Mountain Biking - tassajara/6500/rockhopper comp

i'm looking to get a new xc hardtail in the ~$800-900 range to replace my old gt. at the moment the 3 main contenders are the gary fisher tassajara disc, trek 6500 disc, and the rockhopper comp disc, which are spec'd as follows:

Tassajara Disc $899msrp
manitou axel platinum air 100mm fork
bontrager wheels and components
Deore front and LX rear derailleurs
hayes hydraulics

6500 Disc $909msrp
manitou axel elite coil 80mm
bontrager wheels and components (again)
Deore front and Deore XT rear derailleurs
deore hydraulics

rockhopper comp disc $880msrp
RockShox Tora 318 SL coil 100mm
mix of specialized, avid, truvativ, and sun components
deore front and LX rear derailleurs
avid bb-5 mechanicals

right, so my lbs carries all three and naturally i've taken them for a spin. from a bang for the buck standpoint, the tassajara seems to top the group, except for the fork. everything i've read about manitou axel's is that they're less than stellar. a lot of reports of them bottoming out easily, stiffening up significantly, and weighing 5+ pounds. SO, does anyone feel like sharing their 2 cents. (yeah i know that ultimately the "right" bike is heavily dependent on feel...but i'm trying to head of potential problems that aren't apparent on a quick demo ride)

lemme know what you think

thanks for the advice..............................................................................................

I'm sorry. What was your question? Which one do we think best? If you do a quick search you'll find lots of threads like this one....and noone has a concensus in those either. Probably explains the lack of replys.

I ride a rockhopper, love it, no real problems to date. I dont think any of those bikes have recurrent problems that need "heading off". Ride the one that feels best, failing that, get the one with the coolest paintjob. Despite the differences in components....they are all remarkably similar at the end of the day. I think the Tora is far and away better than the manitous, that could be the one edge in the 3.

thanks flak, my main question was really about the fork...especially considering that for the most part they actually have identical drivetrain/components. i'm heading to the shop tomorrow to scope them out (yet) again, and right now am leaning towards the rockhopper. (btw, of the 3 it has far and away the most bada** paintjob -- matte black;))

of course, all this is assuming that i don't opt to keep saving up til i can afford a really nasty bike or invest in a road bike (gasp)