or rock hopper have cromo and are great.

Unfortunately, good chro-mo frames can be pricier than aluminum, (especially some of the new cheap-o stuff out there) but is well worth it. See if he can find a gently used DeKerf. He made gorgeous chro-mo frames.

Jamis makes some nice steel hardtails from affordable to super nice.

__________________
Just Pedal

I can vouch for the Jamis cro-mo. I have the Jamis Dakota XC and I think it's great. The ride is a vast improvement on my alu Specialized. I've upgraded the suspension to Rock Shox Psylo, so I'm often riding my XC bike with 125mm of travel. To the bike's credit it handles it beautifully.

Try www.jamisbikes.com

Also take a look at KHS, their softail would fit the bill.

www.khsbikes.com

__________________
www.techprecision.com.au

Salsa and Cove make steel that can be had for less than $400 if you know how to shop well...Have a Cove "handjob" frame I got for $375.