I really don't think the op can go wrong with any of the major brands. Just pick a bike from what ever brands you are interested in your price range and simply google reviews for the bike. If you don't know what you want make it simple and pick a few by looks alone and then research. You will get a good idea of what you want from reading on your own. Sometimes reading opinions on a forum confuses the issue more that it helps. Once you go through all of the possible bikes look at the specs and any other points you consider important. If you don't know what's important just read others experiences and certain points will stand out. Look up a dealer near you for whatever bikes you think are interesting, go test ride a few and buy one. That's what I did and I had no clue what to really look for. The bike I bought was/is fantastic for the money and once I rode it for several thousand miles I determined what worked and didn't work and purchased a high end bike based on my new set of wants from riding. The bike I ride now is pretty much ideal for me and after riding it I will build on the experience and my next bike should be even better.