From another big bike rider: The dual suspension kills it everywhere for me lately. Even in the tight and twisty stuff. I was having an absolute blast on the rougher sections of singletrack at Wausau on the RIP. For me, it's all about a more solid feeling bike...unfortunately, at most budgets, that adds up to a heavier bike. I'm talking 20mm TA fork, heavier rims/wheels, big knobby tires. The solid feeling gives me more predictability and confidence, allowing me to push the bike faster and harder. Granted, I'm 215 pounds geared up to ride these days and not built like your average cyclist.
Getting used to riding a duallie takes some time...it also takes some time to tune the shocks (front and rear) to your weight, riding style, preferences. I would argue that it takes substantially more time than a demo truck mechanic quickly setting the sag and sending you on your way. I'm thinking multiple laps at QR incrementally changing shock pressures and damping settings.
For reference, my bike is a Niner Rip9 (115mm travel rear end with a 120-140mm fork). So I'd put it in the same class as a Trance.
Aren't the big bikes slower going up hill you might ask? Maybe, but I'm slower uphill on a hardtail (than the fast XC whippets) too.
