Mountain Biking - A Lasting Frame

Hey guys, i'm planning on getting a new bike. I started out with a rincon and now im moving forward. I've decided to put out around 500-700$, for a decent bike, but the frame has to be good because i will be upgrading the bike with new parts. Any suggestion for a bike with a good and lasting frame?

smells like Hard Rock pro ,maybe Rockhopper .

How heavy is the rockhopper frame?

not sure ,is a little lighter tha the HR.
you should really give some info on what kind of ridding you want to do.

Really, you have to tell us what kind of frame you're looking for before we can give you our opinions....

I like HARO bikes alot, and have seen just the frames available also. If you're gonna ditch the components anyway, why not buy a hellova frame instead of a so so bike.

Here's a used Escape '04 frame for under $50 (It looks new to me)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=98083&item=7155504953

yeah that is a nice frame !!!

I always had the impression that a Rockhopper frame isn't really strong, it's light, for recreational XC riding, but if you push it beyond that, you're overreaching it's limits.

When I was working at Gotham Bikes I saw a guy come in with a cracked head-tube on his Rockhopper (it was an early 90s model), he didn't even notice it, I pointed it out to him... Specialized warrantied the frame with a 2001 or 2002 Stumpjumper frame.

I think the Hardrock frame is stronger, but a little heavier.

the new rockhopper frame is more orientated towards all mountain ,and definatly in no way comparible to an early 90's frame!!!!
the HR frame is still stronger ,but the rockhopper is somewhere up there too.

I'm looking for a bike that i can go relatively fast with in a XC trail. And it also has to be kinda light so climbing hills can be easier. That's why i'm goign to buy a bike right now and continue upgrading it, but i wanna make sure that it has a good frame because i won't be getting a new one for a while.

The Rockhopper frame is a nice platform to hang some nicer parts on... the stuff that comes on it is mostly crap, but can be upgraded as you go. It is kinda on the long travel side though for a fast XC bike.