Hardtail for Xcountry riding?

Well, there is a saying:

You can have two of these three: Light, Cheap, Durable

I would go to V Brakes. Discs are nice, for sure, but if you are not doing excessively long bombing downhills, they are not necessary. Avid SD Ti's are nice and light (and cheap compared to any decent disc system)

SRAM drivetrains are my thing. Screw ShimaNO off road. Their engineers have obviously never ridden their products for any lengthy period.

With standard MTB gearing, you can easily find a gear that allows you to spin in just about any situation, no need to cassette swaps like you need in road riding.

Gary Fishers are nice, I'v ridden a few and my friends have a couple. I like the geometry. The lower to mid models arent super light, tho.

I myself am building up a hardtail right now. Marzocchi MX comp fork, Supergo.com Easton Ultralight frame, Avid SD Ti brakes, Race Face Crank, SRAM X.9 drivetrain. ~21 lbs in 22inch frame. ~$1k USD.

Use Microsoft Excel and punch up a spread shead with weights and prices for components and/ or bike models with their specs. You can get all the details and break things down nicely. I love bike shopping!

AllanST said:

I'm thinking about buying a hardtail mtn bike for cross country riding. This cross country riding will include heatherland, and steep stony descents. The bike must be as low as possible in weight (for uphill riding), but as durable as possible (as I'm still new to mtn biking and so lacking in the technical skills, so am likely to crash a lot). I will be riding in groups, and want to ride competitively as well.

My specs are:-

Front suspension forks (preferably with lockout option).

Disc Breaks (hydralic or cable - what weight difference will each make?, would I be lighter off with cantilevers, and would it make a lot of difference to my stopping capabilities?)

It has to be as light as possible.

It must be very durable and can take lots of knocks. (I would prefer not to sacrifice durability for lightness, though this is mitigatable).

9 sprocket rear cassete, front triple. I'm a spinner, can I tailor my gearing accordingly?

I'm prepared to pay around £1000 (GBP) for this bike, obviously I'm going to opt for which model offers me the best value for money.

So any suggestions as to what to get? What are your personal experiences of the model you suggest (pro's + con's)? How long did it last in use? Weight (if you know what it is)? Performance?

I do not want a full susser, as I already have one, and have been told my style of riding is more suited to a hardtail.

Hi Alan

I have 2 hardtails that are great for the type of use you have in mind -

1) Rocky Mountain Vertex TO - purchased second hand - originally £3k new bought for £1200 - c 22lbs in weight with XTR spec (incl V Brakes) fitted some Pace RC36 forks, Xlite bar bar ends (stubbies) and Race Face cranks - it flies up and down hill.

2) Pace RC200 F8 (square tubing serious XC machine) - purchased almost new from local bike shop with Hope disc brakes - XT groupset - RST XMO Forks, flatties - slightly heavier (c 25lbs) than RM but it is more stable down hill (geometry slightly different). It is in fact for sale at the moment in case you are interested £995 ono - I am looking to buy a second hand FS steed - look on the classifieds if you are interested posted last night..

Prior to the above I have had a steel Rocky Mountain which was very springy but lovely and also a Univega, a Kastle and a dog of a Diamond Back both were in a very different league.

Hope that helps - keep on riding..

Cooperman

Why not pay less for the initial bike, by getting a bike at the bottom end of a high spec family with the same frame as its brothers. This mean that you can research and buy the best replacement parts with the money saved. This way you can have an awesome bike that is custom to your needs rather than getting a bike off the shelf and that has been built to a price tag rather than for you.

I am replying to this thread as the specs you are after are the same as my bike, a Giant XTC 4 that was worth £500. The frame on that bike is present on higher XTC models and has been reviewed favorably. It out classes all the parts on it and would happily adopt better, without getting to a point where u are left thinking, dam i have upgraded a [censored] bike.

The other thing is the bike comes standard with Hydraulic disks and lock out front forks like you are after.

Just an Idea.