Hi! I just started riding a cheap diamondback i got from dicks last year. I decided to sell it and look at more of a real mountain bike. I don't really know what i'm doing so i thought i'd give this forum site a shot! Any suggestions?

It just depends.

What terrain will you be riding, and what can you afford?

When I rode out in Boulder, Colorado on the MTB trails (as opposed to the bike trails) the vast majority of the riders had full suspension. If you're really into it, you'll also want disc brakes.

If you'll be riding MUPs and crushed gravel trails, it doesn't make much difference.

If from time to time you'll bike off your roof just for fun, make sure you have great suspension.

If you're older and can afford it, get full suspension for your back's sake.

Everything else is bling for the most part.

If you haven't sold the Diamondback yet, I'd recommend that you continue to ride it in the same way that you intend to ride a new MTB. Make particular notes of where it performs okay, and where the bike becomes the limiting factor. Do this for one full riding season.

Then write back to the MTB forum, describing your riding style, preferred trails, height, age and weight, what you've ridden and what changes you believe you need to make. Lastly, you need to be realistic about your budget, because that number is affected by a lot of bike variables. They'll have specific recommendations that will help you.

Not knowing anything about you, but assuming that you're young and don't ride seriously challengine single track, you'll probably do fine on a 26" hardtail. Is that what you have now?

I agree with everything you've said except this. I've logged thousands of off-road miles on seriously challenging single track on a hard tail. Many of them with forks no more sophisticated than what you'll find on a Diamondback from Dick's Sporting Goods. I'd suspect that the Diamondback's fork is at least as good as a second generation Manitou.

Yes. I agree with you, too. A hardtail is fine for just about everything, especially if you are an experienced, skilled rider. What concerned me about he OP's question was that he said that he was new to MTB riding. He could learn on an HT, and that was what I suspected I was recommending by suggesting that he ride the Diamondback.

I rode a department store full suspension Mongoose for two and a half years until the frame pivot failed and the spring fork froze. The right hand twist grip shifter was broken, too, and you had to finesse it into gear, which was reversed rapid-rise. All of these things told me that it was time to replace/upgrade. But at that point, I knew what I needed and what I could afford.

I hope that the OP is reading this...