My Raliegh, John Tomac Signature MT700 (front triangle Aluminum and rear end Tange prestige, not the Ti/carbon fiber one) got stolen. I bought it new in '94 and now it is gone.

I am getting about $2K in insurance money and would like help picking out a new ride. I do mostly road riding but when I ride off road it is cross country racing type riding ( I used to race a little but not too much anymore). I have not been into mtb's lately and I need help.

The guys at two of the LBS showed me the GF 29" bikes. I am 6'5", and they said it would be a great fit for me. I am not that hot on GF, but the 29" makes sense to me. I tested one off road but it was so different I could not tell if I liked it or not. I also forgot to bring my riding shoes, so that did not help either.

What would you get???