$1,000 and under leaves you a ton of options. Once into that price range - they are all good - no great bikes. I could leave link after link after link... The best way to do it is plain old trial & error by visiting every bike shop in your neighborhood. Test ride every single one you are interested in. The one that feels best is THE ONE.
Personally , I like Trek & Gary Fisher. But that's just me. You may be different.
