I ride a 2013 rockhopper and its been nothing but durable and fun to ride. Because you cant get a full suspension for that price the 29 inch rims come in handy because it makings big bumps not feel as big. The construction is fairly beefed up for an xc bike so its good if you plan to rip trails and bomb hills. Ive ran it through the mud wrecked it in a lake taken it off jumps and ridden it on black diamond trails. Ive roughly put around 1000 miles on it and ive only taken it to the shop once for maintenance with the acception of some tuning and cleaning myself. Its a good bike to begin on and will make you fall in love with biking due to its ridability. Youll want to make a few upgrades over the years to fit it more to your riding style and preference such as 1 by drivetrain and shortened stem. I highly recommend it for your price range. Specialized really keeps the money strapped rider in mind with this bike its fast has strong brakes nothing squeaks and can manage almost any terrain it also rides very well on the street if you plan on riding it far distances to work or class. Good luck and remember a bike is only as good as the rider sitting on its saddle.

Speedy Wanhainen