Mountain bike recommendations?

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Anybody have a recommendation for a good mountain bike, in the $500 range? Obviously not looking for something top of the line, but something I can abuse on trails every once in awhile.
 
 Anybody know of any good shops that might be having good closeout sales on 2004 models in the next month or two?

[ggw]

Originally posted by Sam Pulsize:
 Anybody know of any good shops that might be having good closeout sales on 2004 models in the next month or two?

My Kona went through six years of crashes and beginners mistakes and is still in great shape.
 
 Big Wheel Bikes has a couple on special.
 
 I've heard that Markie likes eBay for bikes.

[markie]

ebay is great for bikes, but you really need to know what you are doing and to know exactly what you want.
 
 A bike shop at least will fix you up with something of the right size. Size and fit is probably the most important thing to having an enjoyable bike experience.
 
 If you know what size yo want you could get a great bike on ebay.... Personally I like steel hardtails. There are not many companies still making them though. Normally the suspension on new $500 bikes is pretty poor.... Definitely go for a hardtail.

[Sailor Ripley]

For $500 someone like Giant or Specialized (Kona will probably be good too) is going to give you the best bang for the buck. Stick with a hardtail.  At this price point they need to cut costs somewhere, so look for the bikes with solid items that are expensive to replace - wheels, front suspension, that sort of thing. Shops have already been dumping their 2004 inventory, so look now before the selection is gone.
 
 Also, there is a major bike swap this weekend in Westminster, MD - new and used stuff, dealers and average Joes.

[Celeste]

I got a Gary Fisher "Nirvana" a couple years ago in the $500 range. It's a hybrid. I like it.

[jkeisenh]

My 1995 Specialized Stump Jumper is still rockin' and rollin', but I've noticed the parts on newer models aren't quite as good as the ones I got with mine.
 
 Oh, and think  hard about what kind of suspension you want.  Very few people need a soft-tail, but when  you need one, you NEED one.

[Sailor Ripley]

Originally posted by Celeste:
  I got a Gary Fisher "Nirvana" a couple years ago in the $500 range. It's a hybrid. I like it.

Gary Fisher has replaced the "Nirvana" bikes with the "Punk as Fuck" product line.

[Captain Jack]

Much love for Specialized.

[G.Love]

<img src="http://gecko.gc.maricopa.edu/~pshoward/Bob/peewee_bike300.jpg" alt=" - " />
 wanker not included