righty, having sold my old specialized hardrock before going to uni a few years ago, Ive regretted it ever since. Basically Im looking for a decent entry level hardtail mtb (i.e branded forks) that will be used on stony singletrack/muddy tracks, nothing too extreme. Would just like a mtb again to break up road riding a bit and enter a few xc races Ive aways wanted to have a jab at.
So, got a budget up to about £700 - can you guys point me in the right direction. As a rough idea Ive been looking at the GT Avalance 2.0. Thanks in advance!

You can always try retro MTB S/H. I have never been that impressed with ~£700 MTB's. They are O.K but there are so many older bikes out there that are lighter and be alot more fun to ride. Take alook at retrobike there is always something decent up for sale. I have an 18" steel kona frame and a fair few tasty parts if you are interested.

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www.thecycleclinic.co.uk

It's got to be second hand if you're even slightly serious about lightweight. Two that come in around £700 are Boardman HT Pro and Cube LTD, but there are tons more. Look for bikes that retail at around £1000, I got my Boardman Pro for £600 and it was mint and practically unused.
Or get creative, I saw a brand new medium Boardman Pro frame sell for £150 on ebay. That's just incredible, I would've loved to have built my bike up from scratch with upgraded parts from the start.
There are loads of ways to go but brand new for £700 isn't one I would choose.

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Bike: 2012 Boardman HT Pro MTB - 21.949lbs / 9.956kg (for now...)

i agree boardman would be one of the best bets

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My bikes:-
- 2011 Boardman MTB Pro HT-10.22kg
- 2011 Lapierre DH 920-17kg

Carbon - Lightens your bike and your wallet
OCBD - Obsessive Compulsive Biking Disorder

The Boardman and Cube are nice choices...but only available in europe...

Anything similar in $$/quality around north america ?

Louis

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http://www.ccsalma.com

if you want lightweight for £ 700 you need to be looking at used/second hand

I'd be wary of Cube - I bought one, the Cube Ltd Pro and that is a heavy beast, weighs more than my Gary Fisher from 1999!!! 12.93 kg for a hard tail!!! eeeek!!! (to be fair, the GF would cost 3x in today's money)