[Call_me_Clyde]

Some answers

Well, I've been trying to find a hardtail mountain bike in the 500-600 range, and I've been going around to the different LBSs in town checking out what they have. What this has shown me, rather than which bike I should buy, is that I have absolutely no idea whatsoever when it comes to choosing a bike. So, instead of asking what I should get, I'm going to ask how I should choose. Going by feel isn't working for me, everything pretty much feels the same (aside from size.)

Here are my recommendations, and I'm certain others will disagree. I'm quite content with that and stand behind my recommendations here.

1. Which components are the most important when making a decision? I've been mostly comparing drivetrain components, but that's mostly because I don't really know how to compare frames, shocks, and things like hubs (there's no easy shimano/sram-like hierarchy to remember.) How does one compare frames and shocks, aside from simply looking at features?

They are all very important, but personally I would look in the following order. 1) Fork 2) Drivetrain components, 3) Wheelset 4) Brakes 5) Cockpit components. The frame is abviously incredibly important, but frankly much less a factor in this price range than other things. Same thing with wheelset, they can be expensive, but for most riders, they won't notice a difference in wheelsets in this price range.

2. Does brand matter, and by how much? It seems like one gets better components or features for the price by going with less famous brands like Raleigh, Iron Horse, Jamis, etc. than say Trek or Specialized. Are they just charging less for their name, or are there more subtle differences that make up the cost? (better materials/workmanship overall, better designed geometries, etc.) I can choose from pretty much everything locally except Iron Horse and Cannondale.

All those brands a re very good and you'll find similar quality in their builds in this price range. Buy the bike with the best spec in accordance of my recommended priorities above.

3. At what level is component quality decent? I know that shimano makes stuff all the way from excellent high-end stuff to walmart trash, but I don't know at which level their stuff becomes usable (I'm particularly curious about the acera/alivio/deore range.) How about sram? Is anything suntour makes decent?

Stay awazy from Acera, and if you can, Alivio. The bar pretty much starts at Deore, then goes upwards as follows: LX, XT, XTR. I happen to be a huge SRAM proponent. I have ridden both Shimano and SRAM, and I personally feel that SRAM copmponents shift very crisply. It's really a personal preference. Both work just fine. Stay away from Suntour at this price level, period.

4. How is ordering online? LBS support is a non-issue to me - I'm moving away from this location in a couple of months so free tune-ups and such are pretty much useless. On the other hand, I rather doubt I could assemble a bike from parts and have it be safe and reliable. How much skill does it take to assemble one ordered from an online retailer? Are they sold partly assembled, like people ship their own bikes, or as just a pile of parts?

Ordering online has pros and cons. In your instance though, I think the pros outweigh the cons. If you don't care about LBS support, buy from Ibex, Randall Scott, KIiney, Woodstock or Bikes Direct. Just be sure you talk to someone aat the vendor you choose to discuss sizing. If the bike doesn't fit, you won't ride it! I believe all of them come about 90% assembled (I can speak for the ease of assembly of the two Ibex bikes I own) and the stuff you have to put together yourself is fairly simple. Once the bike is together, it's the fine tuning of the drivetrain and brake components that becomes tedious. Again, given that you're not near an LBS, you will need to buy a tool kit and an MTB repair book. You're going to have to le4arn it anyway, might as well do it straight out of the box.

5. At what price point is the 'sweet spot'? I know that with many things, there's usually a point at which you get past the trash and into stuff that's actually worth using, and another point where more money stops helping too much anymore. At what level do mountain bikes start that are actually intended to be used on trails, not just the occasional dirt road? I suppose I could wait for a larger budget if $600 is just throwing money away.

The "sweet spot" for LBS hardtails is about a grand, but $600 LBS bikes are definitely trail worthy, provided you're not doing jumps or drops. Your $600 will buy a nice Ibex Alipne 650, or an Iron Horse Warrior from Randall Scott. Both will be better equipped than any current model year LBS bike at $600. $1000 will buy a very nice Ibex Trophy Comp, and again it will smoke anything at a grand from your LBS.

I hope this gives you some general answers to your dilemma. It's a huge decision, and we've all been where you are right now with the analysis paralysis. Take a deep breath, get yourself together and narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 bikes you can buy online, then pull the trigger from there.

Best wishes in your decision making process.

Bob