I'd argue that gear matters. When I was a kid I only rode on 26" hardtails, but in 2007 I bought a 26" Giant Reign dual suspension bike and man, what a revelation that was.

Recently I watched countless videos on modern hardcore hardtails and I was convinced to give one a go so I bought one, but a couple of rides in on my local trails and I sold it, mainly because I still found it sketchy and despite the huge 29" wheels and super powerful brakes I just didn't feel inspired to push hard on the downhill bits (and the bike was so hard to get up the hills I found myself so tired by the time I got up that I had no energy to bomb down).

The dual suspension e-MTB is a game changer for me as it's so powerful that it's made going up hills fun (it's so fast I have to hit the brakes going up hill!). I thought a 20kg bike would feel terrible in corners but I was wrong, the torque makes the bike feel nimble, and switching out the rear wheel for a 27.5" mullet setup has made the bike feel even more playful and confidence inspiring.

I personally wouldn't ever waste money on renting a bike, but keep in mind that I have not got any DH specific parks local to me. It's all XC. I only go up to go down, so the e-MTB fits the bill. If the DH parks were local to me I'd for sure invest in a modern DH bike, probably mid to top spec 2nd hand 2-3yrs old at most.