My MTB Short list

[Duck!]

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What I feel from everyone's responses here, that they are so far up the ladder they can't quite see the first steps.(or is it just me?)
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Not sure what you mean by this.

I don't make the rules. Mountain bikes are expensive.
If you want a bike that will handle the rigors of off road riding and handle well you need to spend closer to $1000. New riders/ first time posters often don't like this advice.
Many only want to spend $500 on a bike to do everything well. $500 buys a nice fork or set of wheels.

I think as new forum members you have both been given good advice.

It is very good advice and I've learned far more that what I would've imagined here. What I think the problem is, the difference in our points of view. I Imagine that you see mountain biking as going through a very rough terrain with pumps and challenges, but for us as beginners we wouldn't dream of tackling such terrain, if its not because of our lack of confidence in our bikes, it would be because the lack of confidence in our skills. Building our skills and understanding the bike capabilities is what I mean by first steps.

I hope this makes it a bit clear, my apologies if it sounded offensive in anyway.

cheers.

The advice being given, although the point may not necessarily be being made too clearly is that a better bike will give you more room to develop your skills and confidence. A cheap bike, while it will get you going, will fairly quickly begin to reveal limitations in its components, which in turn will hold you back from trying to push your skills further. A better bike is designed to do more demanding stuff, so you do not need to worry so much if the bike will handle it. Therefore you can put more thought into developing your skills.

FWIW, my first MTB was a $2000 duallie (I'm not by any means saying you have to spend that much though!), and I was previously a dedicated roadie. That bike gave me plenty of room to grow as a rider, and handled everything I was willing to throw myself at without complaint. That capability instilled an enormous amount of confidence to push myself further.

[jandb]

I bought my first MTB as an Apollo Evolution hardtail for $400ish. I've used it for 3 years and had lot's of fun riding trails around Frenchs Forest & Manly dam. I learned a lot and don't regret the decision. If I had found that biking wasn't for me or just couldn't make the time then I wouldn't have wasted too much money. (Unlike my $1,200 golf clubs).

[Mulger bill]

You should see some of the stuff my lad pulls off on his $600 Haro hardtail...

[Brotality]

@Duck There is actually another point of view here I would like to present.

Everyone in my family starts off driving a very very old crappy car, its a tradition rather than lack of money. The idea behind is, when you get used to something that is really bad, you will come up with genuine ways to do something that the car would never be able to do, hence developing skills that you would never have developed on a good car. and when the time comes where you have to step down for whatever reason, you still know how to handle it.

This is also explains Mulger Bill's post.

[Calvin27]

Yeah I agree. If you're beginning I think it is really valuable to start on a budget.
I also play tennis and started with a pretty awesome racquet acquired for a really stupidly low price. My bro bought a cheapie and we played for ages with no noticable difference. It was only later on that he began to notice and upgraded. My other mate did the same thing and just dropped the sport all together.

$1000 for an entry hardtail is big dollars for someone starting out and virtually deciding on the sport. So on average I'd say a cheaper beginner bike is the way to go. I started with a crappy kmart steel frame and worked my way up to a dually cannondale and back to a steel hardtail 29er. The satisfaction of knowing what you are paying for in terms of better quality cannot be shared - you need to experience it. Going over piles of logs and attacking single trail on an entry level bike with suntour XCT fork is definately do-able no matter what the everyone says. Sure in the hands of a pro it would fall apart but you are only a beginner so all good. If you get to the stage you want to do 4 foot drops then upgrade. if you want to do fast XC then do that.

The one point that beginners can learn is that committing more at the start does not reduce the liklihood of a future upgrade. Upgraditis will linger for as long as you ride!

[mitzikatzi]

How much do you want to spend? $300, $500, $700, $900

Haro Flightline Trail 2012 that looks OK to me at $600
Apollo Volatile 2013 $530
and the $700 bike I linked earlier, which has brakes that will work.

One has a Suntour XCR the other a RS 28. I would avoid bikes with Suntour XCM and XCT forks (they are called pogo sticks of death for a reason)

The brakes on both of those cheaper bikes may or may not work very well.

[Brotality]

I was actually thinking to go for the Talon 27.5 5 now ($630) and keep upgrading it along the way until it reaches talon 2 or 1 level (which is around $1400, hence i'm assuming its a half decent frame). This way I get to experience all the different levels and learn more about how everything work together (win/win)