Except my question wasn't regarding bike recommendations per se, if folks would re-read it, it was more geared toward an assessment of the value of older MTBs on the used market like older Rockhoppers or other stuff that is 15+ years as an entry into the discipline. If folks don't like repetitive postings, just don't look/reply to them. The reason people post on forums with questions is to get the current thinking of more knowledgeable people, but for some reason a few folks here aren't really interested in that aspect of forum participation. Fine, anyhow, I've kind of moved on from MTB stuff for now, I'm in deep with my indoor training program for potential racing next year, you all have fun on the trails, I'll go back to the 33.