Originally Posted by revmonkey
ill say it again...
what are your opinions on a bruiser 1? i'm using it for road and trail use, maybe a few jumps. its relatively cheap at my lbs ($520 CDN), and i have a connection with the owner, that could possibly lower it even further... my other options are a Specialized rockhopper that will pretty much do what i need it to. I'm looking for a hardtail that's bulletproof so i can do anything with it. (not much backpacking with it though)
My research pointed me towards the Rockhopper - vBrake model. I didn't end up with that bike because I chose to spend more and I also chose a LBS that didn't carry Specialized but if I was in your shoes I'd opt for the Rockhopper. Then again, I don't know what a Bruiser 1 is so it sort of makes it obvious for me.