New MTB; Scott or Cannondale??

[hobojojo]

any advise on which one of these is better and for what reasons?
I know only a little about mountain biking, just looking for a XC bike with disc breaks so i can do some trails around the wicklow/dublin mountains. I know a fair bit about road bikes and different components, etc, but when it comes to MTB i know nothing about group sets, so im finding it hard to compare these bikes:

Scott: £391
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Scott-Scale-...-MTB_12468.htm

Connondale: £488
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-F...-MTB_13610.htm

iv also been eyeing up the focus fat boy on wiggle, but the scott seems like very good value and would be a lot cheaper than the focus:

Focus:£539
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Fo...09/5360037565/


cheers

[hobojojo]

sorry the links to the scott and connondale bike dont work for some reason, heres the info:


The Scott Scale 60 2008 Features are:

Price: £391

Frame: Scale Alloy 7005 Db Hydraformed Monocoque Tubes

Fork: Rock Shox Tora 302 / Alloy Steer Coil Spring / Keyturn Lockout Reb. Adj. / 100 Mm Travel

Gears: 27 Speed. Shimano Deore [F]. Shimano Xt Sgs Shadow [R].

Shifters: Shimano Deore Rapidfire Plus

Wheels: Alex Ace-24 32h Cnc Sidewalls Rims. Scott Comp Disc Cl [F]. Shimano Fh-rm65 Disc Cl [R]. Dt Swiss Champion Black 1.8mm Spokes.

Brakes: Avid Fr 5 Levers. Avid Single Digit 3 "v" Brakes [F]. Avid Single Digit 3 "v" Brakes [R].

Drivetrain: Shimano Fc-m442 44ax32x22t Crankset, Shimano Un 26 Bottom Bracket, Shimano Cn-hg53 Chain, Shimano Cs-hg50-9 11-32 T Cassette, Shimano M505 Pedals

Extra Features: Scott Comp / 31.6mm Seatpost. Scott Ozon 26 X 2.0 Wire Bead Tyres.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/prodimg/12468_1_Zoom.jpg

The Cannondale F4 2008 Features are:

Price: £488

Frame: CO2 Aluminium Disc frame

Fork: Headshok Super Fatty Ultra DLR80

Gears: 27 Speed. Shimano Deore [F]. SRAM X-7 [R].

Shifters: SRAM X-7 triggers

Wheels: Mach 1 Sub Zero Disc, 32h Rims. Shimano M475, 32h Hub [F]. Shimano M475, 32h Hub [R]. DT Swiss Champion, 1.8mm Spokes.

Brakes: Avid Juicy 3 Levers. Avid Juicy 3, 160mm rotors [F]. Avid Juicy 3, 160mm rotors [R].

Drivetrain: Shimano FC-M442, 22/32/44 Crank, Shimano BB-ES25 Octalink Bottom Bracket, Shimano HG-53 Chain, Wellgo alloy cages w/clip and strap Pedals

Extra Features: Cannondale C4, 31.6 x 350mm Seatpost. Hutchinson Spider, 26 x 2.0" Tyres.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/prodimg/13610_1_Zoom.jpg

[Phil]

I bought a 2007 Fatboy, great bike, love it, but I reckon the component set on this years model is not as good.

[hobojojo]

and the price of the fatboy has gone up a good bit from the 2008 model, which was £50 cheaper i think, but the components (from what i can tell) are not as good

[Morgan]

The Scott doesn't have disc brakes for a start. Not big deal to add them since the wheels are compatible. You're looking at another €150 or so though.

[Sean]

If you want something to get you started, but would be worth upgrading over time, I'd be leaning towards the Scott, simply because they're great frames. The Scales are light and racy, if thats what you're after, but are pretty durable. I've an old generation one (Comp Racing) from 2003 and its still going strong after many thousands of km's.
The Scale 60 frame is likely the same/very similar to the higher up Scales, so you're getting a good frame for that price and one which would build into a very good hardtail.

I've no experience of Cannondales, so can't fairly comment there, other than to say the extra hundred euro is getting you much better spec...