Thanks for info all.
One more frame, is the Salsa El Mariachi 29'er frame setup to be too much a mountain race bike or could it be a nice all-rounder everyday bike? The 16" frame is close to my fit measurements, and the higher front end looks appealing. I'm assuming I could use 700 wheels on it, and get back to some nice 700x32 tires. The fork is OX steel on it, as compared to 4130 cro-moly on the Ala Carte.
__________________
"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." Louis L'Amour
There are two types of road bikers: bikers who are faster than me, and me. Bruce Cameron - Denver Post