The bikes reviewed were, in the order they were ranked: Fisher sugar 3+ , Trek fuel 90, Specialized Stumpjumper FSRxc, Giant NRS XtC, cannondale jekyll 600. they said the specialized was far and away the winner, provided you make aforementioned modifications. They described the NRS as having a quirky rear suspension, a smaller seatpost than it should, using a reducer to make up, and crappy tubes. but they also said that if you liked the feel of it, you win. they didn't really badmouth any of the bikes, cept maybe the cannondale, just a little bit. as for money under the table? look at the top two bikes.