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So, you bought off the webs based on riding different bikes? Did you note the dimensions of the test bikes and then choose or what? Why the Pace? Like, any logic or just "cool, I'll buy this".
hippy-
I buy my bikes based on colour and contact points measurements.
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I was very close to buying the Hightower, which is a 150/150 lightweight trail bike, then saw the 295 was coming- a 135*/150 lightweight trail bike, from a company that made the bike I most lusted after in my youth.
The 295 is very similar to the Hightower, although the rear suspension compresses (*) the shock from both ends on the Pace, which they say gives a rear end that performs like a 150mm conventional one.
Riding the Megatower and then the Hightower showed me that I wanted a mid-travel trail bike, the timing of the Pace was fortuitous and the reviews confirmed that it was capable machine.
Then (me being me) I spanked a load of cash on upgrading the parts.
pit
Dammit
I rented an XL Megatower in Morzine, then rented an XL Hightower back in the UK.
Following this, I bought a Pace, and then spent some time specifying it so that the kit matched the XTR Hightower - which had a degree of cargo-cult in it I admit.
Crucial to my decision making process was waiting until there were two decent reviews of the bike that said it was good - given that I took delivery of the very first XL 295 frame to arrive in the UK there was zero possibility of demo'ing it.
One mistake I made was that the first bike I bought (Scalpel SE) was too small for me, based on the size of bike I'd have ridden in the 90's rather than the style of bike that we ride today.
Does seem to be that the answer to "is this long enough?" is "No", which has resulted in trail bikes that are longer than DH bikes, which I find entertaining when putting mine on the back of the chairlift.