looking for a new(ish) aggressive xc or enduro "light" bike

there are a couple good deals out there, plus I've decided to up the budget to get on to a decent rig. 

not riding makes me miserable and I've hardly been riding at all the past year

I just built one up as a aggressive trail bike , Fox 36 , 30mm rims , WT tires . Only have 4 rides on the bike and not once have I wished I was riding my Kona Process 167 .

Scout is awesome.

still waffling on this....

2015 E29
2015/2016 Smuggler
2015/2016 Process 111
2017 Djnago 29'er

M, what is your preference, because those bikes aren't all in the same category.  The E29 is decidedly at the Enduro end of All Mountain while the other three are the "trail" end of All-mountain.

The E29 is the most big mountain of the group at 155mm of rear travel (as you might have guessed following the E29 thread) however pre-2017 redesign these had a ‎67.5° head angle, so not super slack, but I've known a couple of guys to ride them as their 1 do everything bike with great success.  

The other three bikes have shorter travel.

The Django while being set at 140mm of travel has a comparable head angle to the E29 at 68*.  Devinci offers a lifetime warranty to the original owner, so if you're buying it from a shop it's a worthwhile consideration, especially since you tend to keep your bikes for quite a long time.   

Smuggler is a fun bike, I've demo'd one and really liked it, although you have to keep in mind that it only has 115mm of rear travel and stock comes with 130mm fork. As for the Process 111 (111rear/120 front travel, slack and loooooong), I've only known one person to own one, and he complained from his second ride until the day he sold it that the bike creaked.

i actually don't mind the idea of less travel - forgot to add the Scout to that list - as long as it can handle shore tech-gnar. i'm willing to sacrifice some travel and a rougher ride on the descents for better climbing as long as he bike can handle it.

Scout would be my pick, but I don't like the feel of 29ers. I tried the Smuggler and Scout back to back on Fromme last fall... Smuggler surprised me and was easier to man-handle than I expected, but the Scout was just more fun to me.

Posted by: grambo

but the Scout was just more fun to me.

partly why I'm not fully sold on the idea of a 29'er

I would not count the 29er out myself , mine is 130/120 ( soon to be 150mm front ) and coming off a 170/167 26" I have not once regretted it . Yeah it,s a different ride but man is it fun , my buddy just got one and coming off a Reign he,s loving the Stumpjumper .

Posted by: syncro

i actually don't mind the idea of less travel - forgot to add the Scout to that list - as long as it can handle shore tech-gnar. i'm willing to sacrifice some travel and a rougher ride on the descents for better climbing as long as he bike can handle it.

Do you coast real good while climbing 'cause the bb of that Scout is so fuckin' low you'll have to learn how. I also find steering uphill somewhat vague.

2017 Djnago 29'er

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaxY4XY321U

Imo the Dj 29er will get a geo re-set in '18 or '19.

Posted by: tungsten

Posted by: syncro

i actually don't mind the idea of less travel - forgot to add the Scout to that list - as long as it can handle shore tech-gnar. i'm willing to sacrifice some travel and a rougher ride on the descents for better climbing as long as he bike can handle it.

Do you coast real good while climbing 'cause the bb of that Scout is so fuckin' low you'll have to learn how. I also find steering uphill somewhat vague.

2017 Djnago 29'er

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oaxY4XY321U" allowfullscreen="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Imo the Dj 29er will get a geo re-set in '18 or '19.

I bet in 2019/20 , I chatted with them when I bought my 2017 frame set  . I asked them  , if there was any chance of them doing a newer version. ( I bought in June ) I would gladly wait and they said no immediate plans for a revamp .

And that's a solid review IMO . I wish my large alloy frame would fit that size water bottle , mine just fits a 610ml Camel bak podium bottle