noob cheap 1st bike

tom3
tom3 Posts: 287
edited January 2009 in MTB beginners
help!!! reading different bike reviews on this site and different opinions and my head is spinning.

will spend £200 - £250 max on first bike and then look to upgrade after a couple of years.

i like the look of.

1. giant boulder disc
2. claud butler pagan d2 or stone river (are they that bad nowadays?)
3. Mongoose tyrax elite
4.carrera vulcan disc
5. specialized hard rock
6. saracen mantra 1

although looking for an entry level bike i want something that i can chuck around woods and trails.

any thoughts would be really appreciated