I have a friend that wants to start mtn biking on the cheap to see if he likes it or not. He is looking for an inexpensive ($200-$400) bike to start with. I recommended that he start with a hardtail fo simplicity and to keep costs down. I have many spare parts that I would give him to get a fixer upper trail ready. If anyone has a complete or near complete bike they would like to part with let me know.
Alan