I never planned on being in this debate, but here I am. I friggin' love my new 29er! I went from 26" hard tail to the other end of the spectrum with a 29" full suspension 130 mm front and back. I test rode many 29" bikes before the purchase. some had crap for acceleration and others did not. some felt big and others did not. I landed with a Specialized comp 29er and it corners better than my 26", climbs almost as good, desends better, and is just plain more fun to ride. There is one other 29er I liked a lot and it was a Spearfish. All bikes are different and so are all riders. try a bunch before you decide on one if you can.