Ah, well, only you know your situation. If you don't spend anything now, and save a little bit every month til next year, then maybe you can get a bike that you enjoy--that's all I was saying. But if you really need the bike now, by all means get the one that suits you best and that is in your budget.

I have no advice on the actual bike since I stopped mountain bike racing in about 1987 or so (right after I had a terrible crash on the dual slalom at the New England mountain bike championships in Putney, Vermont.) Mountain bikes have evolved considerably since then.

Happy single tracking to you!