TMonk

Hi All,

I would like some general purchasing advice.

What I want:
Hardtail, 27.5" or 26" XC-style bike. Less interested in a niner, more on that below. WRT frame material, I'm into steel and Ti for this bike, but I'm not married to those and will consider carbon and Alu as well.

My Background:
Competitive road/track cyclist, have mtb'd intermittently. I owned one in college (Humboldt State Univ) and had a great time, but sold it before I moved. Figured I wouldn't want to as much down here.

For the past three or so years, I've been borrowing mtb's from co-workers for ~weekly MTB rides, and now I want one of my own again. I have plenty available to me, including 26" full susp. (xc style), a 29" HT stumpy with xtr and a sick fox fork, an 26" HT GT (Timberline, I think? Don't remember), and a fully rigid 26" Surly 1x1 SS. They're just left at work so I can grab one pretty much whenever if I ask in advance. Ironically, I end up riding the 26" fully rigid SS the most often.

What I know for sure is that I want an XC-style ride (may or may not ever race it), front suspension, and hardtail. What I'm not completely sold on, is wheel size. I like how fast and "safe" the niner feels, it's great, but I also like being able to maneuver through techy lines and feel a lot of the trail instead of just steamrolling over it. I ride the Surly most often as it is so fun to huck around.

I realize that 26" XC HT's are nonexistent, and that product serviceability/support is also on the decline. I won't totally rule out a niner, but think I want a 26", or the intermediate 27.5"

Budget:
$2k, give or take 10% or so.

What I've considered:

1) Buying new
I can get a decent deal (within my budget) on a Norco Revolver 7.2. It's a 27.5" bike with Shimano SLX and a decent RS fork, I forget which one. It's a tempting buy, but the frame is a little bit space-age for what I want: carbon fiber, internal routing, PF30 BB. I avoid some of those features on both of my road bikes (training/race), as I value simplicity and longevitiy. The dealer said that Norco puts a lifetime warranty on the frame, which surprises me.


2) Piecing something together
This could be a fun way to go, and would make the bike really mine, but I also value the simplicity, warranty and service associated with a new purchase at a bike shop.

I've considered purchasing a Ritchey P-team (26", steel, HT, disc tabs, external routing, threaded BB) frame and a partial XT group from Colorado Cyclist. I'd have to purchase wheels and a fork, but I have the rest of the components lying around or can get for free.


3) Buying used via CL and Ebay.
This was my first option, as my original budget was much lower. I'm getting a mid-year mini bonus for doing great in bringing more Analytical Service business to the company I work at, so now I'm considering mostly or all new bits. I still may consider this though, as I can get something real nice with my budget.

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OK, enough rambling. Advice please!