Hello everyone. Recently I have decided to enter the world of mountain biking and would like some advice. I plan on doing mostly what you refer to as XC (Off road riding with smaller jumps and such). As of now a mid range hardtail is probably the best option for me. After that I have no idea what to get. If my price range is around $500 for a base model worthy of future upgrades, what would you suggest? Buying used is ok because I am very mechanically inclined and tearing the whole bike down and rebuilding would be no problem.
I love to tinker and tweak, which is what I WILL do with any bike I get my hands on. I am almost done with my very own CNC Router so custom parts possible
Thanks in advance for any help you give me!