It's good to see you understand the principles of Geometry and RAD. I'm unable to comment on the Bullit's 'feel' as i've not been able to sit on one, let alone ride it.
I've had to base placing my order on my current bike's geo and the aforementioned test ride of the Heckler. Also, being tall adds a further degree of complexity into the 'feel' question. In order to create a roomy/comfortable feeling cockpit on my Trail Pistol, i've got the seat slammed back on the rails as far as it will go and added a 50mm stem. There's less than half a degree difference in the seat post angles, but every degree equates to around 20mm difference in ETT. My TP is the best riding bike i've owned, to date, but I do still feel a bit too perched over the bars. The longer ETT of the Heckler gave me a much roomier feeling cockpit and the stem length is the same as my TP's. However, the lower Stack still gave me a weighted front end feeling, further exacerbated by the smaller front wheel, albeit with the extra wheelbase helping to counter this somewhat. I chose not to by a Heckler based on this, as well as the rumoured EP8 and larger battery becoming available.
Moving on and SC launched the Bullit. Almost identical Stack and ETT to my Trail Pistol but, for me, a longer wheelbase and longer front centre. Being a big unit, my size makes an enduro style bike handle like a trail bike, which is why i've quickly found the limits of my Trail Pistol, which leaves me feeling under-biked when the going gets a bit more rowdy. I reckon the longer front centre will keep me feeling less like going over the bars on the steeps, combined with the longer wheelbase and 29er making the bike feel less flighty. I reckon i'll be ok with the standard, 40mm, stem, but I expect i'll need a riser bar to get my optimum RAD. To sum up, given my comparisons between the the three bikes, I reckon it will feel short. The Heckler felt close to perfect in that regard and you could easily size smaller on that bike, but it's likely to be a different story on the Bullit. Hopefully you'll get some decent feedback from other riders soon.
With that in mind, it may be better to wait and try before you buy if you're unwilling to gamble on your understanding of Geo and RAD, but it could be a long wait. From the reviews i've read, it's coming across as being a pretty good all rounder, despite it's gravity bias, with agile handling being mentioned by a few test riders, as well as a preference for a slacker head angle when the going gets really steep. I'm happy with the current set-up as 'too raked out' will risk making my usual trails a tad unchallenging.
If you're still concerned about it feeling big for it's given size, take a look at your favourite bike and compare the Geo figures. If they're a close match, you'll know which size to go for. For me personally, if the bike feels bigger when it arrives, that can only be a good thing. However, we're all different and require different things, so i've just explained my personal experience and requirements, which may be of help.
The other thing i've done is run a spreadsheet listing all the geo numbers of the bikes that are likely to fit my 1.98m frame so I can compare each one directly with my Trail Pistol. Looking at that, my perfect bike would appear to be the Bullit, but with the more relaxed seat angle of the Heckler and at least a 20mm riser bar. As the Bullit's the closest thing to perfect for me and is currently available on the market, that's why i've ordered one.
So got my X01 Reserve bike from the first shipment without any wait time.
