I’ve recently acquired a mk2 Solaris, having gone cheap full sus (2nd hadn zesty) for a laugh/experiment on my 26″ wheels, and sold my Scandal as I didn’t like the steep angles(by modern standards)on the downhill.
I’ve set the Solaris up as an xc bike still though, large frame, I’m 6ft, long arms, 70mm stem, 100mm forks. Does that really well, but I reckon with some B+(ish) tyres and a 120mm fork with a shorter stem it’d be bags of fun, even on the techy and tight, twisty stuff, I mean it’s not bad at that how it’s set up now. Maybe not quite as agile as a good 26″ hardtail in the really tight stuff between the trees, but overall covers ground brillianty for general xc and ‘trail’ riding.
There is something about the directness of a hardtail that’s hard to beat, I like full suss for rocky, chattery, tiring stuff but on smooth, loamy local trails a hardtail is all I need.
If I had to have only one bike right now I think it’d be a 650b light (for steel) steel hardtail with a 130mm fork and a dropper. PP Oka I suspect.
I wonder if the bike industry itself will get tired of all the differing standards and having to manufacture all these products in a range of sizes?