Originally Posted by Chris_F

For your first bike I'd definately recommend a hard tail. A full suspension bike will spoil you and frankly you'll never learn the proper technique if you don't cut your teeth on a hard tail, so I guess I'm saying you're makind the right choice.

SRAM vs. Shimano: They're both good. I like my SRAM shifters. The Shimano triggers were nice but I kept bumping the upshift when I reached for the bars and adjusted my grip. The SRAMs put both up and down shift on the thumbs so they're more out of the way. You'll find yourself moving around on the mountain bike a lot more than you do on the road bike so things like that are considerations. But I wouldn't hesitate to get a Shimano bike either. I'd say they're very comparable.

How old are you? I'm early 30s and felt fine on my Aluminum hard tail until I hit about 28-29 or so. Then the ride just felt too harsh for me and I put the bike aside for a long while before eventually moving to a full suspension (which I now ride all the time). If you're not in for a little bone jarring you may want to consider a steel frame or something with a softer ride than aluminum. If you're young or don't mind a little shaking around then aluminum will be nice, stiff, and fast.

As for brands: just like road bikes. All the reputable makes are good for different reasons. I always advocate buying bikes almost entirely on emotion. Visit your LBS and see what you fall in love with. I don't think any specific make or model is a clear winner. They're all wonderful. I like Cannondale because the Lefty suspension just looks cool.