To be honest, an Avalanche is about as harsh as it gets. I built one up once, while I was repainting my FS, & it had some nice kit…maxle Revs, XT / Thomson etc. It was still awful. No offence to those who like them, but to me it was a massive step backwards. Compare it to something like a Soul & your into a different league. A 29er changes things again, you’ll lose some of the chuckability at the extreme end that smaller wheels & a more compact bike offers, but you gain in other areas & it sounds like that’s what your after. There obviously does come a point where FS is a more sensible option, but if you tried something more “modern”, so to speak, you’d probably have a different opinion. I certainly don’t find my 29er limits me, I’d happily ride it anywhere I rode a FS bike, its just that for me, how, when & where I ride these days; a 29er fits the bill.
I’ve been riding long enough to know what works for me.
And khani does indeed ride with a wicker basket…