Yay! Healing mojo! Pics, and details please!
So, I did a lot of research. I took your advice and went the modern route. My first instinct was to buy something from the early 2000's with a geometry that was familiar, and that had upgrade potential. After talking with you, I started to look into modern options. This included learning a whole lot about the internal workings of forks, gearing choices, and the like.
This led to an exhaustive trip into the current state of mountain bikes. Pretty much everything has changed since my first foray. The first step for me was wheel size. You may recall that we purchased a new bike for my GF a few weeks back (a 27.5). After waiting in line for 2 hours, I was able to test out a couple 29ers and a couple 27.5s while she was trying out her new bike. These were super short rides in a parking lot, and not nearly long enough to make an informed judgment, but the 29s felt foreign to me. I'm sure that I would get used to them in time. But since they felt a little odd, I had to think about what kind of riding I'd be doing, and the pros/cons of each size. I think I read every article and watched every vid. The pros of a 29 just didn't seem to fit what I am interested in. I want a nimble bike for short, steep, technical climbs and smallish features. I don't need to go fast, especially with a GF and boy in tow, and I'm not particularly interested in "flattening the trail" either. That said, I was THIS close to pulling the trigger on a beautiful Niner Air 9 that was a perfect build. I was so close. I agonized over it.
So, now that I was thinking 27.5, a problem. They're totally out of fashion. Stores aren't selling them, so companies aren't making them (at least, not anywhere near the 29er models unless it's a S or XS). Also, looking at the trails around here, I decided I want a hardtail. I'm not gonna be jumping very high. Hell, I almost pulled the trigger on a rigid bike. Mostly, I want a light bike that lets me pedal as far as possible without putting my foot down. That's always my goal.
Then we move to material. I don't want aluminum, as they're just so stiff, and all the new al bikes in my price range were close to 30 lbs. I love steel, but I couldn't find one that was sub 30 pounds, even with a fancy build and a high price tag. Titanium would be amazing, but I think it's just too expensive to make. All the Ti bikes I found were from "my" era, and they weren't even that light given the old components. That left carbon. I was leery of older carbon bikes, but I've heard that the processes are much better now. But all the new carbon bikes are 29ers. I narrowed my search from about a million bikes to two, each made around 2017, which was kinda the last hurrah (for now) of the 27.5. Those were the Ellsworth Enlightenment and the GT Zaskar Carbon Pro. Each checked every box. I found a used Ellsworth that was perfect (and which I would have preferred, since they are made in the US), but dude absolutely refused to ship. I even contacted a shop in his area and arranged to pay them directly for shipping and packing. All he had to do was take it to the shop. He wouldn't budge.
Then I stumbled across a bike shop in Italy that had a Zaskar (which, btw was my absolute lust bike in the 90's that I could not afford) that was a shop demo. Not mint, but not beaten up, and it was collecting dust because of the wheel size. I was able to get a pretty good deal, considering it sold for an insane amount a few years back. Basically I was able to buy it for about what I just sold my Fano for. I've already bought some pretty bits for it.
I'll also likely upgrade to a 1x (it's a 2x) with a dropper post in the future. I think it'll be a great bike for me. My next will likely be a FS as I get a little older and/or more adventurous, but that's just if we stick with it. Anyhoo...
Here's the actual bike (dark, not great pic from the shop):
