Which bikes are you referring to exactly? I saw you reference one (Troy), but what are all the other ****ty bikes? Because I've found the opposite to be true. Pretty much every bike that has been rejiggered to fit the mid-sized wheels is better than its predecessor. No doubt they could have been tweaked and improved while keeping 26" wheels, but the wheel size change was a convenient excuse to make them better.
I've ridden the Enduro, and honestly it was the only 29er that I have ridden that I liked. I didn't mind the Yeti SB95, but it still wasn't nearly as playful as the Enduro. I come from all 26" bikes, and mainly downhill style riding, so the Enduro worked great for me. If I ever decide to buy another bike it will be the enduro. The only other bike I have looked at considering was the Pivot Mach 6, due to it being a longer travel 650B
Banshee Rune, Spitfire, Yeti SB75, turner burner, rocky altitude, all came on the market quick as possible with little concern to making 650b geometry work right. That's just my opinion, so if you disagree, hey whoopee, but we're only starting to see ground up models designed around 650b now. The Norcos, the Giants, some of the treks, are all bikes that were designed to make 650b sing...but I disagree that you need to have longer stays and the same exact geometry as on a 26er with 650b wheels and then suddenly you get extra special jollies.
damn, not to knock your actual real-world experience, but that's a decent leverage curve to be paired with an air shock. I really wonder why the bike rode wonky.
Only if paired with an air shock.
Only if it's being discussed by armchair product managers on ridemonkey
