I dunno much about the current crop of MTBs. But the obvious point to make is that MTBs are more expensive than road bikes owing to the higher cost of the components i.e. mostly due to the suspension forks, and also the disc brakes (albeit to a much lesser degree). So budget will need careful consideration.
The Tarn looks decent. You'll probably find quite a few bikes like that as the steel hardtail is obviously a bit of a classic. Fans of that style used to populate forums like Singletrack (if that's still going). The other option might be to look at the 'mass-produced' stuff from the likes of Cube, Canyon, etc., although I guess design-wise they won't be your thing...
@Will
I dunno much about the current crop of MTBs. But the obvious point to make is that MTBs are more expensive than road bikes owing to the higher cost of the components i.e. mostly due to the suspension forks, and also the disc brakes (albeit to a much lesser degree). So budget will need careful consideration.
The Tarn looks decent. You'll probably find quite a few bikes like that as the steel hardtail is obviously a bit of a classic. Fans of that style used to populate forums like Singletrack (if that's still going). The other option might be to look at the 'mass-produced' stuff from the likes of Cube, Canyon, etc., although I guess design-wise they won't be your thing...