Man, you guys are killing me. I feel like staying hardcore and sticking with hardtail but a fast fun decent would feel great. But I'm still worried about the lost cruise on long flats or if it would end up feeling like a tank after a few hours. The few extra pounds climbing doesn't sound like fun to me either and I can use all the help I get. It's an expensive gamble and I really don't think a test ride can give a person a true feeling since you can make it feel however you want it to to justify the purchase. It's a few months in that will tell the true story.