I'm looking for a bit of advice. I'm new to mountain biking and looking to spend around £1200 on a hardtail. There's so much information on the web and whenever you go into a bike shop they just gear their sales pitch to their own stock.
Any ideas on a good buy please?
You probably couldn't have picked a more hotly contested market! But you're right, all sorts of blurb from all different makers, and each bike shop will indeed try to sell you their own stock.
One thing I will say though, just cos it's right for a magazine, or a certain tester, doesn't necessarily make it right for you. But... Certainly well worth trying out though I'm sure.
For £1200, the Genesis Core 50 won the "What Mountain Bike of the year" award. I have a Genesis Altitude (same geometry, but steel rather than alloy frame) and I really like it a lot. Of course though, there are many other manufacturers out there...
Personally, I'd get and try a few out. Decide what's important to you. You may decide you want a lightweight XC bike, with short travel suspension forks and a lightweight build. Or you may decide you want to go the other way, you want something beefy with 140mm (possibly more!) travel forks, and a build that's going to last if you throw it off stuff. Or even somewhere in the middle...
As you're new to the sport, there'll probably be quite a bit of trial and error involved though, so best to do it BEFORE you commit to buy than after...
I was in the same boat a year ago. If your into a more trail oriented ride then I'd happily recommend a whyte 901. I've been having loads of fun on mine. Also, orange p7 is pretty tasty if you like the steel thing. Heard good things about the genesis core too. It's a congested section of the market that's for sure, and everyone has their favourites. Happy hunting!
get a cotic soul or BFe and build it up with some good kit..
Orange Crush is a very good bike, and there's some 2010 models now reduced if you look around.
Whyte 901. Simples. Well thought out, light, awesome frame, great kit. You couldn't build a bike for the money that would compare - always just buy a complete bike for that money. Demo a Whyte and I guarantee you'll be impressed - that's why we always have them in our demo fleet.
There are lots of different hardtails suited to lots of different riding. It would probably be useful if you had a stab at answering some questions like this before being recommended a bike:
Where do you live and where are you intending to ride it?
Do you have any aspirations to cross-country racing, or primarily recreational, for fun/fitness?
Do you like the idea of riding 'technical' i.e. tricky terrain, or would you stick to smoother routes?
Rock Lobster 853. 
This would do you for pretty much anything apart from serious DH.
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOCAR456TRAIL/on-one-carbon-456-trail
Ignoring what this lot say, because they've missed out one very important question (apart from poppa)-
what sort of riding are you doing? Big trails or mainly trail centres?
Things like the Core and a Cotic Bfe will be far too much bike if you're just doing the North Downs or Glentress, but a Whyte 905 would be better suited. Conversely if you're plummeting down a Highland every week then the Whyte would be out of its depth.
So, answer that first then we can all give an appropriate answer.
Thanks for all this information. I'm mainly looking at trail centres and medium cross country routes. Also something I can ride comfortably down a canal path with my little one.
Taking a Whyte 501 for a demo next week so I'll see how that feels. Any views on Cube Ltd Race?
SpokesCycles +1 - where and what will you mainly be riding?
you're looking at two very different bikes with the Whyte (do you mean 901?) and the Cube.
I'd be looking at something more like the Whyte. Maybe a Genesis Core 40 for aluminium, or Latitude 10 if you think you might prefer steel, but it will be heavier.
I'm mainly looking at trail centres and medium cross country routes
I bought a Core 50 earlier this year and I have to say it is an excellent bike and would suit your requirements very well. Nice geometry, light, good spec, very flickable and lots of fun to ride on typical trail centre routes. When it comes to cross country it handles it well and has very plush forks so you dont feel beat up at the end of the day.
Things like the Core and a Cotic Bfe will be far too much bike if you're just doing the North Downs or Glentress,
Disagree
Things like the Core and a Cotic Bfe will be far too much bike if you're just doing the North Downs or Glentress, but a Whyte 905 would be better suited. Conversely if you're plummeting down a Highland every week then the Whyte would be out of its depth.
BFe is a bit much yeah (unless you're a big lad) for riding general XC, but he's unlikely to be able to put one together for £1200 anyway I'd reckon. Completely disagree about the Core though, when compared with a Whyte, the Core has a very similar build spec (right down to the same 120mm Rockshox Recon fork), but of the 2 the Core is the slightly steeper angled. Both are similar weights too. The Whyte would definitely not be out of its depth on more rough stuff either, it's a bike built for abuse. I know someone with a Whyte 905, he certainly doesn't give it an easy time, for him it replaced a Santa Cruz Chameleon and he prefers the Whyte by some margin!
As far as the Cube is concerned, at £1100 it's probably the best "XC race" bike that money could get you. But it's a bit old school in that it's a lightweight head down, arse up kind of bike. If you're more into the smoother trails it will be brilliant, if you fancy taking on some steep technical trails and you relish the prospect of giving the bike a hammering wherever possible, your money would probably be better spent elsewhere...
That 456 Carbon complete bike for £1200 from On One looks very tempting though...
the 2011 Core 40 and 50 is a bit slacker and longer up front now we've moved to a taper headtube / steerer on this frame. one of the mags is testing a 2011 905 and Core 50 sometime soon i think, a >1500 HT test.
My bad, I confused the Core with the Alptitude.
The Core's a nice bike. The Cube's very nice but probably a bit twitchy for a new rider.
The Whyte will be a really nice ride too.
A bit below your budget at £900, this is a cracking frame that most of the new riders in my club ride simply because it encourages you to be a better rider. It makes everything easy without being a full sus and teaches you how to rider properly. It's a lot of fun to ride. It leaves room in your budget for a fancy Rockshox Revelation fork or similar.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/talon.0/7877/45528/
In was in the same boat about a year ago. New to riding and with £1000ish to spend. Chose the Marin Rocky Ridge and have not looked back since. For the money the spec blows everything else out of the water and the bike itself seems to be able to handle anything you can throw at it. I've taken it on downhill days, dirt jumping and long xc and trail centres and am yet to find it's limits.
Some great deals on 2010 models at the moment
Don't be convinced to spend a wad on some over priced boutique brand and end up with a poorly specced machine!
Apologies for the shameless plug but how about my 2009 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert hardtail? Am looking for £1200 (total build rrp last October was £2400), it's in very, very condition, a 22lb rocket shop! 
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-2009-specialized-stumpjumper-expert-ht-2
orange p7 would be a good choice for trail center riding
orange p7 pure for a grand..
http://www.cycle-world.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s2p3361&z=12554
I reckon 140mm is too much for most trail centres - mutes the experience too much. 120mm with the right frame much more versatile IMO.
I had a 2009 P7 which was a great bike, but had "the" drop out issue, Orange fixed it under warranty and it was good as gold after, but I know of two others that have had a similar fix and have failed again. So whilst it's not scientific I'm a bit put off another (which is a shame) as far as steel bikes go as I said above go for Cotic. Cy at cotic is an Ex Railway engineer and really knows his onions, I think ther are well crafted frames in design and execution. I have a BFe for "everything" duties thatt weighs 32lbs with big discs/tyres/forks so in lightweight guise I know it could go much lower, but essentially it's a frame that has the versatility to anything..
I'm in a similar position. Mostly a few hours on local bridleways and a trail like Dalby or Whinlatter once a month. My budget is about the same and find that mostt bikes in thy band are fairly similarly spec'd. The one bike that really stands out to me is the Genesis Core 40. The 2011 looks fantastic in the flesh and has a great riding position. The front hub and fork combo will be bomb proof for the riding I'm doing. I think my money will be going in the Core 40, I havnt heard a bad word yet. The guys at genesis respond to queries directly and can't help enough. Just a shame its a tad over the £1000 bike scheme total but I guess that's better than down spec-ing.
Orange crush or on-one 456
Both good frames and good specs for that kind of budget
Genesis Altitude. That was my first bike for exactly the same stuff you're looking to do. Everything from twisty singletrack to Whites Level at Afan. Absolutely fantastic bikes.
If you have a road-riding, hill-climbing and racing background, you might get-off on the zip of an XC-oriented bike like the cube.
But most people on here want an all-round trail bike that will cope with bimbling about in the hills with mates, trail centre days, the odd enduro and messing about on steep trails in the woods. [I put my hand up]
If I was buying now with that budget, I would get either a Cotic Soul, a Whyte 19/901 or a Genesis Core/Altitude. [the steel/ally argument is a non-argument for me].
cube reaction if your after a race bike. look at an altitude or cotic/bfe etc for a trail bike
Like many on here, I have ridden a number of bikes, but in spite of the perception on this forum that a company like Trek has no soul, the fact is, the ones I have had have been bloody good. They have suited my riding, and lasted for years without a problem. Not unlike my VWs to be honest.
http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/mountain_hardtail/6_series/6700/
Then again, I have also been tempted to try one of these out:
http://s.wiggle.co.uk/images/focus-blk-forest3-2011-zoom.jpg
But then, as everyone says, what matters is the sort of riding you plan on doing, and what feels best.
This would do you for pretty much anything apart from serious DH.http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOCAR456TRAIL/on-one-carbon-456-trail
Not sure that would be my first choice for a first bike; perhaps something metal might be more robust*, and direct sales it really helps if you know what you're looking for. What does your LBS stock?
Andy
work out what you want. Ride a few freinds bikes if possible, or shop bikes are see what your preferences are, trail bike/xc racebike/ etc and take it form there.look for value for money, ridablilty, upgrade prospects. If going cheaper get a bike with the same or similoiar frame ( maybe same geometry but different heavier materials) frame as a higher end model is always good.If expensive then more options. The frame is the most important item, followed by forks and wheels imho. Also one of the best criteria is fit, ie top tbe length and can be worked out through tech info of bikes and trying it to see if it feels RIGHT.If you cannot do any of this then you proably won't go far wrong getting a bike ofF the bigger companies and reading mag reviews. Fit however is still important, so be prepared to put some thought into that however rough it maybe.Comapnies like on-one / cotic would be able to sort you out with a decent bike and offer you sizing advice etctoo.IMHO
I don`t follow the line of a frame such as a BFe is a bit much for general XC duties, why? The frame is about 5.5 lb so gives away a bit of weight but surely its versatility should make it a top contender. It can be setup as either a heavier solid build for downhill type duties or as a lighter XC build with shorter travel forks.
Ive got both a BFe (fairly new) and Van Nic Ti and at moment prefer BFe despite being a few pounds (at 29lb) heavier than the Van Nic, it feels much more secure and solid to ride. Ill probably never push it to its limit though, evven so I dont think I amoverbiked`. Surely it would be better to go for a more versatile setup in first place as then there is always room for more fun??
This also I guess is starting to stray into the realm of how much a few pounds extra weight matters too!
had a rethink.
+1 for Cube Ltd Race, swapped my FS for this HT, love it. Does trail centres and natural stuff, fast, great climber and looks good with good kit for the price.
As someone else mentioned might be a bit too 'twitchy' for your first bike though.
but larger tyres fitted will won`t they? How much comfort comes from frame flex versus tyre compliance, or indeed type of seatpost?
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