Interesting that you say that about the size.  That was one thing I noticed when looking at 29ers.  Either companies don't make them small enough, or they do weird things with the geometry to allow short-leg standover, like what Cannondale did with the Tango and I seem to recall Specialized does with their WSD 29ers (I have at least an inch of standover...would be more with a less massive tire.  It has Conti Trail Kings.  Of everything on the bike this is the thing I might be least impressed with.  As aggressive as they are, they seem really slippery on roots, for some reason.  Great in sand, but we have a lot of roots and I have been slipping on them all over.  Took a fall tonight when I slid out sideways on a root.  Eventually I would probably replace them with something a hair less high-profile.  I like the Nevegals on my other bike, so maybe I'd try those in a 29").  I really like that this bike doesn't look like a frankenbike and was already impressed with everything I've seen Salsa do.  Tonight we hit a local trail and DH was on his Mukluk--we looked like a Salsa ad!

So far I'm super impressed and have no complaints.  Still dialing-in the fit and likely we'll cut at least an inch off the steering tube.  I have maybe a quarter inch of spacers above the stem and at least an inch and a half underneath (hard to see in my photos, but that photo at the top of the previous page of that demo bike is pretty much how my steerer looks).  We already flipped the stem and I'd like to be less upright.  With my short legs we could probably cut 1.5" off the steerer and still not have me feeling too aggressively positioned, especially compared to my road and CX bikes.