Re:
Vive la difference! (Think that's French). I love the difference between my 2016 trail bike and my 2004 Whytes (PRST4 and JW4). Today I kept catching the pedals on my Boardman FS Pro. The BB is just too low for rutted, gnarly trails. The Whytes would have been much better off, so some things haven't got better.
My PB around a local man made trail was set on my old JW4. This year I will do some tests there in dry conditions to see if modern beats retro. I'll post my findings.