I'm overdue for an update here. I've been waiting until I had a little bit of seat time to give a ride report, and it took until now. Work was really busy for a while, then when I was ready to go for my first long ride on the bike, a branch took out my rear derailleur at the start of the ride, so had to wait for a new one to arrive, etc.
Anyway, I've now had several short rides and one somewhat longer ride over my normal trails, plus one long gravel and paved road ride when the trails were wet. First, I can say that the bike seems like a great carbon drop-in upgrade from my old bike (2010 Gary Fisher X-Cal). The geometry is very similar, and I'm using the same G2 fork (51 mm offset), but with travel extended from 80 mm to 100 mm. I've adjusted the cockpit to match my old setup as close as possible, so the handling feels very natural - a slam dunk. The chinese frames that share this geometry should be a safe bet for a lot of folks.
Second, the stiffness and lightness of the carbon frame are noticeable - it feels very efficient and responsive to pedaling input.
Third, the carbon does seem to have some vibration damping on rough asphalt and gravel. It may also take a little edge off of larger bumps, but it in no way feels like anything but a hardtail.
I just built my first FS bike this spring - a Devinci Atlas Carbon with 120/110 front/rear travel - so I now have a comparison between suspension and hardtail. They both have their place, and I can ride either on our local trails, but the FS is more comfortable on the extended rooty sections in our trails. On rocky, rooty technical climbs the FS is easier to keep pedaling, letting the suspension sort out the bumps and keep the wheel on the ground. The hardtail takes more technique to keep from getting hung up, but it's lightness and efficiency are apparent.
For short, high-intensity workouts or races, easier trails, or for long gravel rides, I'll go for the CS-041. For longer or rougher rides, I'll go with the Atlas. But it's a luxury to have such nice options. For anyone looking for a very light, raceworthy, carbon hardtail with decent comfort (as hardtails go) and proven geometry, I think the CS-041 fits the bill. I'll try to post back periodically with any updates on the long-term reliability.
Ted