Hi all I was introduced to mountain biking by a work colleague about 8 months ago and fell in love with the sport. Around that time I went and bought myself a new 2015 Specialized Rockhopper and have been having a blast. As I've been gaining confidence I've been riding the bike increasingly harder. It has now reached a point where I feel I need to upgrade, especially due to the fork which is an entry level Suntour XCT. I really enjoy trail riding, bailing down rocky descents, the occasional jumping etc, but I do not currently have the budget to buy a Stump Jumper or equivalent that's probably more geared towards this. I am looking for some advice on 29er bikes I can look at in the 13/15K range that will at least provide as good a quality frame as the Rockhopper as well as a better fork (and hopefully some other hardware improvements as well). It looks like the next Specialized upgrade would be the Crave, but at 18K falls just out of my budget. I am quite happy with a hard-tail, so a rear suspension is not a requirement. I've considered upgrading the fork and wheels on my Rockhopper, but so far all advice points to selling it and buying a new bike. Regards Riaan
