Your traction issue wasn't your choice of bike that was your tires. lower the PSI first. Modern suspension has greatly improved. My son was away in Thailand for 8 months in 2014 and left me his Stumpjumer FSR IMO it is technologically light years beyond my 1988 custom rigid bike but it didn't go uphill any faster. Down hill the FSR was a dream, it soaked up the bumps and dips at much higher speed than I could ever ride that trail on my rigid bike. The down side is when(not if) you crash you are hitting the ground a lot faster also.