Hey guys, I'm not really in the MTB scene yet since I'm more of a roadie, but I bought an STP3 last year from my LBS, and whenever I take it anywhere, I always try to find some paths in the woods, and it had been really fun, and I'm thinking of getting into the scene. The bike is a hard tail with a Suntour SR stock fork, which is bound to go in place of something with a big name. The bike is completely stock minus the racing seat, which I hope to change. I'm only 16 and don't have a ton of money, I don't have a job now and I'm splitting money between a car restoration and my road bikes. Would the Giant be any good for any trails, like as a good entry level bike? I've heard about Ray's Indoor MTB Park in Cleveland, and I hear we have some great technical trails in Ohio. Also, I might switch to SS, any input? The vertical dropouts shouldn't be too much of a problem for me.

Also, if I do switch to SS, I'd probably be getting a new wheelset anyways, so should I switch to disc brakes? Is there really a difference between disc's and traditional brake? I can stop on a dime on my current ones, and they're really smooth and responsive. The frameset is definetely disc compatibe.