What the hell is the point of a dedicated subject on a forum if not to share knowledge and oppinions and promote some sort of brotherhood/sisterhood amongst enthusiasts. you pale shallow bunch of statues. The guy is interested in buying a nice mountain bike and in that has something in common with you. He is asking for your opinions and calling upon your combined wealth of knowledge to assist him in his time of need with reliability and longevity questions but your all too damn stuck up to help him. What the hell is this forum for? I'm interested in the same bike and think I would buy the specialized over the giant only because of the many bikes I've had the specialized was the only one I couldnt break. It is balanced, light and agile. It is tough as could be hoped and I will never buy another brand as long as I live.
Maybe if the rest of you were less stuck on how great you are and more helpful you would attract more people to the forum