Originally Posted by BCIpam
You really haven''t discussed the type of riding you plan on doing. That will dictate the bike. If looking for a good crosscountry bike - check out the Santa Cruz Superlight. If you think you might be doing some gnarly downhill riding consider the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Pro. Also consider "off brands" Foos or Ventana or Turner. For $2500 you can get alot of bike.
Originally Posted by bmx_boy2001
...My goal is to get into freeride/all mountain riding...
Seeing as how he made this statement, and the fact that he comes from an aggressive-riding background, we can probably make some educated guesses.