I would much rather have a front through axle than a rear. When we are out of the saddle and grinding up a hill - I definitely get a bit of rotor rub up front with our Woundup CF fork. Since I haven't tried any other forks - I'm thinking that a stiffer axle would do the trick. While it would be nice in the rear - the rear triangle and dropouts can do a much better job of reducing flex in that location.