Everyones got an opinion on subjects they are familiar with and reasons why they got there. Just about everyone has more experience mtb'ing than me as well, so just going to ask and see what y'all think.

Have been riding about six months and really enjoying it. Got a RH comp disc for starters and haven't changed much 'cept the seat, pedals and grips.

I'm 50+ and in great shape, but think that if I'm going to keep pounding the trails that maybe a dual suspension bike would be a good investment for my soft connective tissue.

Love my lbs guys and want to stick with them and buy there. They have let me ride everything and the bike that stood out for me and my riding style was the Camber. I can't tell much difference between the 26 FSR and the 29 Camber as far as speed pickup or bumps, but will probably get the 29 unless there is a big price jump. Rode the SJ, but don't know if the bigger fork or geo is what I need for the riding I do. I'm more of a xc trail rider, some short climbing and woods trails with small jumps kind of rider.

I have Sram on my bike and like it, my lbs guys lean towards it too for a few reasons they have shared, but of course still carry and promote Shimano too.

The Cambers come equipped with XT RD, but Alivio shifters. I thought a bike in this range would have better shifters and the brakes are Elixer 3's too.

To get what I "think" I want, I have to go to the Stumpjumper with 2X10 Sram X9 rd and X7 shifters and Elixer R SL brakes, better rims and fork too. It's only a 500 buck jump for that stuff which looks like a no-brainer, but will I have a bike that isn't made for what I want to do with it?

This will probably (heh heh) be the only bike I buy for five years or so, I think my skills will grow into it but want to make a good choice.

Would the Camber be all that I need and I would never be able to detect the component differences in my mediocre skilled bike riding. Will I wind up spending 1000 bucks to upgrade it after two years anyway?

I don't know, but I'll listen to what anyone wants to say about it. This purchase is most likely months away at least.

I'm out of town with no computer from Mon. til Thur. every week, but will check in and respond on the weekends.
Thanks

my opinion: SRAM makes the best drivetrain. Shimano makes the best brakes. on my main mountain bike, i have SRAM drivetrain and Shimano brakes. i love my bicycle .

Again?

Another "which bike should I buy" thread disguised as a Sram vs Shimano thread...

Sram Grip Shift FTW!!!

Grip shift is damn cool in that you can dump the cassette and just keep cranking. You cannot do that with triggers. However, that usually only happens when you get surprised on the trail. When you know what's coming, downshifting shouldn't be a problem with triggers.

Another cool thing is trimming out your front derailleur. Crosschain all you want!

I also accidentally shift sometimes with grip shifters when I'm trying to bunnyhop. It's less of a problem on the X9 and X0 because they only twist on your thumb & index finger, but the lower models I'd swear it is half the grip that twists.

I loved my grip shifters, but tolerate my XT triggers for right now. If it makes your bike work, can it really be wrong? The rest is price point and weight.