Originally Posted by never

Why no hydraulic brakes? My winter commuter/trail bike has hydraulic discs and performs better than previous bikes with mechanical discs or V-brakes.

The bike also has an air fork but has been only adequate in colder weather (fine while commuting but not that great on the trails). If you do get a bike with an air fork, chances are good you could sell it (or get the LBS to swap it) for a coil fork and come out ahead. Or swap it for a rigid and have even more cash left over.