So I'm looking to get serious about mountain biking which means getting rid of the wal-mart special and getting something decent. I was looking at the Felt Q520 because my uncle owns a bike shop and he can get it for around $350-$375 which is significantly under the list price. He can also get Redline and KHS but thats about it for mountain biking stuff. So what do you suggest? I can't go over $400.

I just bought myself a Q220 for getting back into it - and it is terrific. The forks on the 520 are slightly better (the 220 came with Suntour-XR, very entry level, I basically can't wait for it to bottom out, break and shatter so I can justify spending the $$ and putting a proper fork in the front). But, I think the component sets are similar (with the 520 having an 8 speed in the back).

All of the frames for the Q series are the same; and the frame is really comfortable, and robust. When I test rode it, something just told me it was the bike I wanted to leave the shop with.

The riding position isn't the most aggressive, but the bike is really comfortable. For the price, I would think that the Felt is a great choice.

I don't have much experience with differant bikes, but I bought a Q520 for my first bike about a 2 months ago. So far I love it. No complaints at the moment. I've put about 50 miles on it. I paid $450 for it with no regrets :) I say go for it.