I don’t know… the area I began riding (S. Devon) had it all. Foresty ST, Dartmoor, disused railway paths / smooth bridleways, jump spots, seaside towns with street furniture almost tailor made for trials.
I guess location did influence me as I believe gears are good (strong headwinds up big open hills), hardtails make sense in sandstone areas and where only half the trials ‘need’ full sus. A lack of trail centres meant jumping and other bigger, man made stuff didn’t exist. So, yeah, a med travel hardtail with lots of gears and 26″ wheels for zipping through trees is perfect.
With so much upping and downing, most bikes you see are XC’ish. Not too much travel and efficient at covering long distances.