Road to Mountain. How do I pick a bike?

[Owlie]

I am a beginner road rider and I have recently found myself completely hooked on cycling. I live in Tasmania, Australia which is home to some amazing mtn bike trails and I've been thinking about buying a mountain bike. I am fairly sure I want a hardtail 29" with disc breaks but there is a huge number of bikes out there and I am struggling. Does anyone have any recommendations of bikes up to $2000AU that fit my requirements?
Thanks .

I'm really not a mountain biker, but I worked with someone who is (at a bike shop.) Think about the terrain you'll be riding on and what your interests are. When I lived in Ohio (next to no rocks, mostly tree roots, not necessarily technical unless you went looking for it), I could probably have gotten away with a hardtail 29er. Here in Arizona, with lots of rocks, I'd want full suspension. Now, a hardtail will teach you better riding skills (at least, as far as line-picking goes) because you don't have the suspension there to cushion your mistakes. On the flip side, you'd like to be somewhat comfortable or you won't ride! Also, your trails will sort-of dictate your wheel size. Lots of switchbacks or curves? Go for a 26" or 27.5". Not so many switchbacks but there are lots of things to roll over? 29er. Get something with a lock-out fork, although if you're looking at disc brakes, that should be fairly standard at that level, I think.

Sizing feels different too. Like Irulan said, you'll want it to feel small until you get out on the trail. Now, having said that, go try out a few. Depending how tall you are and whether or not you need women-specific fit, you may or may not have a hard time with finding them. If at all possible, try out different wheel sizes. Get out of the saddle, ride it off curbs, something to give you an idea of how it handles.

When I was looking at MTBs, I was looking at the Fuji Nevada 1.1 (I think that's what it was)(or the Tahoe 1.1), the Giant Talon series, or the Specialized Jett/Fate. These are all HT 29ers, and I believe they all have disc brakes.

[Sky King]

just to throw a small wrench into the thought process. Depending on terrain, I would argue that suspension is highly overrated. For mildly technical and non technical trails I think suspension is a waste of money and adds to frustration. IN addition to "mt bikes" consider a "fat bike" or some of the nice new steel "adventure bikes" If there is a Salsa or Surly dealer close to you go visit.

I actually ride a Surly Disc Trucker with a 2" tire on a large variety of trails in Idaho and I ride with loaded panniers for adventure bike camping and do pretty well - okay I did have to walk a sandy stretch last week but I just need more tread on my tires. I have my eye on the new Surly ECR but we sold my size before I even got to ride it around the parking lot so now
am waiting for another to arrive.