i guess i'm not crazy about having to keep suspension systems maintained especially since the technology seems to be progressing in that area fairly rapidly. also, i really want to work on my handling for cross season and going rigid would force me to get better faster.
i'm definitely going to keep riding my 26er for now but i feel like i would be a little more confident with a larger wheelbase with a lot of the stream crossings near me. also since i have a crappy suntour fork i'm soaking up a lot of the abuse.
thanks for all the ideas/comments