Yeah well, this isn't really getting me anywhere. The thing I'm interested in is if the Avalanche 2.0 is a decent bike for starters, whether GT is owned by Pacific or not. I've compared the specs with other bikes in this pricerange and, along with the Haro V2, it seems like one of the better buys (Acera front instead of CO50 SIS, doublewall rims instead of singlewall, 8-spd instead of 7, some other stuff). I've also read a lot of positive reviews about the Avalanche series including how good the frame is. Hey I think I just answered my own question lol. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you telling about Pacific (not that I didn't already knew). In fact, I wonder if that influences LBS warranty and repairs in any way? And what about the Mozo fork?