Ok, I admit I took the cheap approach, and after only a week with my Walmart Mongoose I'm returning it. It's a nice bike, sorta, it has some stuff going for it. But. The fork is real crap, mainly on the rebound side of things. I have a lot of years on dirt bikes (motorcycles), so I do know how a telescopic fork should handle itself. The seals on this thing are already weeping. I can live with the crummy rebound (who am I fooling; no I cant). The bike is fitted with cable disc brakes, F n R. They work, sorta. No better than the old center-pull rim brakes on my 25 year old Jamis though. And the front one started squeaking badly this morning. I came home and adjusted it, and it's performing much better, but now I see the next thing to break (probably sooner rather than later) will be the lever perches. And adjusters. The crankset looks cool, but has internal bearings and the lock rings were already coming loose. It's all forged steel, so it's a brick, yet it looks weak. The shifting is OK on the bike, and I like the ratios. The front DR is junk, the rear is Shimano, but also kinda junk. The axle and wheel hardware seem well made, but the bike feels fragile, and I'm no lightweight (5'9", 230lbs). I think the aluminum frame is plenty stout though, and while I'm not planning to toss the thing off cliffs, but I'm hard on equipment. Most of my riding at this time is in town, on pavement, but I want to get out and ride some trails at some point. I figure I could replace items as they break with good quality components, but in the end (about 6 months from now) I'd have the nicest Mongoose Seek'r (dumb name) on the planet and about $1000 invested in the bike. I also have concerns about fitting good-quality componentry to the dated BB shell, headset, etc. So I'm looking at better bikes already. I know I need to go ride them, but I want to ask the forum member's opinion of a couple makes/models that I know are readily available to me at my LBS's. The model I'm really enamored by is the new Specialized Pitch 650b. If the Mongoose debacle taught me anything it is that I like the 27.5 inch wheel/tire size, and that good disc brakes are a thing of true beauty. I have always been drawn to Specialized bikes; I just think they have such a serious, no-nonsense look and style. The other brand I'm looking at is Diamondback. I like the Axis models a lot, and the Overdrives look nice too. Anyone have experience with Diamondbacks? My local shops also carry Treks and Giants, but it seems everyone around here rides one or the other of those 2 brands, and frankly, they seem overpriced to me compared to the Specs and DBs I'm looking at. Another brand that is locally available is Fuji. My first choice, just viewing them online, is the Spec Pitch. Any info/insight/experience anyone here can offer on any of the bikes I've mentioned here is welcome. Or maybe you know of something from out in left field. I'm looking to stay around $600, and want an HT-FrS frameset. Discs are mandatory, and while hydraulics would be nice, they are not a must. I also do like the 650b/27.5" size. Also, while I do want to support my LBS's, does anyone have experience with performancebike.com? They've got some killer prices. Thank you very much in advance.