I had been out of the scene for a few years too after riding nearly everyday in college. I was always pretty die hard on having a hardtail for XC riding. I rode a lot of bikes and loved the FSR. I ended up getting a good deal on a 2006 FSR Expert test bike that never had even been put together. I would definitely ride one if possible. Also - have your dealer do a search for test bikes across the country. This is a good time of year to catch them in between models.