Well, if you guys are doing 3 ft drops with an occaisonal 4 ft drop, you need to get a better bike. That is basically a department store bike. The Norco wolverine would be a better deal. What you guys need to do is get some lawn to mow or some dishes to wash or kids to babysit. Save your money, and get something like a Kona Scab. Buying cheap crap isn't going to help you guys out at all. You might even get seriously injured. If you really want to be serious riders, you need serious equipment, or you will never get better and you will always be buying new bikes. Would you rather by three hypers that break on small drops, or a more expensive bike that'll last a few years and handle drops bigger than you can do right now? Cycling isn't an affordable sport by any stretch of the imagination, even more true for people who do extreme riding.