I’ve ride a XC HT (quite light with decent gear on it)…so it’s a good bike & for the vast majority of the trails I ride I feel it’s the right weapon.

however I cant help feeling like a beginner & perhaps a little inadequate. I recognise the vast majority of people ride bikes that are probably overkill for the majority of there trails.

I also see & feel a lot of negativity towards XC style riding (suppose it’s lost its hardcore tag over the years)?

maybe I’m just striving for the unreachable (a decent FS bike that would cost around 3 grand)? (grass is always greener & all that)!

I’d quite like to be able to ride an XCHT rather than having to rely on a big forked talent compensator to get down stuff.

If you need to validate your bike choice just visit a trail center and laugh out loud as you ride past the stormtroopers.

Weapon??????

Anyhoo. I’ve got a very nice FS (£2k when new) that’s been hanging up unused for the past 18 months as my 3rd user scratched, slightly rusty 456 is so much better for the riding that I do. It’s biking not a fashion parade/willy waggling comp.

Ride what you got – and have fun.

don’t believe the hype.

If you’re bothered put on some bigger tyres and get a seatpost qr.

weapon…bit jay actually! sorry I’ve disgraced myself 😳

I could describe my bike exactly like you’ve described yours. I don’t feel like a noob. (perhaps I should though?!)

If anything, I think I’d probably feel more like a noob if I had a new £3K full susser. Noob feelings might be based around insecurity over having more bike than I need, and having more bike than other people fitter and faster than me.

going to 2.35 tyres and getting v8 copies made my pretty standard genesis core 10 feel like a much tougher machine. ok, and i got 120 foxs and uttgradded the front disc to 180 but in terms of change the tyres and pedals are right up there.

(also got new bars, mech and setapost clamp as you’re asking)

I see where your coming from, but just think. I’m way better than them on people full sus’ers because I actually have to move when my bike hits a rock etc.

Sus’ers are for lazy people.

Just read the ‘fed up with overbiked FS – recommend me a HT’ threads by people who been riding for yonks and you’ll get over it.

nope, arround Swinely theres more fun to be had chaseing down the guys on full sussers before overtaking them, especialy the ones that then try and keep up.

Do you feel like a noob because of how the bike looks, or because of how you ride it? If the former, then you just need to breeze past a few people on their 6″ travel bikes to feel superior, if that’s what floats your boat.

Some of the quickest people (up and down the hill) I see at Glentress are riding XC race hardtails. “XC riding” is a bit less “trendy” these days, but the reality is that a lot of people who buy “all mountain” bikes would struggle on some XC courses. Each to their own… it would be dull if we were all the same, all riding identical Stumpjumper FSRs.

Horses for courses and all that, but for about 80% of the riding I do (and probably the same for most people on here I’d say) a relatively lightweight hardtail with a 100-120mm suspension fork, gears, and half decent disc brakes, makes sense! It’s as simple as that…

Doesn’t stop me from also owning (and riding) long travelled full sus bikes too, but more often than not the riding I’m doing doesn’t warrant much suspension travel, but rewards a relatively light and efficient bike.

Oh, and having been riding for 16 years now, I don’t really care what people think! Got some confused looks when I turned up at FOD this Sunday gone though, as there was a DH race on, and everyone there was covered in full armour. Got mine and my GF’s hardtails out, and went out to ride the XC trails! Still, we had fun too and that’s what matters…

Just read your post again. Do you feel inadequate because of what you think other people might think about you and your skillz, based on what they think about your bike?

Or do you feel that you/ve got inadequate grip, clearance strength in your frame and components for the riding you’re doing?

If it’s a) relax and forget about it; carry on having fun. You’re almost certainly right about it being great for what you’re doing. If there’s any of b) in there, try the qr and bigger tyres approach. maybe dropping some psi in your tyres, too. (if you’re running them hard and not grounding your rims already)

you need to be more smug about being fast. or faster.

HTH 😉

I never feel like a noob on my Hard Tail. Walking up the hills in the Lakes with a full suss in tow gets old very quickly. With a 115mm HT I at least stand a chance of riding a few of em.

A mate went from a Rocky Mountain Equipee HT to an Intense full suss, he’s gone from pulling away on the climbs to dragging that thing uphill. In the end it’s only about a minute faster downhill.

Not to mention the rest of us on similar bikes get to have that close race thing on the downs… which lets be honest… it’s what it’s all about.

I have an XC HT and a Heckler FS. Both great fun to ride but different and I wouldn’t want to give up either. Tend to ride the HT more in winter and the Heckler in summer. I constantly get overtaken all the time on both bikes, especially going up! (I do sometimes overtake as well 🙂
I ride for fun and don’t race

If you need to validate your bike choice just visit a trail center and laugh out loud as you ride past the stormtroopers.

around Swinley theres more fun to be had chasing down the guys on full sussers before overtaking them, especially the ones that then try and keep up.

+1

Put on the lycra, roll out the racy ht, grip those bar ends and laugh out loud at all the baggy clad ‘gnar’ types on their cow horn shod long travel sofas wallowing around the trails.
No I don’t feel like a noob!

sefton – we are your way tonight if you fancy coming for a spin. We could pick you up on the way past Chapeltown. Waddaya think?

Hardtails are just fine. I’ve never ridden a full susser that I’d actually want to spend the money on – and I’ve ridden …….quite a few.

ps; what’s a “noob”? is it a newbie or a knob?

Not at all!! Hardtails are much more fun, i ride a P7 with 125mm Travel and its an awesome blast just chuck it down the trail and it soaks up all the bumps and drops. Now my other halfs bike is a proper XC HT Giant XTC EX one of the older lines, light as a feather and just 80mm travel, just means i have to ride it differently, guide it through the trails, much more skill required but when i translate that to my orange makes it more fun!!

I’m not super fit, or that fast, I do not have immense skillz, am not rad to the power of infinity. I ride a full suss and have no intention of trying to catch the people who pass me. I don’t think anyone riding anything is a noob – It’s good to see people out riding.

Yeah, cos all the XC racers I know on their sub-22lb hardtails are “noobs”.

More the other way round I reckon.

Still, it doesn’t really matter what you ride, so long as you enjoy it.

I have the luck to have a HT and a 140mm F/s I do ride the HT a lot just really enjoy it it’s different I’m slower on my HT( and my FS!!) than my mates but I really enjoy the spin, Lycra is the way forward for long xc loops for me if there is lots of climbing I just find baggies get in the way. However for techie stuff I’m going play on a big decent I chuck baggies on the top before the way down……….they stand up better to crashes plus if the Lycra rips I’m naked 😮 !!

But ride what makes you happy you don’t need to spend 3 k on a goos FS the pitch or camber are great FS bikes.

It cuts both ways – I passed a chap on a Trek Fuel 8 in the new forest last summer on my cheap hardtail while out on a pub ride, he commented “I must look a right knob on this” and explained he had just got it delivered that day and really really wanted to ride it hence being a little overbiked for a fireroad.

Hardtail user here – through choice – more reliable – better suited for my riding – woods / xc / bike packing and also for some quite tasty trails in the lakes / mid wales. I dont feel like a beginner – 20 years on a HT = ability to ride… its practice and confidence that makes the most difference.

My mates ride either HT of FS – we arent much different time wise on a BIG 6-8 hr ride. Horses for courses. I tend to spend less time rebuilding stuff though – I would like a turner FS though !

For really long days / multi day trips I whack a thudbuster on = sorted !

just enjoy what you ride. Our trail collie dog is still quicker than anyone i know off road….

paul

If it allows you to enjoy the trails fully it’s all you can ask for. Then it’s not about the bike, it’s all about the ride.

I’ve recently consolidated my bike wardrobe into a burly HT for everything except for silly FR or full on DH, and then a Cove Shocker for stuff that would break the HT (which isn’t much!).

I’ve had a stupid number of bikes over the years, and I’ve never found a bike that can “do it all” as well as I want. So i’ve finally realised that my HT is the most fun to ride on most of the stuff I do (maybe not the most effective, but that’s irrelevant if I enjoy it) and the big bike is necessary to have maximum fun on the crazy stuff.

I don’t race anymore, so effectiveness comes second to grin factor on the trails, and a HT provides me with the most.

I can hardly be called a HT fanatic, this is the first HT i’ve owned in the last 11 bikes I’ve bought (and I still own a 9″ DH bike).

But still, I ride some pretty technical stuff (try Stainburn black in the wet, or even the dry for that matter) and some pretty hard-on-the-bike/body stuff (wharncliffe) and I can honestly say that it’s just more fun now on the HT 🙂 Other than Peaty’s Drop in Wharncliffe on a HT. Still bring out the big bike to do that. I’ve seen someone land it on a HT, but he seemed to have a complete disregard for life. In fact, here’s a video of some random doing it on a HT, so maybe i just need to man up! NUTTER

Sooooooo…… forget about it, if you’re smiling then your bike is fine. If you can’t get up/round/down/across your local trails, then either the bike or you need a bit of an upgrade (from my own experience, I’ve never really owned a decent bike that I could outperform in the type of riding it was designed for!!!)

I’ve just put together a 1×9 Inbred 2nd generation with Kona P2’s. As an old git I remember what real bikes were, and frankly if I wanted a bike with full suspension I’d get one with and engine in it.
No time wasted with tweaking this, adjusting that, pumping up shocks, preload,dampers,understeer, inability to know what the front wheel is doing and lack of instant response.
All this suspension crap is designed to keep money flowing from your pockets and just detracts from the simplicity of what biking should be about(though I’d never get a singlespeed!!!)
Thank god for hydraulic disc brakes though….they’re a genuine improvement most welcome!

Man up and go rigid!!!!!

in all times riding I can only think of a handful of occasions where I though I’d benefit from a bit more bike (more travel, FS etc) however every time I ride I wish I had more strength & fitness!!!

I got back into bikes to cross train on. It’s only when reading the magazines or surfing the net all the crazy idea’s of new bikes, forks & brakes etc etc creep into my mind.

I suppose we are constantly bombarded with ad’s, amazing photography & reviews – all trying to sell us things. All trying to convince us that we need the next thing (which for a new comer with a HT is a FS bike)

Why do you feel like a noob on a hardtail? It’s standard XC fare. I ride a 100mm travel mid-range XC hardtail and do a bit of racing, and I honestly cannot remember the last time I was overtaken by anyone at a trail centre. I overtake people on bikes (FS or otherwise) costing many times as much, but I don’t really blink an eye about it and I assume they don’t either. I’m not for one second going to define myself as ‘good’ as a belive I have only just started to reach an ‘average’ level for a racer, but that’s the way it is.

Both of this year’s XC World Champs races were won on hardtails, as were the World Cups. The top riders in the discipline are still opting for HT’s rather than FS’.

Bottom line: it’s your riding that does the talking. Why should you feel ‘like a beginner & perhaps a little inadequate’?