FFS.
Does anyone else remember about five years ago when everything was about rear suspension layout? Four bar, faux bar, single pivot, floating drivetrain, virtual axle paths and dw links etc etc ad nauseam.
Now it’s just all just 29 versus 27.5 and you’re not a mountain biker if you have 26″ inch wheels. Hardly any mention of suspension layouts because that horse has already been flogged to death.
It’s the same old bullshit as you get from all industries. Take golf. The only thing that sell a set of clubs to most people is the driver. They all dream of smashing 350 yard drives (despite playing off of double figure handicaps and losing at least ten quids worth of golf balls every round). Gimmicks mixed with some cutting edge stuff that will only really benefit the very elite level participants.
In ‘protest’ I ride a lovely steel 26er hardtail. And guess what, I absolutely love it.