[IRMartin]

The fact that you're considering a 4X/freeride style frame would seem to imply to me that you think a DH full suspension rig may be wasted. Both have their merits and drawbacks; neither is going to be amazingly useful for long XC rides, but I'm getting the feeling this will be a second, more specialised set-up.

First off, if it's not going to be a jump bike, go with a 26" wheel frame, though a lot in the market will be disc only or have changeable mounts, so it's not really a problem. Look for frame from Identiti, Da Bomb, On One and Base as a starting point, and find one with the features you want, then look for market comparisons on similar frames.

Next up is your fork choice. I've only ridden Marzocchi forks in recent years, so I can't comment on Manitou or Rock Shox offereings, but I'm sure they all offer something in your bracket for price, performance. My chosen fork is an old one: Z1 Freeride 2003, but it's the best offering I've found for smooth, progressive travel that's the right length for me. I've ridden the single crown Shiver a lot, which is also a great fork; I think it's been replaced by the 66 in the past 2 years, and I have yet to ride it. As I said, there will be offerings out there from all the manufacturers, but I think Marzocchi have held the single crown big hit fork crown for quite a few years now. Have a look around at how much you want to spend, as adding a 20mm bolt through is going to affect your wheel and brake choice, though I'd be expecting you to go disc on something like this.

Again, (assuming you meant 2-piece crank, for stiffness) going with 2-piece crank shows what kind of riding you're planning on doing, so get your drivetrain sorted. DMR rule the roost on 2-piece at the minute from talking to a few mates, but again there will be stuff from Middleburn, FSA, RaceFace etc... so take a look around. Other than that, just go with a Shimano block, rear derailleur and shifer pod, something around LX will be more than durable enough.

Now, wheels and brakes. I can't sing the praises of the M6 enough. I upgraded from the M4, which itself was phenomenal, but the M6 is even better. It's so progressive in its action. The M4 is still a great brake of you want to save some money. Both of these are open systems, so you don't get brake pump, which you really don't want on a big descent! These are just my suggestions, some people swear by Hayes or Formula, I'm a Hope man I guess. This leads me on to hubs. Again, I'm a Hope man. 20mm bolt through disc on the front, XC disc on the rear, though they do a big-un for the back as well. Rim wise, I run Mavic 321 front and back, plain 32h. I just think they offer a great balance between weight and strength, but as always, get some well built by a reputable builder. I've been running the same pair of rims on rebuilt 3 different front hubs and 2 back for 3 years now, without any problems. You can get specific DH rims, but I just like the balance of freeride rims.

Tyres, personal choice. Bars and stem, personal choice again, though I've always ridden Azonic bars, currently running Azonic single walls on an Atomlab stem. Try and keep the stem as short as possible for better control.

That's my views anyway; once you decide on a budget, post back, or give me a PM. I don't mind talking about options, though I'm not as in to the market as I used to be, I concentrate on road more nowadays.