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Mountain Bike Reviews
Hardtail Mountain Bike Ratings
With over 40 well known and respected mountain bike manufacturers Mountain Bike Reviews are essential.
Founding Father Gary Fisher, Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Scott and Santa Cruz to name only a few.
". . . whether it's a top of the range all singing and dancing carbon job or an entry level bone shaker with bags of upgrade potential!"
We've reviewed their mountain bike ratings, awarding best in class and placing them in price bands for you, with all the spec data you’ll need to pick your ride.
Why bother with Mountain Bike Reviews?
With XC mountain-bikes the aim is to move as quickly as possible over whatever nature has thrown across your route. Serious XC machines have a forward-leaning body position similar to that of a road-racing bike. They also need to be light, as they have to go uphill fast as well as down. When you’re looking to spend long hours in the saddle out on the trails day in day out both ride position and bike weight are crucial. It’s sometimes worth going for a better spec Hardtail over a low-end Full Suspension bike - our Reviews will help you decide which solution will work best for you.
Mountain Bike Review
Hardtails (HT)
Zone 1 - £500-£1,000 (approx $1,000-$2,000)This Zone will get you an entry level Hardtail weighing in at around 26lbs.The frame weight will be reasonable, fork suspension will be adequate for routine trail work, and entry-level hydraulic brakes should all be standard. Pick a good one from our Mountain Bike Reviews and you have the basis for a good upgrade project. £800 and above will buy you a machine that is good enough to race. To be honest any thing less would be like running a marathon race in flip-flops. . .
 . . .
Scott Reflex 20 Disc
. . . Gary Fisher GED . . .
Kona Kula
. . .
Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc
Zone 2 - £1,000-£1,500 (approx $2,000-$3,000) In this Zone Hardtails are pretty near the top of their ride quality. Carbon frames become affordable in this Zone providing major weight reduction – especially important on the up hill bits! From our Mountain Bike Ratings, most machines in this band will handle the punishment likely to be handed out if you are serious about taking on the Epic stuff. . . .
Trek 8000 Disc
. . .
Orange P7 Pro
. . .
GT Zaskar Pro
. . .
Giant XTC C3
Zone 3 - £1500-£2,000 ($3,000-$4,000) From here on in we are in the “cash over components” compromise; frame weight, forks, brakes, gears and wheels are all up for consideration. In this band Hardtails steadily improve and by the £2,000 mark they should come equipped with the best in everything; bike geometry and personal riding style are the final considerations. . . .
Gary Fisher Ziggurat
. . .
Cannondale Tuarine 3 SL
. . . Meridan Carbon Special Edition . . . Commençal Flame
Zone 4 - £2,000 plus ($4,000 plus)This is the compromise free Pro Team level, with maximised performance and super lightweight XC machines. From our Mountain Bike Reviews, prices here can take you up to the £5,000 mark.. . .
Trek Elite XC 9.8
. . . Cannondale Taurine Carbon Si2 SL . . . Giant XTC C Zero . . .
Scott Scale Ltd
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