Not sure the wheel size will make much of a difference 😉

surely if its down to maintenance then hard tail all the way, Wheel size has no bearing on it unless you have to clean each spoke

The bearings in my old Marin lasted a couple of years, got the shock serviced (the oil in the damper, not just the air sleeve) once a year, plus bushings in the shock if they’ve worn out too.

However, I’m not sure everyone bothers getting this sort of thing done.

With worn bearings and shock, the bike can still “work” without any obvious play or noises.

I serviced the fork at home (doesn’t take much longer than taking it off and boxing it up for postage)

If you ride a lot, in bad conditions, you might have to change the bearings once a year. Most people will get away with much less often. I would have thought once every 2-3 years is probably average.

EDIT: And similar timescales for shock servicing, assuming you hose it off/lube it every couple of rides.

Single pivot would make sense.

Fat bike all the way

Failing that an Orange 5? Never changed the pivot bearings in mine after 4 years of use, still smooth.

I sold my devinci Dixon fs in 2012 and bought a 29’er hardtail because the fs was making my riding in the flat lands of south east England too easy, and I wanted something with minimal maintenance.

Can’t say I’ve ever missed fs since. The hard tail has been easy to own, and the carbon fibre frame means its light and surprisingly comfortable combined with the big wheels and 25 psi in the tires.

I am on my 4th frame since 2012, but that is another matter and the brand has always resolved issues within a few days of contact, so not a problem from my POV.