If after all that you want to try a hard tail find a second hand cotic soul swap the bits but hang onto your rush frame. You can then swap around as you see fit (ok it might take u an hour or two) but if you know youve got some long distance days planned use the rush frame, if you are riding locally or in the mud use the Cotic. and if u dont get on you wont loose money on a second hand cotic

ps. you mention problems with the front lifting when climbing, move your saddle forward on the rails or get an inline post if poss, your setup looks quite rear biased

luckely i have both, a lovely Orange five pro with extras and also a trek 6700 HT. I enjoy both bikes equaly, i use which ever bike depending where i am riding. yes the full sus is quicker in some circumstances but so is the HT in others.

Also this time of year i tend to use the HT more than the full sus, mainly because i tend to ride more local stuff like Llandegla when the weathers shit. And a HT tail is more than enough for there.

Next year im thinking of getting a Ibis tranny and building a big forked HT up. I look at the HT to full sus as to differnet beasts and ride dependant will determine which i take for a spin.

hmm.
when i got back into riding i was on an old kona kula HT. then i went out and bought a cannondale prophet. then an inbred SS came up cheap. i flogged the prophet. should have kept it, as i now have an orange 5, which is very similar really.
FWIW i don’t think the difference between HT and FS is so clear cut. a racy FS and a light weight HT will both challenge on the downs due to their weight and setup. a heavier HT and a ‘bigger’ FS will feel more comfortable and manageable on the downs, but unless you’re screwing the last 10th of a second out of a climb you’ll only notice you’ve been working harder to carry teh extra weight at the end of a ride.
i have an orange P7 with a coil pike and an alfine that weighs 33lb (!), but sometimes i forget it has no suspension, if feels so similar to the five in the way it rides, and i do find that i sometimes point it at lines i wouldn’t take on my SS HT through choice.
i suppose what i’m saying is that light is not necessarily good. and some horse are for some courses. decide what you want out of a bike, and buy the sort of bike that will do that for you.
but you need both. 🙂

titusrider, I think a cheap second hand frame is a really good idea and then I could chop and change through seasons rather than weeks.

Coming from the Scott I was familiar and comfotable with a more stretched out ride. I actually swapped my inline post for a layback to achieve this. However if Im not sat in the ‘right position’the frame wont be reacting or performing like it was designed I guess.

Is the seat position personal preference or is there a right and a wrong?
Maybe my 121 coaching could advise what may suit.

After having a ride on a mates full sus, I loved how fast it felt and could just plough through everything – I almost moved up to one, but just couldn’t justify the cost and extra weight. Maybe when I’m riding something more hardcore, but for now I can downhill just fine on a hardtail, as can a few others who I have ridden with. Yes it’s probably a bit slower but I think if I had a full sus I would feel like I was cheating as it flattens things, but at the same time this makes it faster which is also fun!

Think I’m just one of those people who will do things the hard way for a greater reward – like with guitar I play with thicker strings as I find thin strings make it too easy and boring, I need to fight the guitar 😆

Am I mental for considering doing the Fort William endurance dh on my BFe?

You should string that guitar with barbed wire…what’s wrong with you!

You should string that guitar with barbed wire…what’s wrong with you!

And then smash it over your head a bit.

I play bass with heavy strings and high action – I like how it pushes back but also give you wider dynamic and tonal range – I also play through amps/cabs that punish you if you get it wrong but sing when you get it right. I’m a newbie to modern MTBing but I do like how HTs are more demanding and thus rewarding. They do beat you up more on fast rocky bits though!