Mountain Biking - bruiser 1

I'm 16, about 5'10-ish and about 145 pounds.
I'm looking for a pretty durable bike that i can take on trails, and over some dirt jumps and stuff.
I do not plan on upgrading a WHOLE lot.

price range: under $600

what 'size' should i get? and, would anyone like to point me in a direction for some decent bikes?
So far, i've looked at the trek bruiser 1...and i'm still looking.

i went and checked out mtbr.com, however when i'm narrowing down the search, i don't know which category i fit into...is it XC hardtail? maybe Freeride hardtail?


I used to dirt-bmx...so, i'm looking for that in a bike that i can take offroading on trails if i like to. I DO NOT want a bmx bike, though. i hope you understand. I want to take a mountain bike and give it the versatility and durability for some hardcore dirt jumping, yet I would also like to enjoy some offroad trails through the woods and stuff.
thanks,
Jason

You can probably get the Bruiser 2 for around $600. The Bruiser 1 is about $360 I think. If you want to do dirt jumps you don't want an XC hardtail, look at the reviews for the freeride hardtails.

gracias, bro.
and, the bruiser 2 would be worth the doubled price?

Definitely look at a Freeride hardtail or a Dirt jumpng bike.
A light XC bike won't do!

I picked up the Bruiser 1 last month. I couldn't justify the double price of the Bruiser 2 just to get a Marz MZcomp fork and some cheap disc brakes. I heard bad things about those forks so I would rather spend the extra money saved on quality parts. The bruiser 1 was 350 out the door from a LBS. In the month I've had it it has taken ALOT of abuse, few DJ's, but some 4-5ft drops and LOTS of down hill through rock gardens and wicked fast fire roads and single tracks. The rims aren't that strong for me (205lbs w/o gear) so the v-brakes are hard to get clear w/o rubbing. I also found the weakness of v-brakes racing SuperD are Big Bear 2 weeks ago. My hands were crapping up half way down the mountain from having to press to hard on the levers to get the stopping power I needed going through the steeper switch backs and rock gardens. The fork is not plush, it's designed for drops and dj's (very stiff) The frame geometry is great on ever part but climbing while seated. I had to swap the seat post to a stronger and not offset post (i broke the stock one, the teeth stripped). The offset post made me feel like I'm falling off the bike on steep climbs and wasn't putting the power to the pedals. I'm 6'2 and got the 14.5" frame so it can be more nimble. But was tapping my knees on the shifter when off the sadde going up steep hills. I got a new stem and higher bars to fix that problem.
So far I've added:

Answer alumilite riser handle bars (2" rise)--$30
Supergo DH stem, 65mm w/ 10* rise--$15
Specialized steel seat post (used)--$5
Avid 8" mech disc brakes (front)--$90
Avid 6" mech disc brakes (rear)--$70
---------
$210 in upgrades

So far I've got about $560 in this bike. I'll probably upgrade to the fork with the next paycheck to a Manitu Minute 1 to get the plushness and travel I need for the type of racing I'm doing.