I've been lurking around here for a while - especially this thread.

Since I finally bought a new bike, I thought I'd add my .02 with my first post here.

My last MTB purchase was an '87 Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo (before they added the "Gary") I rode a lot for a few years, did some NORBA racing, stopped riding, had some kids, gained some weight, etc. etc, blah blah...... and recently decided to get back on the saddle and hit some of the great local single track (SoCal) and even put in some pavement miles. I wanted a hardtail, didn't need discs, wanted to keep things fairly light, and needed to keep it cheap - $500 sounded about right. After riding lots of bikes I coincidentally ended up wanting a Fisher. I REALLY liked the long cockpit of the Genesis geometry, and didn't mind spending a little more for it if I had to. So after lots of teeth gnashing, I decided to spend the extra bucks on a '06 Tass, which works out to about $700 out-the-door. I almost went with the Marlin, but thought the extra 100+ was well spent (and frankly, I didn't like the paint schemes on the Marlin...)

So here's the deal/lesson: Lots of folks on this board have said that at this price range it is better to buy used, so in my periphery, I kept my eye on Craigslist and Ebay, but was fairly committed to buying new. So ....literally hours before going down to do the deal on a new Tass, I see that some guy has been selling a whole bunch of them (Rentals?, I'm thinking) on Ebay. So, instead I end up getting a '05 Tass Disc (MSRP $869) for minimum bid of $400+$40 shipping - $25 ebay/paypal coupon = $415. I waited to get the bike before posting this, and I can say that it is VERY lightly used (the seller said 3 months of Rails-to-Trails riding at a rental facility in a resort - and that's what it looks like). I saved $300, got hydraulic discs and clipless pedals (and a cheesier fork....oh well), and the bike needs nothing. I am very happy with my new ride, and can now add to this thread:

- Ride LOTS of bikes and only buy what feels right to you. Geometry makes a difference.

- Don't discount the used market. There ARE deals to be had.

(BTW - there are more of these '05 Tass Discs available for those so inclined, a quick ebay search will find them.)

Thanks for a helpful thread. (sorry for the epic first post...)

_matt