Due to the freehub seizing on the 2014 Giant Trance 27.5 1 that my friend is selling to me after only 4 weeks of ownership when I got to Swinley today, I ended up hiring a
Bird Zero 3 with upgraded Shimano SLX brakes and gears.
What a fantastic bike! They only had a medium one available, but I would like to try a large if I was to buy one. The Maxxis Ardent tyres really performed well, and I was able to go around corners much quicker than I have been on my friend's Specialized 29er hardtail that I've been borrowing for a few weeks.
I think I really want a hardtail now to compliment the Trance. I'll have to wait a while to recover from purchasing the Trance, roof racks, shoes etc etc. but I can see it being a great alternative to a full-sus bike.
In other news, my friend bought a Haibike yesterday (
link) with 180mm Fox 36 Talas fork, 26" wheels and a Bosch electric motor

Climbing on that thing is such a joy, as you'd expect! It is however very heavy at 23kg, and you do notice it in the corners. The handlebars are massive at 790mm. He left me for dead on a few sections, and when I caught up he was hardly out of breath, even though he was only using Eco mode the whole time.
I'm keen to see how the technology develops over the next few years.
EDIT: Here's a video of what can be achieved on the Haibike: