Gary Fisher is THE MAN if you're into mountain biking. He and some of his buds are given credit for "inventing it" on "Repack Hill."

He is a very interesting fella who has made some major contributions to MTB design over the years. He did sell his company to Trek, but the last poster is incorrect: Genesis isn't the last contribution from Gary... Even post-Trek he still has a hand in things: he convinced Trek to bring 29er's to market, and because of the great bikes designed around them, they have become something that looks like it will stick around.

I have a few pre-Trek Fishers and a post-Trek Fisher... All are great bikes. The pre-Trek frames were made in the USA, and are a bit lighter. But more brutal to ride than the heavier Chinese Trek-owned-Fisher frames. All in all the newer Fishers are fantastic values and great riding bikes. I put my old ones away in favor of the new Fisher Rig that I ride MTB now. It's a great bike, Trek-owned or not.

Now, are all GF's great MTBs? Nope. They vary. But they are all great values, and in their respective price ranges, can usually hold their own. I think they're just about the best non-custom MTB's out there... if you like the geometry, they are well designed and quite durable.