Christian, I'm close to you in Norcal, and ride up in Tahoe all the time, as well as Downieville, Moab, etc. If you want to enjoy steep, rocky trails like Armstrong Pass, Mr. Toad's, Kingsbury, etc. - get a 29'er with 120-160mm of travel front and rear. I'm the same size as you (5' 8", 160...