OK, my view is going to be terribly biased, but DH has a stumpjumper (the dually kind) and not being a fantastic MTBer, he let me ride this and I have to say it's fabulous. The fox shox and the avid juicy brakes are pretty fantastic and worth every cent. As a mate said, it's like sitting on your lounge at home watching tv (in other words, bit of a cushy ride)!

But you should testdrive the bikes you want to get, and then decide what works best for you. Obviously price is also a factor...