Introduction
We stock four different brands of Hardtail Mountain Bikes: Marin, Specialized, Trek and Whyte. Each of these brands offer different ranges within their line ups, with price, frame quality and weight and components improving the more you spend. Yet essentially they are all designed to do the same thing, to be ridden off road.

Hardtail or Full Suspension?
The answer to this question depends on what type of riding you are doing and how big your budget is. If you are planning some serious all mountain riding in Wales or such like, then a full suspension bike is going to allow you tackle big descents. However for riding around Oxfordshire, where the riding is not as technical, a hardtail will be all that you need.

Marin Hardtail Range: Mid Range MTB’s
Price Range £449.99 - £649.99
Marin put more emphasis in their frames, making lightweight framesets. The downside to this is that the level of components is not as high as that found on an equivalently priced bike from the likes of Specialized or Trek. With that in mind we start at the Marin Shoretrail Disc, which features Disc brakes and a 100mm travel fork, followed by the Bolinas Ridge and the Bobcat Trail. This is a small range of Marin’s that we are offering, whereby we have cherry picked the best value models from their line up.

Specialized Hardrock Range: Great for general use & novice mountain bikers
Price Range £339.99 - £599.99
This long standing classic entry level MTB uses Specialized A1 aluminium frameset on all models, with the level of components used as the price increases. The range starts with the Hardrock (£339.99), followed by the Hardrock Disc (£379.99) with – you guessed it - a cable disc brake upgrade. This is followed by the Sport Disc (£459.99) with a lockout fork and 8 speed shifters rather than 7 speed on the previous models. The top of the range Hardrock is the Pro Disc (£599.99) which features hydraulic disc brakes and 9 speed shifters.

Specialized Rockhopper Range: Performance and Value mid range hardtails
Price Range £699.99 - £849.99
The Rockhoppers use a lighter, upgraded frame over the Hardrocks, built from M4 SL alloy. To compliment the frame, the components on the Rockhoppers are also upgraded. The range starts with the Rockhopper (£699.99) which features Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and an 80mm Suntour fork. The Rockhopper Comp (£849.99) uses a RockShox Recon 100mm travel fork, Avid Juicy discs and an upgraded transmission.

Specialized Stumpjumper HT Range: High Performance hardtails
Price Range £1549.99 - £1999.99
Not to be confused with the Stumpjumper FSR range, these are race ready hardtails. The HT Comp (£1549.99) is built from Specialized’s lightest M5 alloy and is equipped with a RockShox Reba and 10 speed drivetrain. The HT Comp Carbon (£1999.99) uses the same components, but a lightweight carbon frameset replaces the alloy frame.

Trek 3 Series: Entry Level MTB’s for beginner mountain bikers and general use
Price Range £300.00 - £400.00
These bikes use Trek’s Alpha White Aluminium and are designed for a comfortable and reliable ride. Prices start at £300.00 with the 3500, we do not stock the 3700 as the upgrades are insignificant, instead we jump to 3700 Disc (£400.00) which features cable disc brakes.

Trek 4 Series: Entry Level - Mid range MTB’s
Price Range £500.00 - £600.00
The 4 Series use a lighter frame material, using Trek’s Alpha Black Aluminium. The 4300 Disc (£500.00) uses a 100mm travel fork, hydraulic discs and an 8 speed drivetrain, the 4500 Disc (£600.00) moves to a 9 speed drivetrain, with upgraded discs and fork.

Trek 6 Series: Performance & Value MTB’s
Price Range £950.00 - £1350.00
Although these use the same frame material as the 4 Series, the geometry is changed for more of a performance ride. The 6300 Disc (£950.00) features Rockshox Recon fork, Avid Juicy brakes and 9 speed shifting, this is upgraded to 10 speed on the 6700 Disc (£1300.00) which uses a Recon Gold fork and Avid Elixir brakes.

Trek 8 Series: Lightweight Race Hardtails
Price Range: £2000.00
We only stock one model from the 8 Series: the 8500 (£2000.00) which features a Fox Fork and XT 10 Speed drivetrain and uses Trek’s lightest aluminium, Alpha Red.

Trek Gary Fisher Signature Range: 29ers!
Price Range: £1250 - £1500
Admittedly a narrow price range, the 29ers deliver terrific trail rides, best illustrated in these performance 29ers. The Gary Fisher brand has been discontinued as a stand alone brand, but the range now falls under the Trek name in this signature range which continues the Fisher ethos and specialises in the ground breaking 29 inch wheel bikes.

Whyte X8 & 900 Ranges: UK Designed Performance Hardtails
Price Range: £849.99 - £1149.99
This is our first year stocking Whyte, and we have been delighted with the response to them. We selected a model from each of their alloy ranges, the 805 (£849.99) is equipped with RockShox Recon fork and 9 speed Shimano drivetrain, the 901 (£1149.99) uses 120mm Recon fork and 10 speed drivetrain.