specialized or Cannondale?

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I am a road biker for many years that decided not to ride anymore during the North East winters...

I am in the market for a Mountain bike (for ~$2000).

I do not know much about mountain bikes but have heard that Specialized is making good bikes. In the other hand, my bike store is recommending Cannondale (they are a good dealer shop for them).

I have no problem with Cannondale but would like to get this forum's opinion.

Thanks in advance.

It depends on whether the "handmade" thing does it for you.

I bought a secondhand Jekyll a few months ago on a whim and now that I'm used to the super-compliant Lefty Max 130 fork I love it. Well, "fork" is a misnomer seeing it has only one leg. :D

Their frames are very nicely made and superbly finished.

Will it get the job done better than a Specialized? I'm not really qualified to answer that. I note though that the Lefty fork in its various equipment levels rates uniformly high on mtbr.com, scoring mostly rave reviews for its torsional stiffness (steering accuracy) and brilliant bump compliance in "open" mode (due to being pin-roller raced - it has very little "stiction").

The downside is that you wouldn't use a Lefty or Headshox fork on a full downhill rig, if that is the niche you want to get into. The forks are also a little more complex so servicing costs will be a little higher. They are very reliable and 'dale back their product with a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser - a confidence I find heartening.

However, if you are purely comparing what components are hung on the frame you may find Specialized a little cheaper.