I'm a 49yo commuter turned roadie now looking into getting into some mountain biking to keep things fresh/interesting. I've been doing some research and kicking some tires and pretty much have things narrowed down between a stumpjumper 29er evo ht (which I'd have to wait until july/aug for as the 2012s are sold out in my size) or a specialized epic comp 29 which my lbs does have in stock in my size ($2350 vs $3300 MSRP respectively). Though there's a $950 price difference, I suspect I could negotiate more off the epic than I could a brand new 2013 stumpy. I also don't know what changes, if any, might be made to the 2013 stumpy. I love how the 2012 looks, but, alas, they're gone. I like the idea of the simpler design (1x10 drivetrain, no rear susp), lighter weight, and better components (fork and rear derailler) on the stumpy. To me it looks better aesthetically (at least the 2012 did) and is a better value. That said, the epic is specialized's "race" mtb and supposedly is "faster" in most every area compared to the stumpy (according to the salesperson / what I can garner from my research). As a roadie, faster is better - at least that's my mindset. I also would likely get a better discount on the epic. I'm not interested in a used bike or an entry level bike. I'm not much of a mechanic and I suspect a used MTB would soon cost me as much if not more than a new one unless I got really lucky (and quite frankly, I wouldn't know what to look for - other than the obvious - to tell if it really was "only ridden 50 miles before I had an injury...blah, blah, blah" or in good shape). As for entry level, I suspect it'd likely collect more dust than dirt as I'd likely be unsatisfied and probably wouldn't ride it much. Any thoughts / opinions appreciated. Any advice on how to climb (pun intended) the learning curve for MTBing while having fun and not killing myself also appreciated.