Originally Posted by JerrySTL

First and foremost bike fit is the most important thing. If the bike doesn't fit, you won't like riding it. That said, the Del Sol is pretty adjustable.

If you can get the 7.1 version for just a little more, it might be worth it. Both would be good starter bikes, but don't be surprised if you start drooling over $2K bikes if you truly get the bug. As is often said, the prefect number of bikes is N+1 where N = the number of bikes you have now.

I'm not a big fan of suspension unless the bike is going to be used on rough trails. If you can find a bike without suspension, or maybe just front suspension (AKA hardtail), it could save you money.

Does the LBS have a web site? Maybe we could do some window shopping for you to see if there is anything that could fit your needs. I like spending other people's money!