Thanks for the replies so far, guys.
This whole thing with 29 vs. 26-inch wheels has caught me by surprise, too. Should I get 29 or 26 if offered a choice?
Let me clarify and say that, were I to buy an MTB, I would most likely be able to get it at cost or even on an employee pro-deal. Money is an issue and always would be, but my purchasing power is greater than that of the normal retail client since I can avail myself of the bike shop connections.
I ride a Pinarello Prince on the road, which I love in large part because of how agile, stiff and responsive it is, and the local bike shop wrenches who I've talked to, who know me and my riding style and who are familiar with the terrain around here all encourage me to get a hard tail. I don't think I'd eschew a front suspension fork, since even back in 2001 when I had a sweet Merlin ti MTB, I ran a Rock Shox SID SL...
I haven't MTB'd in nine years, though! 90% of the trails I'd be riding are the same trails I was riding almost a decade ago, handling fine w/ a hard tail. The folks recommending to me a full suspension bike seem to do so with the belief that the "comfort" provided by the dual-system would be appreciated by me now, as if I've become some geriatric geezer who can't lift the front wheel over a log. Granted, my technical skills sucked nine years ago, but I don't even like going balls-out fast down ski slopes or crazy stuff like that. I like riding non-technical single track, and I hate riding through really rocky stuff.
In Western PA, there is a state park called Moraine, where an MTB race was once held. It was primarily a single-track course, but one that was bombarded with rocks - you basically rode from rock to rock to rock, seemingly only occasionally touching trail. On that course, even I know I'd want a bike with front a rear suspension if I was racing there. But I'm not going to be racing there. I wouldn't even choose to ride there if I had my druthers...I'd go somewhere with less rocks.
I don't doubt that I'd be able to recoup my investment in the bike if I had to sell it b/c I didn't like the set-up and wanted to go an alternative route, but I'd prefer to get the right bike from the start. Demo'ing bikes isn't an option as that opportunity just doesn't exist here in Pittsburgh. So I'm flying blind in a sense.
Let me ask this - who is the full-suspension trail bike really aimed for? And what kind of terrain? I just don't want to mess-up if I can avoid it (lol) and would hate to miss out on the chance to have full suspension if that's what would really make sense for out here given that I've got the body of a 35 year-old, and not the body of a 19 year-old (when I raced on a True Temper steel KHS w/ no suspension!).
Wow, I forgot I had a Salsa MTB, too, that Ross made custom for me. Geeze, how time flies.
Maybe I should get a full-suspension bike, like a Giant Anthem X Advanced SL 1? Or maybe a Specialized?
Shoot...too many options.
Seriously though, guys, please give me your unvarnished opinions and advice on what kind of bike to get. Hard-tail or full suspension...
thx, JP