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Have you thought much about geometry? You might want something with a slackish head angle if you get into the more hardcore end of XC. I've found my Inbred to be perfect for this.
sram kit is fine, in some ways better than the equivalent shimano, worse in others. They do feel different so try them before you decide to discount one or other.
I think for £800 you could do alot worse than by picking up a second hand frame and then do a custom build. Bits like hubs, shifters, mechs and brakes can all be had second hand. The the hubs laced to some new rims and that way you can guarantee (if you use a good wheel builder) decent wheels and assemblke the bike or get you LBS to do it. Every sub £800 XC bike I have seen generally comes in with a complaint and upgrade are needed to rectify them. Anything from wheels that fail due to poor building or hubs that are knackered to headsets that have poor sealing.
I also don't like/trust SRAM kit. One chap who came in had to have his X-5 mech replaced as the spring at the mounting pivot had failed.
I would build one myself but as I'm new to all this I don't really know where to start I.E what frame forks gearing hubs rims brakes and everything else I would need
Hi ozzie800 have you had a look at the merida range.Merida are the 2nd biggest bike/frame manufacturer i think in the world they make frames for many other companys specialized is one of them thats why merida cant sell bikes or frames in the usa,Merida bikes and frames are designed in germany and made in taiwan,They have a world class mtb team and you can buy what the team ride if your bank book is big enough,The price range is from about say 275 alway upto about 5700 pounds i think so somthing to fit all budgets.I would go and have a look at them 😯
I have had a look at them but I really want to try a bike out before i part with my hard earned lol and no one near me sells them
The problem I'm having is trying out a bike for a good feel as my local shops only deal with MARIN WHYTE SPECIALIZED GT VOODOO and BOARDMAN
You can definitely find a bike to suit you from that list. Frankly the more bikes you look at and the more you learn about components etc the more confused you'll be (like the rest of us). Go out and ride a few bikes and then pick the one you want, the one that's calling to you ...
These are the specs of the merida Matts TFS 500-D what are your thorghts guys
SPEEDS 30
FRAME Technoformed 6061 aluminium
COLOR Black / White / Red
FORK Rock Shox XC30 100mm with poplock
SHIFTERS Shimano Deore
BRAKES Shimano M446 180 / 160
CHAINWHEEL Shimano M522-10 42-32-24 BB-SET attached
CHAIN KMC X10 10s HUBS Shimano M435
RIMS Merida Comp D
FREEWHEEL Shimano CS-HG62-10 11-36
TIRES Schwalbe Racing Ralph performance 2.6"
HANDLEBAR Merida Comp Oversize 640mm riser
STEM Merida Comp 1 Oversize
HEADSETA-Head OS
SEAT POST Merida Comp 31.6mm
SADDLE Merida Sport
PEDAL SXC Alloy
PRICE£799.99
When I was starting out I went out and bought a secondhand Rockhopper off ebay.
It was in fantastic condition,almost unused.It was too big but through riding it over a year I got a feel of what I liked and what I didn`t.
I sold it a year later for pretty much what I paid for it and bought a Giant XTC which I still have.
The point Im trying to make is that,there is no definitive answer to bike bike buying.I tried loads before I bought the XTC,but although it suited me then isnt necessarily what I`d buy now.
Go try as many as you can,buy on what feels right to you.On an £800 bike try to get good forks but don`t get to hung up on the intricacies of which groupset it has,but concentrte on the geometry,and how it feels.
I used to end up going round and round in circles ,confused by the number of choices.The important thing is just to get out and ride!