I’ve ridden trail 29er full sus bikes for a few years now, current bike Yeti 4.5c which is brilliant, but i keep fancying a hardtail mainly for winter use. I’m worried the harsh ride might be a shock to my ageing body.
I think the Trek Stache 29+ looks a great compromise, a mate has one and loves it. I’ve had a little ride on it but being a Medium its to small, i need maybe L or XL so can’t really get a true feel for the ride on his.

I’ve been without a FS since I snapped it a year ago (not gnar just age)

It was an old design but still gave you that ‘get out of jail free’ feeling every now and then.

I would love a new one but can’t justify the 3k it would cost when I have so many other demands on my cash. So its a hard tail for me – it makes for a smoother rider I thin k, especially as I have changed my pedals for flats (had spds on FS) So ironically, I think I try more hard stuff on my HT now and am deffo a better rider, not that I was much cop before.

Back hurts a bit though

Thanks for the input! certainly made me think twice about selling it for the time being. You’re probably right about the value of a 26″ bike now but i’ll guage interest in what i’d ‘like’ to get for it and if nobody nibbles then i’ll keep hold till i really need the money.

Sold my 26″ FS. Got pathetic amount of money for it. Wish I had kept it for my daughter. Really wasn’t worth selling.

Having said that, I get LOADSA smiles from riding my 26″ BFe in the winter, only miss the FS in the dusty summer months.

Had 29er hardtail (sold it), had carbon full sus (sold it) and still have fat bike.

I think it comes down to what you ride locally or mostly, fit the bike to that in some ways but also what makes you grin.

For me the FS was good but you get complacement and lazy and it forgave you, but, the fat bike is plush to ride (once you frig the tyre pressures right), goes up and down anything (think pedal a landrover) but has its own challenges (weight, piss take from makes) but I forgive it that .. oh and it doesn’t cost me a couple hundred quid a year in servicing and pivots :/

Will you miss it? Maybe, like I sometimes miss a CX bike, never had one but miss it 😉

James

Started rigid, added a suspension fork, moved on to various FS so thought I should have a new hardtail again. Try as I might, I hate it with a vengeance so FS all the way for me.

I’ve got an old Boardy HT Pro 26″ and a Scott Genius Carbon 150/150 FS 26″
It always seems to be the FS that i reach for.
I wouldn’t sell either of them.
I doubt whether i would get much money for the pair of them these days because 26″ just isn’t trendy anymore.

Got same conundrum…an ibis mojo I don’t use much. But realise I’d only get a few hundred for it so keeping it for big rides up north a few times a year if I’m lucky 🙂

I did for a couple of years. Eventually got another FS as I found long, rough rides were just becoming a chore. I was becoming less fit though.

If, for some reason, I could only have one I’d keep just the HT though. Can do everything the FS does, and might even be better at a couple of them.

(Re univega bikes, they’re still around and pretty good value by the looks of it. One of the lbss in town sells them alongside Scott and they seem pretty popular)

Don’t miss it as it’s the only one I ride. I have a 650b Spitfire with nice bits and a 26″ BFe with nice bits. The BFe is basically a rolling spares bin in case anything breaks on the Spitfire. Except for my spare Pikes which won’t fit as they are tapered and the BFe is 1 1/8th, which means I need another frame for them.

Not found another frame to replace the 2016 Spitfire – 2017 isn’t cheap or incrementally better enough, and Hope aren’t doing the HB160 as a frame/hub/rear caliper only.

Selling 26” parts and bikes is depressing as prices have fallen to ridiculous levels. I’m keeping mine.

Sold my 26″ FS. Got pathetic amount of money for it. Wish I had kept it for my daughter. Really wasn’t worth selling.

Yep! Should’ve done. My 26″ full susser is getting the treatment it deserves since it was neglected by it’s 29er obsessed owner 🙂

I had seriously been thinking about dumping the FS and upgrading the HT. However after having a ride on my son’s latest long, low etc carbon enduro, I am looking for ways to afford an FS upgrade!

my plus hardtail seems to offer me most of what I want, most of the time. Solaris in fat mode.

It’s great for local loops, where there isn’t too much gnar. It’s great on the Surrey Hills singletrack. I use it on those days where you just don’t know what you may be riding. Everything from reasonably techy stuff to 60 mile destination rides.

But I still have 150mm of travel gathering dust for the rare occasion that I get to Wales, and a light weight 29er for strapping number plates to the bars.

I handed down my 26″Nomad to my 14 year old son ..I couldn’t have sold it anyway ( too many memories attached )..
It certainly doesn’t seem to be holding him back ..

I hate hardtails and swap between rigid and FS. Love them both,

Although I probably ride my HT more, if I had to only have one bike I’d keep the FS. The HT is a bit more suited to most of our local trails but the FS is MUCH better suited to much gnarlier ones.

I hate hardtails and swap between rigid and FS. Love them both.

Interesting!

I seem to go the other way. End up with just the full suss as I get fed up of being bounced around when tired on a hard tail, then decide to buy a different ht frame s/hand and put all the bits on.

Think I’ve finally settled on 650b+ for a HT build and keeping my FS, which is also an Ibis as others in this thread.

The + hardtail rides very well tbh and covers the ground nearly as good as the FS. So much that I’m looking to upgrade to a plus Mojo 3 for the FS soon.

So in answer to the question, I like both 😀

Never ride my FS (Spectral) since building up an HT (Ragley Mmmbop). Love it. Ridden Afan and BPW on it, great fun. Have extra the bits from Jan sales to build a BFE from the Spectral. Just waiting for Cotic to get stock.

I’ve just changed my Cotic flare for a Curtis AM7 hardtail. Best thing I’ve done…. 99% of my riding is blatting through tight fast singletrack and trails which I now realise the FS was overkill for! Even a recent 40 mile SDW trek didn’t kill my back. Reckon my Strava times will improve when the trails do 😉