Thanks for the input, Liam. I really need to research this a lot more before I decide to pull the trigger and commit to building up a bike from a frame. As I said, the bones have to be good, otherwise it's not worth the cost and the time.
I think you're right about the geometry of the Jamis and Niner steel bikes. It doesn't seem particularly up to date....a bit old school, actually. This was one of my main concerns with the Dragon frame, was that the handling of the bike would actually be worse than my Fischer. The HTA is steeper, but the chainstay is longer. I actually really like the way the Paragon handles -- with a 70 deg. HTA and a 440mm chainstay, it has a nice balance of reasonably agile steering (esp. with the new flat wide bars), good climbing, and downhill stability. So going to a Jamis would be a possible gain in more plush ride quality, but would lose in handling and weight. Probably not worth the tradeoff. Better to look for a newer Reynolds or Scandium frame.
Interesting comments about the Giant. I know a guy who rides Giant carbon 26ers out on the west coast (very rocky, rugged terrain), and loves them. I have never viewed Giant with much respect, as the components on their bikes didn't mesh with the price tag. In the $2000 range (for a hardtail), there was much better value with others. Maybe this has changed in past years, or isn't true of their higher-end models.
Josh, your trails are certainly much more gnarly than what we have up here. I will post a couple of pics soon, but basically they are smooth hardpacked clay, with some roots, round stones, and the odd sand pit thrown in for amusement. There is more rugged stuff around, but I would have to drive a bit to find it. There's enough to explore within a two hour drive to keep me happy for years. Hence the lack of need for really burly tires -- we do just fine with lighter XC tires.
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