Fantastic bike for you. I was going to say 29er based on your height. I have had FS in the Anthem and the Specialized Epic, and now I have a hard-tail. I personally won't be going back to full suspension any time soon (or likely ever), but the Anthem is a really nice platform (I greatly prefer it to the Epic), and it should serve you well.

Conversely, I'd never get a HT ever again.

As an older guy, the FS really helps keep the beatings to a minimum.
And the trails I mostly ride are very technical, so having plenty of travel front and rear helps keep the rubber-side down (most of the time).
If I lived/rode someplace where it was faster or more flowy singletrack, then a HT would certainly be the right tool for the job.

That said, I know 2 local guys who both have HT single-speed 29'ers w 150 forks, and ride the same trails (and the one guy is more of a freeride guy, doing jumps and big drops) with those things.
Sick.

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float , hammer , and jog

I don't have a whole lot of flowy-single track either. The trail-building crowd here are all into the 'enduro' scene, so trails follow that format (lots of technical stuff). I do have some really good fire roads for big days, but I usually hit loops that have lots of drops, rock gardens, tight switch-backs etc. The things that steer me away from FS is the additional maintenance and the 'noodly' rear-end. A nice carbon 29er, with slightly larger tires really smooths out a great deal of the trail (even in technical stuff), and forces me to sharpen my technique. Where it's really shined is they have much more reliable handling in fast trail descents when I'm in a tuck. My FS bikes would really start to sway in the rear end, and I couldn't handle that kind of scare.

"Most" Colorado (and greater Rocky Mtn area) trails are just fine with the "generally" longer wheelbase you'll "generally" find on a FS 29er.

IMO, the industry has only recently figured out how to best account for bigger wheels on XC bikes. The relatively recently expired patent from Trek(via Fisher) G2 offset, slightly slacker head tube angles and shorter chainstays have made things markedly better for both full-squish and HT 29" rides.

Great bikes in many different wheelsizes. Don't go into this expecting to like one over the other, as with everything else cycling related (and Tracy covered this) choose your ride based on Fit, Fit, Colors and Fit.

You definitely made the right choice. Don't think about it again. I only race mtbs and I don't know a single person (regardless of height) who goes with a 27.5. If nothing else, just for the lack of available options for wheels and tires.

Heck, my wife rides a 29er and she's 5'0.

Nice. I got a slightly used Epic 29r off ebay at this time last year. 29r rolls great on trails along foothills and high mountains. Only on trails up in immediate foothills, that tend to be dryer and rockier, do I find myself making more deliberate action to get it around switchbacks. Convert to tubeless if not already and you have any plans of riding trails along foothills, way to many thorns.

Nice! I looked at a Ti Seven HT 27.5 at a LBS, really liked the Ti look, but was pretty pricey and not the right set up for me.

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Colorado Triathlon Company, CO2UT 2021, Crooked Gravel 2022, Steamboat Gravel 2022

Ive raced 29ers since 2002, now own a 27.5 trail bike and 29er race bike.

Im 5'11" and also lived in Boulder way back.

for a single bike, Id go 29er with moderate amt of travel (epic, scalpel, scott, BMC 4 stroke, etc).

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http://www.pbmcoaching.com
USA Triathlon Level 3 Elite Coach
USA Cycling Level 1 Elite Coach

Well, availability can be an issue, but selection isn't really a big deal anymore. There are now a number of great tires being made for the 27.5 / 650b class. The only difficulty I have encountered concerning availability involves selection at stores. Most only have 3-4 different tires for 650b to choose from. However, neither selection, nor availability is a problem if ordering online. Then again, perhaps where one is located in the world plays a role here.

Ciao

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it yet, definitely demo a Niner they make some amazing bikes both HT and FS.

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http://www.instagram.com/cyclewise

Previously rode a 2008 Trek fuel EX 26".

I demo'd a brand new Fuel EX 27.5" and felt fast with good control in comparison to the 26". Rode the same course on a 29" and felt even faster but tilt like i had less control. It might be mental, but the 27.5" just felt more of a better fit and transition from the 26". In spring I will be pulling the trigger and firing the money cannon on a new 27.5" Fuel Ex.

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Owner of a few Speed Concepts since 2011.