Beginners mountain bike

[turbot1984]

Evening all.

In an aim to get a little fitter I'm looking at picking up a mountain bike.
Running is boring, exercise bike just as boring.
I'm looking at a mix of road and some offroad tracks, between the fields etc, nothing crazy.

I have very little info on this subject but would like to keep between £300-£500 max.
From what I've read I'm probably looking at something with a hard tail and disc brakes, but my knowledge stops there.
Any suggestions would be great

Any joy @Mickcas ?

 

[Relentless81]

I just bought a Carrera Subway 2 Hybrid from Halfords, pick it up on Saturday. It was £375 so I think I've paid a bit more than I should I have but I was bored of looking and wanted something plain looking with Hydraulic Disks so this suited. Cant wait to get on it I've not been on a bike ride in 15 years and like you I hate running.

 

[Begbie]

I'd look at a gravel bike, probably second hand. Will make it easy to do longer distances, easy to transition on the road parts. Cheap forks on low end mountain bikes will just be annoying anyway and a rigid fork with decent tyres will be just as good for bridleways/canal paths.