@Knurrli
I don’t agree with @taxonomy. Longer travel allows easier travel over rougher surfaces. Slacker geo allows more stability at faster speeds on steeper terrain and also allows harder braking because it is more difficult to go over the bars. If you ride a lot of high-speed steep terrain that is fairly smooth a progressive geo Downcountry bike would be ideal. There isn’t a right or wrong here. It’s a combination of what you prefer mixed with what trails you ride. I could probably be happy on 100r/120f travel bike as long as it had about a 800mm front center. I prefer light-weight short-travel progressive-geo bikes. My rides often involve just about every type of surface: pavement, gravel, doubletrack, and singletrack from smooth/flat to rough/steep. I want light-weight fast-rolling efficient pedaling for the smooth/flat and climbing—combined with all out capability for the steep/rough and descending. I think that the Downcountry bike fills this niche perfectly.