Mountain Biking - specialized p series

i am looking into the specialized p series for urban riding and pretty much learning finese and technique before moving onto a full fledged freeriding rig. i was wondering if anyone knew of anything comparable or in the same price point. the reviews seems to be favorable although it seems like i would want to swap out the fork right away. its just a debate between the p1 and p2 since i could get the p1 and upgrade everything more to my needs. they are both decently priced and seem fine for what i am looking for. anyone care to comment?

www.unrealcycles.com
www.norco.com
www.evilbikes.com
www.balfa.com

Just to name a few :D

If on a budget, look at the Haro Escape series. Haro makes a good bike, and it's spec'd pretty well, but heavier.

L8r

Kona makes some stuff they call 'Out of Bounds'.

yea, i've been looking at those other rigs. i LOVE the evil imperial frame, but i don't really want to shell out a lot of cash initially. i know i will probably get hooked on urban/freeriding just as i did on road and mtb, but i'm not super sure right now. the haro escape series looks really promising since it seems to have better components over the p series and a better fork. i heard the exr comp was more of an xc fork and not for urbaning. the norco's look AWESOME and i have read so many good things about them. i just hope i can find a store nearby here in california that sells them. it doesn't look like they have that many us retailers. but it looks like i might be straying from the specialized now depending on how these other models weigh in.