i went back to the LBS today and ended up buying the tassajara. i basically have read through all of the great advice on this thread and have tried to listen to the one thing everyone seems to say, "get what fits you and feels good." so i did. thanks for all the posts and all the info. who knows, maybe one day i'll be back on here looking through a thread titled, "THE AROUND $2000 MOUNTAIN BIKES".......aloha, surferboy