I'm just getting into mountain biking and I'm looking for a decent bike. However, since I'm new I don't figure I'll need something crazy top of the line, but I would like something that'll last me a while. Any suggestions?

Go to MTBR.com and read a lot.

Figure out your budget and stay far away from Wal-mart type places. GO to an actual bike shop.

There are a few brands that tend to offer a little more bang for the buck. Most brands try to compete at each price point. Some I would suggest that offer a great value per dollar factor are, Jamis, Raleigh, Giant. But there are great bikes from many companies, visit your local shop and discuss your budget with them, hold out a little for the extra's you might need. Helmet,gloves,shorts,etc.... Most shops do not have a ton of room to negotiate on a bike price but they should give you 10-15% off the accessories with the bike purchase, and most good shops will offer a lifetime of free tune-ups and minor adjustments.

hope that helps some.

First off without knowing a bit about you there is no way to answer your question. How tall/fat are ya? Where will you ride? How often? Mo info dude..

and budget please..

I'm very happy with my Giant Rainier, and it cost 750 OTD at the local shop (MSRP, but I rather support the little guys)

I'd mostly repeat what's been said. I went to a Performance in town, a nationwide chain with a lot of internet sales, purchased Supergo awhile back and is teamed up with Nashbar. I used to go there when I was a little kid racing BMX. I got an '05 Iron Horse Warrior Comp for $400 with a $350 (current price, originally listed a little higher, which makes it that much sweeter) fork since the factory one was damaged in shipping. They also have "Team Performance". For $20 a year you get 10% back. It's got mechanical discs, Shimano Deore components, and I've put on clipless pedals, a plush sissy seat, and some semi slicks. I do a 24 mile round trip ride to work and sometimes at lunch will head out to a park and do some downhill, and a trip here and there to the dirt on the weekends. It's a pretty nice bike, especially for the price I paid. No way I could have gotten as nice of a bike for the money from a smaller struggling bike shop...but I have hooked up with one recently that does a lot of rides and I'm actually going to the second part of a maintenance and repair class they're teaching this Saturday...so definitely hook up with a local bike shop as much as you can, the relationship you can build with them can be worth it when you're starting out.

To get more bike for your money, shop for a hardtail. Cutting down on some of the extras like rim brakes instead of discs should net you better components elsewhere, but it's definitely cheaper to buy a full package then to try and upgrade things later on with a lower quality package at the initial purchase. Definitely just hit up your local shop and see if they've got any '05's left they want to get rid of...Tell them what kind of riding you'll realistically be doing, get sized, test ride a couple....I'm an impulse hobbyist so I've picked up some of the microfiber shirts and the pedals and shoes and riding shorts....it's all under the guise of trying to make myself more comfortable and efficient while riding :D mtbr.com was a great help in researching bikes and accessories. Before I purchase anything I read the reviews there. Some of the GT bikes are heralded for their frame geometry, the Gary Fisher bikes get good reviews, and the Iron Horse hardtails seem to get pretty good reviews as well. Pick up a book on maintenance as well. The $20-30 will be worth it when you start having trouble shifting after the cables stretch during break-in. Park's Big Blue Book of Bicycle Maintenance is a good one, lots of clear, detailed color pictures and well written instructions.

To be comfortable if you're pushing yourself hard, I'd recommend shorts with a padded chamois...The Oakley 2.6's are hot shit, totally worth the money. Fox Base shorts are cheap at around $30 but the chamois isn't very thick and your arse still hurts like hell. I like the $15 microfiber shirts from Target, you can sweat and they stay light, they don't soak up the sweat and get all nasty like a cotton tshirt will. Helmets these days are nice too, lots of ventilation. I've taken my fair share of head hits as a kid riding to school and racing BMX, so I still wear a helmet...just takes one turn on loose dirt on the road ya know? Even smacked my head once just trying to go from the street up a driveway, my front tire got caught on the little lip in the gutter and over I went....rang my bell good on that one :)

I had the same question on another forum, and this was suggested to me:http://www.ibexbikes.com/Bikes/ALP-350-Details.html

Yeah its very tough to say without more info and even then its not a really easy question. How bad have you been bitten by the riding bug? Do you want to buy once and buy well figuring you will be doing a lot of riding or do you want to buy a lower end bike before you are sure you will stay with it. Regardless of those facts though and like was already stated go to a real bike shop and get a real bike. Don't get a Walmart special.