I would get a hard tail if I was you, They will teach you to ride smother pick out better lines. Then after a year buy a full sus rig and you will be so much faster than guys that have spent there fist year on a full sus rig. On a side note I hope you have about £200 to spend on safety gear, I recommend a full face helmet,knee/shin guards as a bear minimum and strongly I recommend a body suite Roman Ps here a few links to help you out www.descent-world.co.uk www.ridemonkey.com www.southerndownhill.com