Several years ago, the 29er was just starting to catch on. A lot of dealers, as well as bike companies, thought it was just a fad, and resisted investing in them. I am on my second 29er, and love it. They tend to excel in areas that have fast flowing trail, or bigger obstacles to roll over. They seem to suffer in areas with tights turns, even though I have been able to go anywhere my friends can go, I just have to work a little harder at it. So, you might check around with some local riders and see if the 29er's are showing up on the trails ans see how the bikes are working for them.
Edit.
Here is a gratuitous pic of my Giant Anthem X2 29er!
