the 30 year old Bianchi i picked up for $60 last year is my only trail bike, and the chainstays only clear 2.0in tires..... it's all i got!! (presently my Rockhopper is assigned to camping / touring duty.....)
Awesome!
I bought a state of the art MTB 30 years ago, and I'm still riding it. I've spent decades "waiting" on the industry to make up their mind (26, no 29, no 27.5, no back to 29) and figure out their standard. In the mean time those bikes have gotten so long/low/slack that they have lost their agility and ability to climb (but are great at downhill), so i end up riding my gravel bike on single track. ;-)