With a generous enough budget set by the missus to buy a new bike I have selected the route of a 29er hardtail. Now do I go for the notional ‘frame for life’ titanium option or plump for the economically sensible option of something German and carbon with a better spec for the cash?

If it were my money it would be spent on the titanium. Even if this means having lesser components for a while. I tend to keep my bikes for long enough that later upgrades are economically viable.

if it were my (missus’s) money it’d have to be the grand canyon cf slx…

Yep, the cf slx is an awesome package whichever one chooses. But a Lynskey Ridgeline or Salsa El Mariachi do appeal to the emotions somewhat more.