Originally Posted by
Kindaslow
Wow, I missed the fun....
Poor OP, seeing us old farts argue in circles.
One point that some might argue about, but few have personal experience with, is that the elite full susp XC bikes are a different animal than many other XC bikes. The Yeti ACR (might have gotten the letters wrong) and the higher models of the Spesh Epic can hold close to a hardtail in climbing, and provide to advantages (line choice is more open with suspension).
I have ridden both, many times, on the same trails. I have no doubt, based upon my Garmin watch, that the trail makes a big difference upon which bike I can ride faster. However, I am far from an elite rider. I do believe my 30+ years of mountain biking, though, provides me some reasonable perspective.
is not just being able to pick different lines (and that in itself can be a huge deal) but also being able to clean things you'd otherwise have to walk.
I agree with you, the bike you are talking about matters (a full suspension race bike like what you have or an Scalpel will be a totally different comparison than a Giant Trance X) and terrain matters. If the trails are technical suspension will allow you to ride faster. If it is really twisty but not too rough a hardtail may allow you to accelerate faster out of corners, etc... And what matters the most is the rider. Skill, fitness and what you earlier called testicular fortitude (liked that one) will make more difference than a bike.
I just don't think that giving the OP advice straight from 1099 (FS is for downhill! hardtails are for climbing!) helps him at all.