I am thinking of ditching my full suspension bike. It is a Giant Trance X; it rides fine but I think there are two issues:

I am a bit bored if it (I will admit it before anyone suggests it)
I have never felt it fitted that well (which is my fault)

I have had the 2011 Trance frame from new, bought online from the US. I got a L, but I think I am just slightly too big for it, so don’t feel I have ever got that comfortable with it. I am 6ft 2.

I now do a lot of riding round the local trails/ woods, with the odd trail centre and middle aged gnar (pulling a wheelie in the car park etc). There are some local DH steep trails nearby that I do enjoy riding down with locked rear brakes – I live near the Devils Punchbowl. I have young kids so it is going to be like that for a while.

I was thinking of ditching the frame and some of the components that won’t transfer across on eBay (dropper post etc) and just getting a frame from Cotic. I think they look nice and I can use my decent wheels and 150 mm Revelation with it. I know some people would probably recommend a Soul more, but I want to spend less to lull myself into the false fuzzy feeling that I did it as cheap as possible.

Is this a load of misguided nonsense?

One day I would love a decent Orange, Whyte or Santa Cruz full susser but don’t have the readies at the moment and don’t think I would use it enough. One day…

I don’t have experience of either of the bikes you mention. However when I was in my early 20’s I swapped from full suss to hardtail and it out me off cycling. Gave up for about 12 years or so before getting back into with another full sussed. Even though it was

I’ve had similar thoughts and from my experience it’s not that I was bored of my FS (no decent FS will ever be boring), it’s more that I wanted a change for change’s sake. You’ll “get bored” of a BFe one day…

.Have you ridden a HT much? they can be sorta ‘clattery’ and it’s a different riding style to full sus.
.At 6″ 2 I’d be getting a L frame, despite what you have experienced, any height over 6 foot is squarely in the L category imo.
.Why a BFE? is it because you want to buy a new frame that is 26″ – why not a used Soul frame, would be even cheaper then.

Edit: just saw you’re intended to put 150 revs on, which a soul wouldn’t support.
Double edit: just buy a BFE as well 😀

BFes are awesome. I’ve got a Soul but I ‘trust’ my BFe more and it’s more fun* than the Flare.

A BFe (XS for ‘chuckability’) at a local DH race, yesterday-

* harder work but more rewarding.

All, in answer to the questions above. I do indeed have a hardtail, an xc focused bike which performs winter and child seat duties at he moment. Made a lot better with some wider bars and a shorter stem recently. I took my xc hardtail down Snowdon and did not mind the clattery nature too much, but I was younger then!

I have got some decent length forks and that is part of the reason for going for a longer travel bike. I think I would love to look at a decent full susser one day; the giant is a good bike but I am not sure me adding an oversized person and forks to it are that helpful.

I think the bfe is to be honest more than I need, but I like the fact that they are solidly built and look very capable. I would like over the next few years to get in a cheeky alps trip, before I am too old and after the kids are not such hard work on the weekends, ( I mean that in a nice way)!

I got rid of my first full suss because it made me lazy and my second because of budget constraints.

Enjoying being on a decent hardtail, would have preferred a Bfe and one will be on the shortlist when I can afford to swap the frame. Might change my mind again when I’m back in Scotland in a few weeks, but for my local riding (Cannock) there’s not many times I think I’d be any better off.

I built a BFe up as a second bike to a Spitfire. Barely ride it – the Spitfire feels just so right.

BFe only owes me £350 all in including Reverb, so it’s a keeper.

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to this…..

Recently I’ve been romanticising about swapping out my FS for a HT – a number of people on the Orange Forum seem to be doing it and this seems to be very popular right now.

For me it would be the wrong choice (I ride a HT at the weekend) as although I don’t ride anything extreme a FS gives me the comfort and security I wNt.

What I probably do need though is a lighter more XC focussed type of HT like the 2017 Giant Anthem rather than my current Four. But is it worth the expense for the marginal benefits? Probably not financially if I’m honest.

Personally I’d keep what you have then later when you can trade up to the FS bike that you really want in the future.

“At 6″ 2 I’d be getting a L frame, despite what you have experienced, any height over 6 foot is squarely in the L category imo.”

I am the same height and having spent virtually all my riding life on large bikes I finally gave in and got an XL. Fits miles better and for once I don’t have every setting on max.

Just sold my fullsus, just one MTB for me now.

I liked it, but they’re expensive to buy and run (which is opposite of cycling to me) – fork/shock/dropper servicing and bearings every year add up.

I run a rigid 29er now, though I have a reba fork for it if I think its needed.

Sure Its slower and sometimes hard work downhill, but I still have loads of fun on it. I take a bit of sadistic pleasure from riding rough trails without suspension. 😈

For the riding you do, I think you’d be OK with ht.

Difficult question. All about what pushes your buttons about riding. Personally been using the hardtail fat bike for two weeks whilst TF Tuned did their magic. Amazing fun and slower but a right giggle with the stuff we’re riding. Now the full suss is back it’s slower climbing but so accomplished on the way down. It’s been christened the skills compensator. It’s great too but need to push coming down to get the same buzz.

Only other thing is a hardtail needs more fitness so all depends how that fits.

You need to decide what works for you though. So maybe n+1 on the interim?

I’m 6’2″ and I’ve got a Large Bfe with a 150mm Revelation.

I bought it as a cheap stop gap after I sold a Stumpjumper Evo. That was er…about three years ago now.

Still haven’t gotten around to replacing it with anything. It’s amazing on the berms and jumps that you find in every single trail centre but I’ve also ridden it on all the lift accessed stuff in Morzine and Les Gets.

I’m not saying a Bfe is better than a Stanton Slackline or anything else because I haven’t ridden them all. It works for me though.

A few years ago I went from a Pitch to a 456 evo II.

I’ve been HT exclusive since, settled on a Solaris for now. I like the relative simplicity of a nice HT, more appealing aesthetically to me too.

I’m currently in a similar process, selling my trigger and I’ve built up a bfe, amazing spec on it, needs 150mm forks but if I’m totally honest I’m really enjoying riding it, maybe more than the trigger.

I’ve just bought a bfe to build up with 150mm rev’s i love my Orange five but miss the feel of a hardtail since flogging my Nukeproof Scout time will tell if I’ve made the right move.

My main bike used to be a Santa Cruz Blur, but I ended up buying a BFe as a second/winter bike. Over the 5 years that I owned both bikes, the BFe saw at least 95% of the riding. I still love riding a full suss, but there is something direct and “honest” about riding a good HT.

My BFe had 150mm Revs – just felt perfect. It’s in the process of being transformed into a 650B Shan with 160mm Pikes. Only time will tell if the Shan will be as good as the BFe.

I like having both to choose from.

Wouldn’t ever want to be without a fill susser though

That’s a good point – I’ve always owned both. So even when I was spending almost all of my time on my HT, I still had the option of hopping on the full susser. I do often find myself wondering which bike I would prefer if I could have only one.

But I never came up with a good answer.

As has been said, there’s no strict right or wrong answer.

I sacked off my Banshee Rune for a trail hardtail because I found myself riding my little muck about hardtail more and more because it was just more fun on my local trails. The Banshee was amazing on tougher trails but I found it a bit dull on the tamer stuff.

Personally, I’ve not looked back and am currently on a Ti Switchback which i love. One of my friends has followed suit despite thinking that I was mad at the time.

Thanks all. I appreciate the advice and comments.

On balance, it will probably be financially not that sensible (£380 for a BFe frame, replace dropper post as my seat post size is different, new head set). That will only be offset a little bit by the sale of my trance frame and old dropper post. I have got some other random stuff I need to ebay to contribute to the pot.

However, I fancy giving it a go and it is still parting with less cash than I need to go and get a decent full susser which will likely be a treat for next year/year after. Have just seen a similar Trance go for £460 on ebay, so even selling the complete bike would still leave me some way short of having dosh to get something new from the LBS.

I presume ebay/classifieds are the best place to sell frame/dropper/stems/handlebars etc that I have?

I’ve done it and I love it.

Had a Cube Stereo 160 HPC and swapped the frame for steel Switchback at the back end of 2015. Thought I might miss the FS but I don’t.

As others have said, there’s no right or wrong answer, you’ll either get along with it or you won’t.

How about seeking out a Stanton Slackline 2nd hand?

Regarding the Seatpost, I’ve run both a 31.6mm Reverb and a 30.9mm Reverb + shim on my BFe. Both seem to work equally well.

Just in case you’re making a decision based on a new Seatpost when a £5 shim would do the job.

I bought a BFe as my winter bike but its now the bike I ride 90% of the time. I have switchable forks 150/110 and the bike rides well in the 150 position up and down. I find the BFe makes Surrey Hills trails more interesting inclusing the steeper / rooty ones, my Covert FS just swallows them up almost “too easily” although is of course smoother and faster. Cotic are a great company and frames are sought after so you can resell easily. My bike lives in Winchester and if you wanted a ride on it let me know, you missed the recent Cotic demo days at QECP/Surrey Hills, you can check the demo pages to see of there is another you can get to.

I recently sold my 140mm full-sus trail bike for a 100mm travel hardtail (not a BFE though). So far I’m really enjoying it. Each has pros/cons, and to be honest in another years time I’ll probably be ready to get another full bounce bike 😆
It might depend where you ride, I’ve found I have more fun on the hardtail on less gnarly trails, it feels quicker too. With a longer travel fork it might be different I imagine, still, there’d be some stuff that I’d only contemplate tackling on a full-sus bike.

Had similar thoughts a couple of years ago. I had a 160mm heckler for trail and a big Commencal for DH.

We had our second child and I wanted to scale down to one bike for many of the reasons you suggest – time is a factor, plus the servicing of forks, shocks, replacement bearings.

In the end I went for another FS but the commencal meta trail. It is only 120 mm and I still think staying with the FS was the right decision, even though I see some really nice HTs out there now, especially as the 29″ wheels seem to have given HTs a new lease of life.

I am lucky enough to live near the Mendips which I ride at early in the mornings but still run over to Cwm Carn sometimes or into the Shroud hills near to where I work. The Brecons are not far and we still do a boys run into Snowdon once a year so I am covered for all eventualities.

I also think that trail centres will increasingly become rougher and less well kept as Brexit begins and the EU funding drys up so it may be worth thinking about something for more natural trail riding?

No chance of hanging onto the FS?

I love my BFe, I do most of my riding on it, a very fun and capable bike. But I sold my FS today and I feel a little bit sad that it’s no longer in the garage should I feel like a bit of bounce or in case somebody organises an uplift day.

*new bike research sweats*

I’m in the process of doing the same. Sold my full suss last year and picking up my new bfe tommora. I think fs are more fun but much prefer ht for most of the riding I’ve been doing in recent months

I just got a specialized fuse…27+ not a full suss but not a regular hard tail.

It’s weird, I have always viewed FS bikes as the ‘luxury’ choice, something you have in addition to a HT. A hardtail being the ‘essential’ MTB, the one I would not willingly part with.

It does seem like those who came to MTBing later are far keener on acquiring a full bouncer ASAP, and later making the switch to a HT as some kind of revelatory experience…

^ That!

HTs are awesome. People go on about moving ‘up’ to a FS like it’s a thing to aspire or graduate to. Nope. I like having the choice, but if one had to go it’d be the FS without question.

Not sure I’d be getting a Bfe to replace full suss as I have seen many people report that they’re pretty harsh. That’s not necessarily a criticism but if I was going HT lock, stock I think I’d be looking at something a bit more forgiving.

For the record I’m looking at a P7 to compliment my FS but wouldn’t choose the same to replace it.

It does seem like those who came to MTBing later are far keener on acquiring a full bouncer ASAP, and later making the switch to a HT as some kind of revelatory experience…

Had 11 years riding hardtails, Trek then 3 souls and a Bfe (a breif dalliance with a fatbike too that lasted 3 months). Switched to FS 2 1/2 years ago, have a 140/130mm Spectral 29 and a carbon Bronson.

I won’t be going back.

thats because you’ve gone soft lad!

Possibly, but I’m much quicker and having way more fun now than I was then.

YMMV.

faster….but softer ;-0

You can’t get a hardtail! Strava’s killed the hardtail, too slow. It’s all about pb’s KOM’s, Kudos, shredding and car park bling.

You need a 4k carbon full sus or you might as well buy a hybrid and a gel saddle cover.

Not sure I’d be getting a Bfe to replace full suss as I have seen many people report that they’re pretty harsh. That’s not necessarily a criticism but if I was going HT lock, stock I think I’d be looking at something a bit more forgiving.

They are – I didn’t really get on with mine. It may as well have been a cheapy aluminium frame given how harsh it was. The Slackline 853 that replaced it was like night and day.

I think steel frames work better in larger sizes. A small/med Bfe would be pretty solid but having longer tubes in the L-XL makes them flex a bit more.

I do find it odd that a couple of Bfe owners on this thread are running 150 Revs. Not much point having a sturdy steel frame with forks like that. The fork is probably the most important factor in a hard charging HT framed bike. A soul would be a better combo ime (and drop the revs to 120-140)

My XS BFe is solid but it only gets used when I’m in the mood for solid ridiculousness, like local DHs or BMX tracks and stuff where I want to have a laugh. If I’m all po-faced and serious and wanting to not come last I’ll wheel the FS out.