Mountain Bikes

[Goodspeed]

So.

I plan on buying a mountain *more on this later* bike soon. I planned on getting one this past summer but never got around to it and my fat ass is now evidence of that :thumbup:

I know about this >| |< much about bicycles; I haven't seriously ridden since about junior high, and even then it was on a normal, craptastic kids bike. I got my miles in though and did a healthy amount of street and trail riding. Missed it ever since and I want to get back into it as part of a normal fitness routine.

Thus.

I'm looking at mountain bikes, as I do want to be able to throw it in the Jeep and hit up trials, fire roads and stuff, but also ride on the street - I live right on the W&OD trail which I imagine will be convenient as hell. What I've gathered so far from people at Spokes and the internets is that:

1. Crossovers don't do anything well
2. Don't buy anything under 500 if you want it to last after the first time you hit a trail
3. Get this fork/gearset/brake system, and a ton of other shit I don't really understand.

Thing is, my prior budget of 500 is more like 800 thanks to some Christmas monies, so theoretically I can now get some features to help me ride like a boss. I do want a bike that I can grow with and not have to upgrade in a year.

Any recs? And can someone explain the importance of baller gearsets, forks, etc? About all I know is that I'd like disc brakes - rode both disc and standard back to back and definitely preferred discs.

So far the Specialized Rockhopper Comp sounds like a good buy.

I have barely touched a bike in years so I don't want to screw myself with a bike I don't need, nor do I want a turd that'll be in the dumpster in a year - trying to find a happy medium to do it right the first time.