For all the MTBrs, good value?

Not too expensive without labor and at cost.

For me it would be all about going down, dont care too much about dying on the way up,would that put me in the category of freeriding/downhill..?

So gt I drives, has anyone had problems with them?
I have been told to stay away from them because of the bushings and i drive linkages.

I don't suppose you'll take my advice and why should you-you seem set on full suss,and I must admit Iv'e never had.I did have Marzocchi forks and 27 gears;I now ride fully rigid singlespeed and nobody I know beats me to the top of a climb.I'm not competetive or into racing or beating people but it gives your ego a massive boost when you see full suss riders pushing and panting on uphill sections whilst you ride on past.I've never looked back-super light and minimalist is the answer.You can still cross serious rock gardens and daunting drop-offs-the skills come quickly enough

It might seem like your right through my posts(after I read them back) but I have been certainly swayed by what has been said, basically I was told hardtail by people before but the lot of them were xc riders...
The people I would be riding with said full sus is the only option. Suppose im just looking at it from both sides.
I will probably go for hardtail...But when I check the prices of the maridas on tuesday I might be tempted...

I started mountain biking in 1990, my first three bikes were fully rigid, then I got a Klein Attitude with front suspension, and went from that to my current bike- a Rush 600 which has 4" travel front and rear.

I have to say that Tommy has it spot on here- after my last four days at Afan/Brechfa the first thing I did was upgrade the front brake from 160mm to 180mm.

I could have ridden everything there with only front suspension- it was braking (or lack thereof) which stopped me going faster.

That said rear suspension is a nice to have if it works with you not against you.

And to touch on what MrSmyth said- I started building my first fixed just after I had both shocks serviced and replaced all bushes and bearings, and also worked out how often I would have to do that with the mileage I was doing.

It adds up to serious money fast.

I can't understand this brake thing-I only have v brakes but can lock up both tyres with ease-how can I use more brake power?I must admit the final long descent on "The Wall" at Afan had my wrists feeling like a piece of wire had been tightened around them-strange feeling-but soon recovered and never had this since.Back to original subject;If your mates claim the type of riding they do is SO extreme that only longish travel full suss can cope I'd be wary if you are not already experienced in this style.

I dont think they would be silly enough to throw me in the deep end to start, I would say they are of the thinking that in the long run for me to go regularly I would need it.
But I might be wrong.

Get a hardtail- for the money you are talking about it is the best bet.

Or, if you are over six foot buy my Cannondale.

It's bloody ugly.

ROCK LOBSTER reynolds 853 frame .full shimano XT £1034 nice bit of kit.i bought a ROCK LOBSTER tig team sl full XT 10 years ago for £750 from these people and its still going strong
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/custom-mountain-bikes/rock-lobster-mountain-bikes/rock-lobster-tig-team-853-09.html

buy a bike that you can sit on and make sure it fits you. from a local bike shop that you can go to with any problems. oh and any bike can be specced good, but most generic bikes like merida and ghost ride like shit on a pogo stick.
Firstly where are you riding? what type of normal terrain?
whats your budget?
dont get a full suser for under £1500.
get a bike from a well established brand that will have good frame design!!!!!!!!! this will make you love your new bike even more.
and last but not least dont believe magazines. they lie.
boardmans are shite.
have a nice day :)

i would reccomend some thing like reculver has suggested. a nice steel hardtail.
Genesis have a very good range that can fit most budgets. they do a complete singlespeed for about £500 wich would leave some money yo maybe upgrade to a half decent front fork....
ive been riding one for the last two years and still think its the best bike ive ever ridden! It can take a 120mm fork which gives a really nice front end setup. and the frame design is perfect! not too twitchy but very lively in tight single track, climbs like a goat and feels stable on fast open decents. hope this helps a little.
i know what i like wont be everyones taste but i honestly couldnt reccomend them any highly!
:)

i would also recommend hardtail. mediocre full sus vs. nice hardtail. less to go wrong, cheaper to service.

what kind of riding are you planning exactly? xc or freeride or both?

Riding full suss is fun. Im sure the OP is an intelligent adult who has already thought this through. It seems impossible to legimately want an entry level full suss without getting pressured out of it by purists.

People were happy spending thousands riding terrible terrible full suss bikes in the 90's, but they still had fun. A quality modern (cheap) full suss may not be as good as something equipped with FOX shocks etc but it may still be something the OP will get a lot of enjoyment out of. I see people with high end full sussers just for riding around the fish pond/commuting. At least the OP wants to do some actual mountain biking with it.

We all know some steel hardtail will hold value & make basic riding more responsive/nimble and learn them some proper terrain handling skills. But the sensible choice is not always the right choice.

From what I've ridden of the south downs if you ride full suspension there will be nothing to challenge you and develop your skills. Good brakes are more important in my opinion than suspension. Currently I find my brakes the limiting factor in my speed off road downhill 90% of the time on the South downs riding ridgid. There are sections I could ride faster but don't because I can't brake for corners e.t.c further down because my brakes are less one finger lockup more three finger slight deceleration.

isn't the limiting factor is the type of gravel than the brake?

isn't the limiting factor is the type of gravel than the brake?

No!

isn't the limiting factor is the type of gravel than the brake?

I wouldve thought this also. Any basic working brake let alone a quality disc brake is strong enough to get your wheels sliding about. Whenever I have done mtb'ing grip & super technical sections have been the limiting factor never brakes!

No!

+1

Not talking pea shingle here more big fist sized with roots.

When it's bumpy as fuck any braking needs to be easy to do. Cants and V- brakes in my experience require too many fingers pulling too hard to be easily able to slow down with control. I have to stop myself getting too fast on rocky descents because otherwise I'm unable to brake sufficiently well with my v brake setup. A smoother section after a rocky is needed for braking.

This is off road baby.

This is narcore.

isn't the limiting factor is the type of gravel than the brake?

Its not the ability to lock the wheels that is in question but the ability to aviod/recover from slidding. Good disc brakes are predictable and have a high level of modulation.

I'm not a fan of the posted bike. Personaly I like the look of the Santa cruz Blur and the Yet YSR, but these are around 1K for the frame alone.

Superstar components often have some nice framsets for silly money but look to be sold out for the season.
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/index.php?cPath=43

Wiggle are having a sale at the mo, and have some nice looking BMC's along with other full sus bikes heavily reduced. Dont know much about the MTN bike side of BMC though.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mc/cycle/7/BMC/Full_Suspension_MTBs/
The fourstroke FS03 looks nice.