Wow! thanks for the info guys. I was told to maybe try and build a bike from scratch to know what a bike needs and how to maintain it, but i'm not too sure if thats a good idea. I'm not really looking for a new bike, just something i can practice on and maybe tweak it every now and then. As far as price range i have 300 right now, but i've got a collection of nikes im willing to sell to get the extra cash. How does that sound