Thanks. It's my 1st 29er and I'm having a lot of fun. I used to commute on an aluminum frame/steel fork/w/ 30mm tires 'cross bike, so I'll comment. That bike was rigid and unforgiving on my hands & wrists. It was faster because of the 1x9 setup.

Now the 29er has a steel frame/fork running (stock) 2.1 tires and is super comfy (on & off road). The tires roll well on the road @ 70 PSI and about 30 PSI off road. No more wrist, hand pain. I think adding the short/shallow drops helped that too.