In the 18 months I have had a Talus, I think I have shortened the travel a couple of times and, like others posting, usually forget to change it on the downhill. I ride a real mix of trails, mostly in the mountains that have a lot of steep uphill and downhill and just haven't found the adjustable travel necessary–I just leave it at full extension.
I do, however, use the Pro-Pedal on my rear Fox RP-23 on long or steep climbs—if I forget to change it on the downhill, I still have some travel available.

If time, etc permits, I would suggest a stopover in Calgary if you like mountains—Lake Louise area near Banff is spectecular as is Jasper, just north of there. As you know, great biking to be had in the Vancouver, BC area.

Have had a Dyson for almost 5 years and it has been excellent. Need to keep the filters clean and empty regularly. Just purchased on of their handheld vacs and it is so much better than the relatively worthless DustBuster that I replaced. It sort of looks like a hand-held death-ray machine in a cheap science fiction movie but works very well.

Oldfart–you aren't located in British Columbia, CAN by chance?? There was a mtn biker with the same username that posted quite regularly on a site called gearhead.com

I just picked up on this thread earlier today, being a new member of the site—but wanted to pass along my best wishes for continued recovery. I had a bout with cancer 5 years ago and, while not pleasant and very unnerving, nothing compared to what you have been going through.
I think your willingness to share it is a great inspiration to people in general and to others dealing with the same. Belated congrats on the wedding—I know my wife contributed to my recovery in so many ways!!
Again, best wishes from the across the Atlantic and keep up the fight!!

I have narrow feet and the Sidi fits me better than any other biking shoe I have tried (which is a bunch) over the past 15 years. Well made and the last couple I got the model with the replaceable lugs which works well as the rest of the shoe will likely outlast 3-4 sets of lugs.

I agree that the average rider probably isn't going to be able to notice any significant difference—and like you said, likely 90% marketing hype.
I really like my older RP23 and have the bike in the shop this week getting both fork and rear shocks serviced and one of the mechanics brought it up. Don't suppose he has any "vested interest" do you!!!

On the other side of the coin, the last add-on the shop recommended for my Ibis Mojo was the suspension "Lopes Link" and I really have to admit I noticed a marked increase in stiffness in the rear triangle.

Anyway, being a little skeptical thought I would ask around to get input from anyone who has it. I have read a few reviews and nothing negative–but they aren't always the most un-biased either.

Here in the US, at least where I live, Dominos, Pizza Hut and Papa John's are all pretty lame, tending to be greasy, barely warm and a soggy crust by the time they are delivered. We finally found a local place that makes much better pizza and gets them delivered quickly and hot. Like several posts above, I also make my own (I buy the raw dough from another local area pizza place) adding whatever toppings I want.

Do you have Papa Murphy's there in the UK? They make up the pizza for you with whatever you want and you take it home and bake it–pretty good actually.

Don't think the word unobtanium is very new.
I seem to recall that about 20 years ago, when bikemakers and others were trying to get their hands on titanium to fabricate frames and other applications, it was referred to as "unobtanium" because the major world militaries were using up all that could be produced at the time and there was very little available for anyone else.

If you like the sci-fi/fantasy genere, the Dark Tower series by Stephen King is really spellbinding. It is a series of 7 books that takes you into some pretty dark places in a chronology of a group traveling through a maze of time & parallel existences.
Also Lord of the Rings–even the great 3 part movie couldn't do justice to Tolkein's writing.
Agree with bigeyedbeans and finbar that John Steinbeck is great as well.
Desert Solitaire also great–living in that part of the SW US, I have had the good fortune to hike much of the land Abbey describes (which he does very well).

Pricey, but I have used CK exclusively over the past 15 years I have never had either a headset or hub problem of any kind.

Great picture.
Makes good sense. No matter how confident one is of his/her abilities, as we all know, mountain biking is full of instant disaster caused by a moment's inattention. I think checking in at trail centers or local bike shops is probably the best way to get good information and not end up dragging one's bike through a bog. No bogs in New Mexico/USA, but the ever-present threat of getting lost/injured without enough water or just generally being unprepared. The local/state/federal authorities do get a bit irritable at having to dispatch a rescue team and/or a helicopter to rescue someone.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, links and photos.

Trekster
Thanks for the great links and photos. Looks like some really great riding to be had. Some of the terrain in your Photobucket albums is not unlike a couple of our mountain ranges to the west of where I live. Biggest difference is you have so much more water in general than we do. Our forests look very much the same treewise, but the running rivers/streams are much fewer and farther between. Much like here, looks like plenty of rocky sections on which to bounce in a moment of carelessness.

Thanks for the suggestions. We haven't booked reservations yet, so that gives me some good ideas and we can tie where we stay with good riding locations. I like the idea of exploring and am used to riding mountain terrain–prefer that to the "follow the arrows" routine.