Originally Posted by MattS07
Thanks for the advice. I guess it is too good to be true. My pricepoint is 400-500, I can't stand twist shifters, and I want to be able to ride it rough if I want to. What would you suggest?
First, as said before, avoid fullies at this price.
There are about a gazillion good bikes around $400 to $500. Too many to list really. Some ones to look at: Specialized Rockhopper (XC), Specialized Hardrock Sport disc, Trek 4500, Jamis Durango , Cannondale F4 or F5, etc. There are a mess of them. Go to a real bike shop and ride everything they have around your price range (go a little higher too) and pick the one that you like best. All of them are going to be pretty similar.