ericTW is spot on. who are some of you kidding here? unless you’re about to be sponsored by Fox or Specialized or whoever, lighten up! when i see a 18" log on the trail, i go over it on my FS 26" HiFi Plus (though I admit i’m coveting the 29" hi fi deluxe on sale at our local shop). i could probably do it on a hard tail but why the heck would i? this is like saying that tennis players of today aren’t purists b/c they’re not using the old t2000 of jimmy connors. doing everything better and faster makes one a happier mountain biker, and if technology helps that, then buy all the technology you can afford. no matter how good i got on a hard tail or a 29er, i am sure that i will always find stuff to challenge me almost every time i go out there. if it became way too easy, i could understand the concern. but i can’t see that ever being an issue, so give me a smoother ride where i can go faster, climb better and tackle tougher stuff any day.