Mountain Biking - Giant ACid 1 vs GT Ruckus 2.0 or something else?

Im currently trying to get a refund on a month old bike(see other thread) and if I manage it I will be shopping for a new MTB.

Im in Japan so brands are limited, Specialized,Giant,GT,Haro,Cannondale,K2 maybe a couple of others.
I will spend about the equivalent of $800 - $1100US but Id prefer to stay under $900/$1000

I was thinking of getting a (i dont know what they are called) fun type MTB..

this sort of thing:-
http://www.gtmountainbikes.com/images/bike/2001/lg/ruckus1.0.jpg

http://unrealcycles.com/gallery/toy2.jpg

Is a bike like this purely used for hardcore riding and jumping or would I be able to use it as a mode of transport?

Is the gearing on a bike like that going to be wrong for normal riding?

The bikes Ive seen for sale so far that I like the look of are Giant ACid-1 , GT Ruckus 2.0 and K2 flying monkey.

The reasons I like the above bikes more that a normal MTB is that I seem to have killed alot of bikes in the past, Im not so heavy I just enjoy riding off drops etc.

Also I think the most fun bike Ive had was a steel framed Saracen, which was heavy, only had one working brake and the gears were awfull, but the frame was tiny and although it wasnt great for long distances it was so much fun, these bikes seem like the same sort of thing.

or would I be better off with a conventional mountain bike?

My sincere advice to you is buy yourself an air ticket to Taiwan(2 hours flight) and shop around.

I live in Taiwan and just got myself a GT Avalanche 1.0 for about US$588.

My friend got himself a Giant XTC se 3 frame equiped with XL rear and Deore front, standard disk brakes by Giant and Judy XC for about the same price.

and at the same time you can tour around Taipei and get an experience of what's "food heaven" and "fruit heaven". We describe it as "Cheap yet big".

However you got to get someone who's familar with Taipei in order to not waste time and get the most out of your trip.

I have brought a new bike on plane before, isn't such a difficult thing, so maybe you can consider this. ( Japan's cost of living is freaking high, it's never worth the money buying a bike there, furthermore, the bikes you see there are probably exported from Taiwan too.)

If I am not wrong, Giant Acid 1 cost about double my bike here.

I will find out how much the flight from Japan will cost.

Maybe I could order a bike from a Taiwan shop and have them ship it to Japan.?.?

Do u know any bike shops in Taiwan that have a web site in English?

Well, those bike shops that have their own websites target foreigners and they will charge you at higher price. Actually if you know of anyone who can bring you to any OEM factory, you probably can get a bike at 1/4 the market price, but unfornationaly, I don't know of such a person, or else I will be riding something crazy.

I can recommend you some shops who serve real riders, meaning riders who buy to ride, and not to show off. The shopkeeper couple, probably around 40s, who my friend bought his bike from goes to cycling every single morning. Mon, Wed and Fir is off road and Tue, Thur and Sat is long distance on road( racing bike). As for sunday, they will do an ultra long distance.

So they are nice and they know your needs. You know what, many foreigners come to Taiwan or other parts of Asia just to buy bike or parts, so it isn't rare. Maybe I can help you search around.

Or you can try www.tw.yahoo.com

However, since you have a bike now, I will suggest that you try to fix it first before considering a new one. It's a waste you know!