Hey Tex,  Look into a Specialized FSR full suspension with coil spring.  I believe it should hold up better than an air shock for your weight.  That is if you wish to use full suspension.  Whatever you do don't go to wallyworld or any of the discount stores becaause these bikes are weak and poorly built.   Any of the major brands that you will find at your local bike shop should do just fine.  You might stay away from Mongoose since they recently went to building bikes for the dicounts chains.  Also check the forum at the following sight:                            [url]http://www.dorba.org[/url]  

I am "crazy Jim" on the forum and there are plenty of people that will bwe glad to answer all your  Q's.   this is the Dallas area mountain biking organization....

tt-

I'm about the same weight / height.

I ride a Gary Fisher Kaitai hardtail (front suspension only). Its actually been discontinued.

If you can find a used one.

But Gary Fisher's stuff is highly regarded in the industry.

My recommendation would be this -

Visit ALL the bike shops in your area. Talk with a salesperson (or two) from EACH store. You'll fairly quickly figger out who knows their stuff, and who is blowing sunshine.

Then go with their recommendation.

Hint: It is NOT necessary to buy their most expensive bike, no matter what the salesperson says.

Gary Fisher stuff [i]was[/i] highly regarded until he sold out to Trek, a Korean mass production company. Look at the Trek "Y" framed bikes and then look at a Fisher of the same time period. Nearly identical. Trek borrowed the design just after they paid Garry a kings ransom for his company. Alas, I liked Fisher bikes quite a bit. Oh well.

Look on the web for Supergo bike shops. They are by far the least expensive place to buy from. They have a large catalog too. Were I you I'd avoid a suspended bike in favor of a hardtail frame. Less weight to drag around and a more predictable ride for a big guy like you. If you really hate bumps then get a suspension fork setup. That's where most of the vibration comes from anyhow.

Bicycles are the most expensive hobby I've ever had. They beat Ham Radio, AR-15's and computers by far. A "good" bike will set you back at least $1200. If by that scale you'd like an "okay" bike, as most do, I recommend a Specialized. They are built well and can be had on sale from Supergo.

I saw an elavalution on mountain bikes in anti-gun Consumer Reports. I don't recall what it all said so I would trudge down to your library and litterally check it out.

As a friend of mine that is big into bikes told me:

"Treks are for kids"

Check on ebay. If you know what you're looking for there are some great deals there.

My Kaitai was $800 new.

Remember, while you don't ahve to buy teh most expensive bike, you get what you pay for, and you PAY FOR what you get (hopefully)

My Kaitai was $800 new.

Remember, while you don't ahve to buy teh most expensive bike, you get what you pay for, and you PAY FOR what you get (hopefully)

Go to [url]www.mtbr.com[/url] They got thousands of reviews on hundreds ofo different products.

You must honestly  evaluate what type of riding you'll be doing. very few "Mountain" bikes ever get off pavement or a hard packed surafce. I ride a Gary Fisher Marlin which is a non suspension mountain bike (mine is an older model) I ride 100% on the tow path between Cleveland and Akron. My Bianchi CDI sits collecting dust since I moved close to the tow path. Remember the only diffenence between a $500.00 Bianchi, or a $500.00 Specialized or whatever, will be the frame. All bikes in the same price range will have the same components. The only difference will be the frame material. Because of your size, you may want to get a Cannondale because of their oversize tubes. Also, buy from a good local shop. It will be worthwhile in the long run to build a good relationship.....

According to Consumer Reports, you might want to consider the Specialized Rockhopper or the Schwinn Moab.  Both around $700.  However, the review was from 6/99.  I couldn't find anything newer from them, and I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject.  Hope this helps at least a little bit.

[img]http://www.printroom.com/_vti_bin/ViewImage.dll?userid=redray&album_id=86221&image_id=2&show=image¶m=28326[/img]

whatever you get, make sure you got full suspension. youll never know when the itch to go balls-to-the-wall, off-roading with friends might come. and oh, get a good helmet.

I ride pretty much the exact situations you describe. Half on half off road.
I bought a 1999 Specialized FSR Extreme full suspension, new cost was $1400.
I think it's a great bike, extremely smooth ride.
The suspension is so soft that it makes off road uphill climbs difficult until you learn the proper riding "tricks".

I ride a Specialized, front suspension only, purchased from Supergo.  Ask one of the mechanics in these shops (there was a big guy in the one in Huntington Beach a while back) what he might recommend.  These guys seem 'em broken and have some stories to tell.  About $800 is a good quality level.  After that you're paying for lightening the bike, ounce by ounce and it's pretty expensive.

I have had Trek, fisher(before he sold) giant,cannonade, KHS.

I ride a full suspension cannonade super V
I am 5.10 215lb and am hard on my bikes.
This bike has yet to fail me . Super strong frame,I have broken several frames ,one from each trek and KHS.
The super V seem to be over built form the normal rider weight (you and I are not normal) and all suspension system are compromises.
This system seemed to be the best compromise for my type of riding.

Once you find the frame you like the next step is to spec the parts level you want or need.
In the bike biz. you can buy the same frame with different components and spend 1000.00 more of less depending on what type of shifting system and drive line you go with.

Shifting and drive lines can be mixed and matched, I don't go below LX level in shirmano(sp) stuff and I don't use GRIPShift stuff so I cant comment. My weight and riding style destroy rims and shocks, frames. Remember Light weight parts are not always better,I learned this after replace costly light weight parts only to have them fail the same way again. In disgust I purchased cheaper and lower level part groups and found a better product or at least longer lasting. In the bike Biz. If the parts weight less it cost more money. If the parts weight less they are normally easier to brake also.

Find the frame and the parts group you like and most bike shops will swap thing around for you if you don't like the shifters or something else. I would not recommend clipless pedals right off the bat unless you KNOW you will be riding often. Ge some toe straps, the pedal upgrade can come later as you skill level increases

Bike shop some time have huge make ups so shop around and stay away from shop in the nice nice parts of town. They will always deal on the price in some way. If they will not come down on the price have them though in some of those things you will need Helmet, Camel back, Shoes faggy bike shorts( I wear em cause they work)

If you live in an area where there are several bike shops, start shopping.  You are far better off buying local if possible.  Bikes need maintance and upkeep and for some reason your friendly local bike store will probably be alot more helpful with a bike you bought from them than they will with something bought over the internet.  They will be able to 'fit' you to a bike, and that is critical to your future riding enjoyment.  How you fit your bike is probably the single most important item to consider when making a purchace.

Check and see if there is a local biking club or organization, they might be able to steer you to the right store.

As MMSIG wrote, all bikes in the same general price point have similar components, the biggest difference in bikes is the frame.

Full suspension is the comeing thing, and its a good thing, but it hasn't fully evolved yet, or at least it hadn't a couple of years ago.  Forks are another matter.  If you are going off road at all, and maybe even if you aren't, get a decent set of forks on your bike.

The  down side of suspension is weight, trust me, less is better.

Shop around, ask shops about fitting, changing out things that don't suit you(seats, etc.).  Read alot(if you can wade through the BS, newsgroups are an excellent source of info) and have fun.
Good Luck
Frank

What Ura says sounds on spot.  I've been riding for year over 200#s and most bikes are set up for riders up to 170#s max.

Ask the locals who ride what the majority of trail is like in your area.  If it is all flat and fireroad you don't even need a front fork.

The most important thing for riders over 200#s is to learn how to take care of your wheels (Garandman, take note, I forgot to write this on your post).  Unless you are buying wheels built by a quality builder, your wheels have been built by a machine and probably have very shoddy tension.  Get a spoke wrench and visit http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html  Just read the parts about keeping things true, tension even and correct.  

You will need to retension your wheels, guaranteed (unless you bought something exotic).

so don't be afraid to buy cheap wheelsets, just retension and care for.

I build my own and have fewer breakages than my 150# friends w/ similar hub/rim setups.

$600 is the minimum I would advise for a bike that you will to keep over time.