Hey guys, new to the forum and new to offroad riding as well for the most part, and could use a little help determining my next purchase. For a bit of background, I've done some recreational trail and mountain riding here and there with friends on my 2011 Trek 3 series, but used it mostly as my college commuter, campus explorer, weekend adventurer kind of bike. However, recently some friends of mine and myself have decided to really try to get into habitual trail and mountain riding. The 3 series has been a solid bike with little problems (Really was impressed with the durability of the bike, little problems over the years), but it's obvious to me that I'll need something better/more tailored to offroad riding to take the next step towards becoming an intermediate, frequent rider. (I've actually been an avid dirtbike trail rider since I was young.. but I'll be the first to admit the obvious mechanical and technical differences there.)

Like the FAQ thread suggested, I've visited several different bike shops, spoken with the store representatives, and gotten a feel for several different bikes. My price range (which probably fits with the level of experience I've had/what I might NEED next) is just a little under $700. I've been shopping around a couple weeks now, and three of the bikes that I've been looking at have stood out to me and had a good feel while riding them.. but because I don't have much experience with different brands/models, it's difficult for me to tell which one may actually be the best fit for me and give me the best "bang for my bucks" as far as features goes. Anyways, here are the bikes I'm thinking about.

A) Trek Marlin 6

B) Giant Roam 2

C) Cannondale Catalyst 1

Any suggestions at all between these three bikes (or brands) would be greatly appreciated. Or recommendations to check out any other bike in that price range of course. Really looking forward to riding more, something I've always loved and wanted to really get into. Also it seems like a great forum here to me already, learned a lot just from reading other posts. Thanks again