rear wheel travel | James Dean | flat-black paint scheme | precious energy

If James Dean were still around, he'd ride a Bad Boy Ultra for its sinister, flat-black paint scheme and no-BS, go-ahead-punk-make-my-day attitude. But even if the Bad Boy were dressed in pink, it'd be a great choice for the rider who wants to dip a toe into all of cycling's rivers without investing in a stable full of bikes. With its stock road bike wheels and slick tires, the Bad Boy lives for urban assaults and long jaunts on smooth pavement, but a simple swap to fatter wheels and tires transforms it into a mud-lovin', rock-jumpin', trail-hungry machine.

GT
IDrive, $2,800
(800) 743-3248; www.gtbicycles.com
One of the hardest knocks against rear suspension is the mushy feeling some designs exhibit during hard pedaling. That's because it's difficult to keep the suspension from being activated by pedaling forces, which means that precious energy is siphoned off into unwanted suspension movement. Not good. But GT's revolutionary IDrive system thwarts this conundrum with a proprietary design that pro- vides the solid, efficient feel of a hardtail when climbing or crankin' over smooth terrain. Point the bike downhill, however, and it serves up a very plush n' comfy 4.6 inches of rear wheel travel. The IDrive 1.0 is near the top of the IDrive heap; GT also offers the design in models starting under $1,000.

Schwinn
Moab Disc, $980
(800) 724-9466; www.schwinn.com
Let's get one thing straight: This ain't your granddad's Schwinn. What it is is a heck of a deal and as much mountain bike as anybody really needs. Light, rugged, and capable of dogging models twice its price, the Moab Disc comes stock with disc brakes (a rare commodity in this price range), which means you can stop on a dime and still have enough change for … well, probably not much of anything, but you get the point. Yeah, you'll notice the lack of rear suspension on bumpy trails, but this bike is a good bet for those on a budget, or those who simply appreciate the lightweight simplicity of hardtails. Gramps would approve.