Totally agree about the croix de fer, mine was just dull.

I’ve got a Bardino 2 with 150mm forks and it’s great downhill but I notice the weight on the way back up. Despite the weight it’s really lively and the front end comes up really easily when you want it to.
I’m currently running it 27.5 x 2.8 but it will be a 29er next week which I think will improve the climbing.

I love my stooge moto bars, wide, high, comfy with loads of backsweep.