A budget of 4-6k is pretty much what you need for your fork alone You can try getting some kind of jump bike for that money and go ride Gspot (in stellies) but for a ful sus bike thats not going to get you far. I've been the HT freeride route and unless you are a seasoned rider it ends in a lot of falls while trying to learn. Maybe I'm just bad at riding but I'd say that full susers are alot more forgiving when you are starting out in the FR discipline. To answer your questions. In the helderberg area there is plenty of great trails to shred so my recommendation is based on what trails are available in the helderberg area. How much travel do I need to look for? 140mm to 160mm What fork names? Rockshox is readily serviceable locally and have better prices then Fox. RS Lyrik RS Domain 160mm (this is a great fork its on the heavy side but its an absolute tank and the price is right) RS Revelation What groupsets? SLX or X9, Saint is really nice but prob out of the price range of someone speccing their first rig. Would a singlespeed work for what I want to do? Yes but don't go that route yet. You have to keep your options open as much as possible until you know what you want. What frames can I look at? Commencal VIP Meta AM (CRC) Nukeproof Mega AM (CRC) Specialized Stumpie FSR EVO (I think you can special order this from helderberg cycles) Black Market Bikes KillSwitch (CRC) this is more of a jump frame so it wont take a fork more then 140mm. NS Bikes Soda Slope Frame (CRC) Commencal Meta 6 Alu Frame (CRC) What other parts can I look for? Chainguide E13 or the like Besides the groupset (crank, brakes, front and rear mech) Wheel set, cassette, headset (some frames come with this), Bars and Stem There will be other odds and ends you will also need. What complete bikes would you suggest? Specialized Stumpie FSR (Bloody expensive, less hardcore and more of an AM bike really) Scott Voltage FR 20 (like hens teeth, you can only get them second hand or maybe if you ask the importers really nicely) Mongoose Khyber (bit old now but a nice bike) Mongoose Pinn'r (this bike seemed overly heavy to me) Nukeproof mega AM (Dialdbikes) Although a complete bike seems very expensive they work out cheaper in the long run. Building a bike from parts gets you exactly what you want but the budget gets away from you fast.
