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I'm definitely in the slack head angle, long chainstays crowd for enduro bikes. But really pretty much every category of bike my tastes vary. But I'd argue geo on a well constructed frame is going to make a bigger factor in your riding experience than kinematics, suspension design, or even your choice of components besides your cockpit (which effects your bikes geo).

And yet what you describe is super rare. Isn't only Forbidden offering these numbers on a normal mountain bike? It is better when you look on ebikes though, but there are VERY few XL bikes that offer F/R-ratio of 1,8 and a high stack. Like apart from Forbidden, RAAW and Framework no one is building an mtb with chainstays above 460mm. And that's why I care so much. Mo(n)arch, the 6'3".

I went from a Forbidden Druid v1 to a Starling Murmur. The Druid was a bit high maintenance and I was looking for something easy to service, durable, and I like to support smaller companies when I can. It took some fiddling with different rear shocks due to the linear leverage ratio, but I love it. Geo seems pretty settled these days but the longer chain stays definitely make the bike feel more balanced.

Shut the fuck up about drivetrain efficiency. Holy shit. Go find a different thread.

The reason flight attendant has a huge uptake in XC is because SRAM sponsored teams are required to run it. I know four different world cup athletes and they have all said they would just prefer a manual lockout. When it works properly it's alright but it's heavy and frequently has connectivity problems between all the components. It seems more casual users like it with one less thing to think about while riding and the weight doesn't matter to a more casual rider. As for trail/enduro bikes, ever wonder why every single SRAM EWS athlete stopped riding LYRIK and started...

In my observation no, nobody stands up while climbing. I came from the old school Kirt Voreis school of climbing, which says to stand up all the time to train your descending muscles. Plus I spent a ton of time on singlespeeds, because it reinforced the Voreis approach, and because it's a fun challenge in a bizarre way, but that puts you and I in a very small camp. Most people on road bikes or mountain bikes will sit 99% of the time and will pretty much only stand to descend or sprint.

I don't have big legs or a nice jawline, but I have absolutely filleted myself after looping out on hard dirt using clipon pedals and trying to manual. I wasn't getting anywhere with it, so I threw down hard on one occasion and voila! Instant loopout. Dude, that still hurts.