Thank you very much !!!. It's true I was thinking about panniers' height, but not front/back adjustment, and that it could actually have more influence! I'll look at how the Tubus Swing carries load.

As for the sprung fork, yes, a lockout is mandatory - I was looking at outdated 85/100mm forks, with lockout. I tend to think that the 50 miles of gravel hurt more because of lousy fit than technology. Was just considering having both to have more freedom re. roads I take. How does a loaded rigid MTB handles over gravel vs an unladen MTB? Does the weight smoothens or makes the ride harsher?