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My F-in-L wants a new bike of a gnarlier variety and I kind of know what he needs, but don't know who does one.
Bit of rough stuff, gravel tracks, gentle off road. Touring with green lanes and riding to the bothy. I'd suggest a CX bike but understandably he wants flat bars and I reckon some suspension would be good for him.
MTB ish hardtail
Short travel suspension fork
Disc brakes
Voodoo bizango? Cheap, capable with air fork and reasonable discs.
I'd go for something like a Pinnacle Ramin. Run a 3in tyre at the front when he wants 'suspension' and narrow tyres for more roady stuff.
What sort of budget? CRC have a variety of hardtails in their clearance section at the moment at a variety of price points. There are a fair few Carrera/Boardman options at Halfords too.