Ok, here's the real scoop. I got myself into some pretty big trouble last year medically. It was, uh, kinda not looking so good for me for a while. I had the great pleasure last summer of sitting down across a desk from a specialist who told me I have a potentially fatal disease. Kinda turned my world upside down, and frankly I didn't handle this news with what you might call grace and dignity, I went into full blown meltdown mode. I spent three weeks in the hospital having treatments, didn't make me as sick as I feared it would. I made it through and out the other side with a complete 180 in my attitude about living. It's something I am actually doing for once in my life, really living. So, I've treated myself to a great hybrid Specialized, a Surly Pug, and some miscellaneous toys like new skis and snowshoes. All great. Having fun with it all. I'm going to give myself the ultimate gift in a couple of months, my fantasy bike, kind of a little "hell, you didn't die after all" present. This has to be a one-time deal, I can't afford a do-over down the line so I need to pick the right bike. I spent about 20 minutes talking to the owner of the LBS the other night, just generalities, no specifics of features or models, more a "what are your goals" kind of thing. We talked about all of the groomed and rough trail opportunities in the region, there are a lot so I can put the beast to good use. I can squeeze out probably 5-6 time slots a week of 2-3 hours for riding, so it isn't just going to sit in my garage covered with a tarp. Ok, here's my current thinking about what I want: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/epicfsr/sworksepiccarbon29xtr http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/epicfsr/sworksepiccarbon29sram http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/sjfsr/sworksstumpjumperfsrcarbon29 But there is a lot to consider in terms of features. Yeah, probably a lot more bike than I need, but this is one of those "oh, Hell yes" live the fantasy things. And since I don't see some of my other fantasies coming true, like dating Julia Roberts or Jennifer Aniston, LOL, this is gonna be the one. So, what should I really be looking for and looking at? TIA. Danny aka the weird dude from Detroit!