Soim guessing this is the kind of thing you guys hear a lot, so sorry for the inconvenience.

IM looking to spend around $500 on a bike. I've done some shopping around, heard ltos of opinions, but i want to hear from a non-biased, non-salesperson, then i found this site.

WHat do i need to look for in components? what are good brands, and bad?

is it possible to get a decentsuspension bike at this price or should i only look for a hardtail?