Help chose between 3 mountain bikes



I hate to sound overly negative here but I wouldn't select either of those bikes! But here's why...the front suspension fork. Front suspension forks on low cost bikes are heavy and extremely problematic, plus they don't track well when the going gets rough. The only time a front suspension fork is necessary is if you'll be single track or down hill race, but if you were doing that you wouldn't be doing it on a $400 bike! Also since the fork is a suspension unit it cost more thus the bike manufacture had to take value out of somewhere and usually that means cheaper components and cheaper wheels.

You need to find a rigid frame with a rigid fork for that price range. If you will be doing some off road where the going could get rough consider a fat tire bike instead, the tires will act like a suspension instead of the fork; if this is the case with you then look at this bike: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/voodoo-wazoo-fat-bike

If however you will never do mild to rough off road riding and instead are on streets and some gravel, maybe some hard to medium packed dirt, than you should be looking at a totally different bike called a hybrid, or a crossbike. A hybrid is a combination of a mountain bike and road bike, it has the straight mtb handlebars, tires that are not as wide as a MTB but not as narrow as a road bike, a cross bike will downturned handlebars like a road bike with tires like a hybrid. Some hybrids do come with suspension forks so ignore those. So take a look at something like this: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/voodoo-marasa-hybrid-bike OR this for a cross bike: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/voodoo-limba-cyclocross-road-bike

If however you're saying that you would never ride the bike on gravel or medium packed dirt, that you'll spend all your time on the tarmac and you want to go faster, then a road bike is where you want to be. Something like this: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...ino-sr3-mens-700c-alloy-carbon-road-bike-blue OR this: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-vanquish-road-bike-white

Or, finally, if you want to someday do cycling touring then you need to get a touring bike like this: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/raleigh-royal-touring-steel-bike-50-cm

Anyway sorry to add to your confusion, but you do have to think it through a bit more as to how you will be using the bike.
 
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I appreciate you negativity sir. I already have a hybrid I rode it for 6 years now and I'm mildly satisfied with it on the road and off road, although I find it too stiff. When I go over a pothole or when I go downhill off road the front vibrates too much which would be negated if I had a front suspension. But then you say cheap forks are heavy and not effective... and you recommend me a fat bike which is interesting because that is why I want a mountain bike, the ties on my hybrid are not big enough and make the off road ride too stiff.

Plus I want a new bike and I don't want another hybrid. Road bikes are nice but I do like to go off road at any opportunity.

Hmm I never even considered fat bikes.
 
How fast can a fat bike go on a tarmac in comparison with a hybrid? Unless I'm taking a train I do need to cycle at least 4 miles until I get to any park.
Would getting a 3" plus bike be a better option?
 
Front suspension forks don't start getting decent until you get to about the $1,000 range! The cheap forks they do suspend but they're not really made for off road use even though they are sold with that intent. See this if you have doubts about what I'm saying, this site goes into more technical detail about low cost suspension forks:
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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmJhfZMGRVc
I wish they wouldn't sell low cost mtb's with suspension forks! I use to ride on mountain trails in Southern California mountains without any suspension of any type!

A fat tire bike is not intended for speed on tarmac, the tire size of a fat tire vs a narrow road bike is hugely different and the tire obviously will be slower, and even a hybrid has narrower tires than a fat tire bike so again you have the speed issue; but if you ride the fat tire on tarmac you would build up your strength so when you jump on your hybrid you will actually be going a bit faster than you use to on the hybrid because your legs will be stronger! LOL!! funny as that sounds there is some truth to that.

See this about fat tire bikes: https://gearjunkie.com/fat-bike-trend If I was wanting a low cost off road bike I would go with a fat tire bike because I would not want the hassle of a low cost suspension fork, and the low pressured squishy ride of a fat tire bike would give me all the grip I need. Back in the day when I rode trails (before fat tires) I put on the largest tires that would fit and then reduced my PSI down to about 30 (if i recall, this was some time ago), the lower pressure would absorb some impact plus give me better traction, so I believe from that experience that a fat tire bike would do the same thing I was trying to do but only better. Of course like anything you can buy low cost to high cost fat tire bikes, but at least with a rigid fat tire bike you can upgrade as needed, with a suspension fork bike when that fork goes bad a new fork alone can cost at least as much as what you paid for the bike!
 
BTW, I think you meant "choose" and not "chose" (chose is the past tense of choose)
 
Why do some people have the need to correct other people's grammar? Look man, we're all just banging on a keyboard and not writing a letter to the board of directors, and 99% of the time a wrong word use we all knew what they meant to say. I find misspelled, wrong words used, etc all the time in the newspaper, on the internet, on TV, when talking face to face, and I don't run to the phone and call them, or tell them to their face they said a wrong word just to show them how stupid they are and how smart I am. Besides that you didn't offer any help with his question.

Now for a story: When I was 1st grade my teacher asked me which was the correct words to use in this sentence to make it right: "You're going too the store? can I go to?" I said to her: "I ain't knowin the answer!" She looked frustrated and said: "Son, where's your grammar?" I said: "Well she's out in the kitchen baking cookies, where did you think she was?"
 
Both bikes have their merits, but the Rockrider's affordability is tempting. However, if the Carrera offers superior components or design, it might be worth the extra cost. Have you considered checking out reviews or forums for more detailed comparisons?