I've been taking the mtb out a bit more lately too. I'm not much for technical singletrack, never have gotten the confidence to just ride over and through gnarly stuff (especially clipped in), but I really enjoy long fireroads with some smooth single/double track added. I just can't seem to find a reason to want to crash. lol My Epic 29er is probably over kill for what it gets used for but I really love the bike. I ride it mostly fully locked out but the Specialized suspension becomes active when needed. I'd rather ride than push my bike over and around stuff so I keep it pretty straight forward. Probably why cyclocross has no appealed to me either.