anybody gone back? more specifically what from and to what h/t?

im really considering ditching my f/s frame (as its 3 years old now) been brlliant and still rides superbly..BUTTTT ill never be able to afford it again now brand new (at about 1500squids), so i could ditch it now and say get around 600-800 for it and buy a nice brand new hardtail with a dropper post…

was thinking of getting something like the new cotic soul, though im not sure if it will be quite heavy for a h/t…could at least that way run a reverb etc and most if not all of my components will switch over from current build to it too

riding all mostly peak district stuff is the only major worry, as it currently soaks up the rocks and fast chutes etc, have a feeling with h/t im going to get battered about a fair bit, ill probably gain a bit on the climbs though

id expect i could get a soul upto about 26lbs runnign 1×10 and mostly decentish kit and fox floats set at 140mm?

Yes (sort of). Reign to BFe. Have both bikes but hardly ride the Reign now.

Reign 160, BFe 150/120 adjustable so no material loss of travel. 2×10 on BFe fyi.

BFe is a bit slower on the descents (likely due to poor technique which the FS just soaks up) but not so much you’d really notice and is “faster all round”. I took the BFe back to her spiritual home of the Peaks and did 3 days of excellent riding for which the bike is perfect. The bike rides really nicely and is comfortable on a full days riding. The BFe is much lighter than my Reign, I wouldn’t stress the weight issue.

so i could ditch it now and say get around 600-800 for it and buy a nice brand new hardtail with a dropper post

Yes, but then you’ll have a £600 hardtail frame worth £300 in 3 years time, as opposed to a £1500 FS worth £300 in 3 years time.

Nicolai Helius cc – Giant XTC 29er

Wouldn’t rule out another bouncer but I won’t be going back to 26″.

kona king kikapu – spec rockhopper.

love it.

I’ve just gone from a Merida 96 to a Merid 0.Nine
Apart from being a good bit lighter (20lbs vs 22.5lbs) the hardatail doesnt particularly climb any faster, and its a bit slower going down.
It does accelerate like a motherhubbard though.

Had a Marin Mount Vision that was stolen. Replaced with an Orange R8 hardtail. My choice. Love the Orange but now have a ‘Dale RZ One Twenty FS too. Hardtail is great for shorter, faster rides of up to about 2 hours otherwise it’s FS. Nice to be in the position where I have a choice. If I had just one it would be the FS for its versatility. Sorry.

riding all mostly peak district stuff is the only major worry, as it currently soaks up the rocks and fast chutes etc, have a feeling with h/t im going to get battered about a fair bit, ill probably gain a bit on the climbs though

I sold my Orange 5 and bought an mmmBop when they were on sale at CRC. Just fancied a change to be honest, no other reason.

I also ride a lot in the Peaks. You will be slower in some circumstances, faster in others, overall there’s probably not much in it.

You soon re-learn what changes to make to your riding style/technique.

But yes, you will get ‘battered about a fair bit’ … that’s just unavoidable without suspension to iron things out 🙂 … you can’t ride out of the saddle all the time

You could always buy a secondhand full suspension frame now for £700 that will be worth £500 in three years?

Or is that not just too sensible for STW.

When my xc style fs needed replacing in 2009 I thought I’d go long travel HT (ti456). It took a while for me to acknowledge that it offered me nothing I needed (or was capable of accessing) my old fs didn’t and I felt it had plenty more compromises in terms of comfort and climbing ability. Glad I sold it and went back to a fs (although I do have a alfine geared ht for gopping mud weather too).

im really considering ditching my f/s frame (as its 3 years old now) been brlliant and still rides superbly..

Has it broken? If not, then why change anything? And that’s coming from someone who exclusively rides a Soul with Float 140s, 1×10 and a dropper post and loves it!

I switched from an Orange 5 to a Brodie Ti Holeshot. The 5 was getting old and had been used weekly for 4 1/2 years so I needed a replacement and fancied going back to a slack do-it-all HT frame.

I also wanted to go back to basics and try and improve my skills which a HT frame is more suitable for IMO.

To be honest I’ve not noticed much difference (apart from the big hefty rock gardens, drops, etc.) and you soon tailor your riding to suit. I’m riding the same stuff as I’ve always ridden, as someone else stated, quicker at some things, slower at others, but it all balances out.

As my Five was the ’07 version my current HT is slacker and feels more stable on the downs too. For the majority of riding I do on a weekly basis (Peaks and West Yorks) a decent HT is more than enough.

Although I’ve just bought another FS so the HT is going up for sale….but it will be replaced by a big wheeled HT for XC, distance and winter duties 🙂

chiefgrooveguru – Member

im really considering ditching my f/s frame (as its 3 years old now) been brlliant and still rides superbly..

Has it broken? If not, then why change anything? And that’s coming from someone who exclusively rides a Soul with Float 140s, 1×10 and a dropper post and loves it!

chief – nope not broke – just dont want to run it into the ground, just thinking money wise its still worth a fair bit….not only that but i really want to test my skill and sort of go back to my roots! just also be so nice to be 1×10 and have no suspension to mess with and clean/maintain etc!

its just an idea at this point, ideally id love to be able to run both, but i cant and dont want 2 bikes…a soul would be a lovely build with current kit with the nice addition of a quality reverb!

Went from a Whyte 46 to a Cotic BFE. The Whyte was a great bike but started to creak all the time and i got fed up of servicing. swapped all the parts over to a BFE frame and love it. I am slower on the descents (mates pulling away from me) even though i actually feel like am riding faster. Running 160mm Fox Talas and 2×9. Dont regret it at all.

kona king kikapu – spec rockhopper

To a Lapierre when the wife isn’t looking

Limy – Member
…
I am slower on the descents (mates pulling away from me) even though i actually feel like am riding faster
…

This is an interesting point and one I have found. The fact is my trails in/around Surrey Hills are more fun on the BFe even if I am actually going slightly slower on the descents. It make them slightly more challenging which translates to more fun.

Marin Riftzone > Whyte 19

Just got fed up of the bounce!

chief – nope not broke – just dont want to run it into the ground, just thinking money wise its still worth a fair bit….not only that but i really want to test my skill and sort of go back to my roots! just also be so nice to be 1×10 and have no suspension to mess with and clean/maintain etc!

I’ve never owned a full-sus (going back to my roots would be a rigid frame with cantilevers and I’m not doing that!) but I love how the Soul rides with this set-up.

I did the Enduro1 race at the weekend, left the huge tyres on, survived the mud (it has a lot of clearance), enjoyed the race and only felt like the bike slowed me on down on the weird ‘bunny heads’ section (though if I’d realised I was on that section at the time I’d have ridden faster to skim over the top rock garden stylee), rode to and from work yesterday, poked the dried on mud/foliage from the race off last night, cleaned and lubed the chain and stanchions, commuted again and then I’m out on a quick singletrack ride this evening.

I’m sure I’d be faster on a full sus and with clips but as I’ll never be on the podium I’m enjoying how the hardtail and flats demand I develop my skills more if I want to keep getting quicker. But you have to embrace the lack of suspension at the back (and a wide rim and fat tyre are definitely a good thing) and I do take delight in trying to keep up with riders on bigger squishy bikes downhill or on lightweight XC race machines uphill.

Went from Orange 5 to Cotic Soul. Was worried I should have gone to a Bfe but not regretted the change. The Soul is plenty strong enough and run at 140 gets me out of trouble when I’m getting my lines wrong.

As above, you do get thrown about a bit more and it’s not (quite) as fast on the downs but you learn to adapt to it and as a result enjoy riding a little more due to the challenge.

Had a go on a mates 5 recently and felt weird, which was odd because I loved mine. It has probably saved me buying a new full suss for the forseeable future!

EDIT: I only run one bike.

Calamity James – Member

Went from Orange 5 to Cotic Soul. Was worried I should have gone to a Bfe but not regretted the change. The Soul is plenty strong enough and run at 140 gets me out of trouble when I’m getting my lines wrong.

As above, you do get thrown about a bit more and it’s not (quite) as fast on the downs but you learn to adapt to it and as a result enjoy riding a little more due to the challenge.

Had a go on a mates 5 recently and felt weird, which was odd because I loved mine. It has probably saved me buying a new full suss for the forseeable future!

EDIT: I only run one bike.

calamity james – where do you ride? sounds exactly the same position im in and my thinking of a h/t..

i dont mind slowing down a bit on the downs, i guess id excel abit more on the road climbs if nothing else, im sure skill would get better/faster on h/t eventually as the places i ride wouldnt change id just have to learn to ride it differently but as quick eventually!

Am in Kent. Local centres or rides include Surrey, Epping, Swinley. Have also ridden in Bristol and Afan where it excelled. Took it to PORC a few weekends ago and was pretty ragged down some of the DH trails there but perfectly manageable (never done any gap jumps though!). Built up fairly burly with 1x10XT, Renthal bars, 140 Floats, and Flows it does everything asked of it. Took me a good month or two to fully adapt coming form only a FS past but a more capable rider will feel at home much sooner I imagine…

Stumpjumper to cotic soul via a light build rockhopper. For most of my riding the Soul is far quicker and agile through (non rocky) singletrack. Tempted to get back on the Stumpjumper but with the better/lighter components from my Soul.

Done a fair bit of swapping between hardtail and FS of late, riding the same trails on both – I’m significantly faster on rough ground and roots and the like on the FS – total contrast between picking my way around stuff on the HT versus picking the fastest route on the FS – gunning for jumps and stuff to pop off on the FS, versus the carefully chosen line on the HT.

For trail centre/smooth surface riding, the HT would win every time, and the lightness is an obvious benefit, but if I had to choose one, the speed and fun of the FS would win every time,

Went from a Lapierre Zesty 514 to a Ragley Blue Pig. Much better change for most of the riding that I do. Guess it’s one of those each to there own situations though.

Personally I prefer it also due to less maintenance required, less things to go wrong.

I have a FS (160mm) and a hardtail (100mm blender), i ride the peaks on both.

I’m one of these people that chimes on about the importance of riding a hardtail to increase skill level/anyone who can’t ride a hardtail competently on rough stuff is a massive weiner.

Considering i have i’m a bad ass attitude, there are times where i simply do not enjoy the hardtail. The thought of admitting defeat does make my balls want to leave my body for being such a wuss.

On traditional peaks routes, gravel roads with loose rocks, it is a bit dull on the FS, hardtail here is good. If this was all the riding i did, i wouldn’t consider having the FS.

However places where it isn’t loose rock, but sections of large rocks fixed into the ground ala wharnecliffe for example, or terrain made up of large roots, i hate the hardtail, i get shaken so much my ribs hurt, the tyres are never on the ground, i simply don’t have control, im floating over everything with the wheels barely in contact with the ground. i’m just hanging on, bumping over stuff, not working the bike, just holding on. The surface kills all the speed and i can’t work the terrain for sustained amounts of time. I just don’t find it fun.

Work out exactly what stuff you’re going to ride. but generally, in the peaks, for your traditional documented peaks routes, the hardtail should really batter you too much.

Considering the same thing here, currently ride a Saracen Ariel which is a better bike than i’m ever likely to be a rider!…..skills compensator has never been so apt, point it downhill, drop your heels and hold on….i havent come across anything it couldnt handle yet….

….but, having done the Mini-Downhill at FoD and some Gravity Enduro races i’ve got that kind of thing out of my system and now fancy going back to the simpler stuff….the £500 frame and fork package for a 456-Evo on the On-One website looks about right, still enough fork for when i fancy some rough stuff but generally more suited to the plodding around i do now….anybody in the south got a 456-Evo i can have a test ride on?

I go between the two quite regularly – 180mm fs and 125mm hardtail. Generally i find the ht easier to pedal, get up to speed and jump with especially on proper dirt jumps. Prefer the fs on trails i don’t know as there’s the comfort blanket of all that travel. I find it good to get comfortable on something on the fs then try it on the ht. I find riding fs all the time makes me a bit soft and going back to the ht I notice i have to put more effort in to keep my feet on etc.. don’t really prefer one or the other, the ht is a bit more rewarding though! I think riding the full sus made me realise what you can get away with on a bike, which can then be transferred over on the hardtail!

Probably ride my bmx more than either bike though and if you want to sort your technique out there’s nothing better for it. Absolutely loving it at the minute, so much fun to jump on 😀

I ride a fairly chunky hardtail(sometimes on flats) and a full suspension (although 5″ is probably regarded as almost a hardtail these days by dudes) bike.

I enjoy both and have ridden many of the same trails on both (UK mountains, Rivi, Peak, trail centres, Wales, Morzine, Les Gets, Chamonix Valley, Les Arcs etc. etc. etc.)

It’s good to ride both to keep you honest. There’s no such thing as somewhere that can’t be ridden on a hardtail.

Of course a Peak district all-day ride can be done on hardtail. I and many others have done it numerous times.

I also have a cyclocross bike that I have ridden on some fairly rough, gritstone-strewn trails in the past. Other than the challenge of it and trying to out-ride the people on mtbs, it wasn’t that pleasant and resulted in a snapped frame.

just sold my stumpy fsr 140mm frame and placed an order for a new Bfe frame.

In my opinion the type of bike you ride is all dependant on where your riding.

For me a 140mm full susser is overkill for my riding(commuting and chilterns) so thought I would sell the stumpy frame whilst it is still worth a decent amount of money.

mind you Im one of these people that change my bikes quite a lot !!

Just built up a c456,love the acceleration and hill climbing but don’t like the battering my arse is taking,luckily i still have the f/s to go back to for longer/more knarly rides

Just built up a c456,love the acceleration and hill climbing but don’t like the battering my arse is taking…

I don’t get it when I hear this phrase – are you actually sitting down on the bumpy stuff?! 😕

Sometimes there is bumpy stuff on the flat or on uphills that you can’t stand up for.

happens all the time – people like change.

I don’t get the “I can’t afford to buy a new frame like mine so I’ll flog it and get something completely different” argument?

Oh and £6-800 for a 3 year old £1500 frame…the stuff of dreams I am afraid.

I have swapped Orange Sub5 for Niner EMD; then back to Orange ST4 and now on Sanderson Breath.
I do miss the FS on some bumpy, long days without a doubt. Having said that, 90% of the time the HT is just perfect, and noticeably nippier uphill. No regrets at all – other than wanting a 29er again as it suits me size wise and riding style.

oh, and I reckon good seatpost and tyres are a huuuuge difference on comfort.

Yeti ASRsl –> Yeti + Voodoo SS –> Voodoo SS + Solaris

I found once I had the Voodoo I wasn’t riding the Yeti so much. Sold it (6 year old frame for £500 BTW) and bought the Solaris.

The Yeti was a great bike but not for me (chain stretch, cleaning, maintenence etc.) Really not missing FS and it’s fun trying to beat your mates down hill that are on one!

Hey up

When I did this (full suss to HT) I didn’t miss the suspension on the downs. Like some have said above, I probably was a bit slower, but it certainly didn’t feel it and with some good forks on a HT can be just a capable. Where I did notice the HT was not as good was on loose, rocky climbs. My full susser allowed me to get on with pedalling over rough stuff rather than having to use my legs half the time to soak up the bumps and lumps. Conversely, the smooth climbs are better/easier on the HT.

It possibly also depends upon how (and where) you ride. If you look for good lines and try to lift/float over obstacles rather than just bashing into things, then a hardtail won’t be too much of a shock to the body.

Having said that, the full-susser is often faster on rougher, looser stuff as the wheels are kept in better contact with the ground and is certainly more forgiving. Again, it does depend upon riding style. Not everybody will need or experience the extra traction.

im really considering ditching my f/s frame (as its 3 years old now) been brlliant and still rides superbly..BUTTTT ill never be able to afford it again now brand new (at about 1500squids), so i could ditch it now and say get around 600-800 for it and buy a nice brand new hardtail with a dropper post…

OMG there are other people than my wife that think like her… 😯

I went from an orange sub 5 to an Inbred years ago. The inbred was bought as a second bike, so I didn’t look like a div on a full sus when out with the family. But, as time ticked by I found myself grabbing the inbred over the sub 5 on nearly all occasions. Then, I was spending my riding time in the Peaks, Glentress and Innerleithen as I lived near the Peaks and worked in Scotland a lot.

I preferred having to pick a line down the rough stuff, I preferred the lack of suspension bob at the back, I preferred the feeling that I was riding bumpy stuff and using my skills as a rider and not leaving the rear suspension to help me out. Riding the Peaks and Innerleithen on a hardtail, I felt hard! In the tough sense of course.

I still have a full sus (enduro) and now I have a 456ti. The enduro is simply there for the Alps trips and the 456ti goes everywhere I ride in the UK.