no.. I rode a very good one _tom_

I just didn’t get on with it.. I kept wishing I had brought my hardtail with me as the bike was hampering my enjoyment of an incredible trail (Golspie)

Possibly a case of ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ maybe though.. 😕

As more and more trail centres move towards “flowly & smooth” and away from “Natural & bumpy” hardtails make even more sense these days!

If the choice were between a 26lb HT and a 34lb FS, i’d probably take the HT for the vast majority of my riding. But, my FS is sub 28lb in 140mm mode, so there really isn’t much of a penalty in terms of weight these days. However, riding a HT for a while definitely makes you a better rider, even if only in being good at picking the “right” line on a trail 😉

Full suspension is just so much fun for bouncing around on, like a snowboard in powder

at the moment have one of each. Both 26er and both around 120 travel (HT is on old pikes wound out to just a smidge over 120)

Both are fun! The FS is nearly always quicker (according to iphone straaaaaaava) in all but the smoothest of blue trails.

FS costs more to run over a year, HT does more milage.

If both are working (most of the time) then which one goes out is pretty much down to mood. Would hate to give up either tbh.

hmmm not exactly adding to the discussion here…

Hardtails only here too. I’m not really anti-fs, I just prefer hardtails.

I love the way they look, the way they ride and the simplicity.

My hardtail (456 evo 2) is a far more capable bike than I am a rider! It also copes easily with all the riding I do (including some quite rocky stuff).

Not much else to say, really.

One bike, A Hardtail, 26″ Prince Albert,

All down to the fact I can’t afford the upkeep of a full susser.
I must admit I’ve grown to love it, I ride mainly Sherwood Pines/Cannock Chase but also Wales often.
Unless I come across a large amount of money I won’t be considering returning to a full susser,

Truth be told it’s given me more confidence in my riding.

Full suspension is just so much fun for bouncing around on, like a snowboard in powder

This is why I like it as well. And as I said it just feels more balanced with both ends squishing. Though that being said, I’d probably be happy with my Blender as my only bike. It’s just that now I know how fun a full sus is, it’s hard to go without one.

I currently have a BluePigX with a 150/130 Rev, previously had a few 140mm FS and HT bikes but find I’m enjoying the versatility and simplicity if the BPX. Slack bikes are great fun but don’t climb too well so I recommend some adjust-ability if you go for longer than your stated 130.

FS maintenance, weight & riding laziness (easiness?) made me miss HT, owning the FS bikes I have allowed me to attempt things outside of my comfort zone. OP, for what you’ve described a 130mm HT or even 140 sounds ideal. There’s always a good deal on a 456 build or bundle which is an affordable way to upgrade.

I’m not anti FS, I’d quite like a Heckler for single pivot easiness. Then again, aluminium doesn’t rhyme with real.

Then again, aluminium doesn’t rhyme with real.

Ha!

I’ve tried having just a hardtail a few times now and always end up back with a full suss, also tried the magical one bike (fs) to do it all on, that ended badly! I’ve now got an Alpine 160 and a ti slackline, both are loads of fun and both are very capable, if I had to have just one bike out of the two then the hardtail is a bit more versatile and I’d choose that.

Had a few FS.
Went back to HT some years ago.

On two occasions since I’ve built a FS up, thinking I’d enjoy it for the summer but every ride I was wishing I was on my hardtail.

HT is a steel Niner.
It’s just so much nicer to ride. Proper steel feel to it.

HT is a steel Niner.

got a pic? very rare to see a pic of those, especially in green.

Went back to a hardtail when my FS was stolen, i spent half the insurance pay out on the bike (456-evo) and banked the other half.

It didnt make any sense to keep an enduro style FS bike when i wasnt racing any more, the year before i’d done some Gravity Enduro and Mini-DH but my riding had become local trails and the odd uplift at FoD, Cwmcarn, Bike Park Wales etc…a hardtail seemed the most hassle free way to do this.

The fork is a coil spring which has been serviced and PUSH tuned at TF, the rest of the bike is as it came from On-One, it rides great and requires very little maintenance…thats the main appeal for me now, its very much an appliance, fit and forget type bike….no bearings to replace, no need to send the shock away for re-gassing etc.

What about something like this as a compliment to my 26 inch 100mm Hardtailhttp://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOOLRCAB/on_one_lurcher_29er_x9_carbon_mountain_bike

What’s your 100mm hardtail?

A Cannondale Trail SL5 with Crappy Suntour forks which I’m upgrading to Rockshox SID teams. And upgraded the transmission to SLX/XT and want to upgrade wheels to ztr crest wheels on hope hubs.

Why does your mate insist you need full sus? Is he fed up waiting for you at the bottom of every descent? Does he want to go exploring super-technical trails? I’m sure that for a given type of bike, adding rear suspension makes it more comfortable, maybe a bit more capable, perhaps even faster, but surely it only becomes necessary when performance is absolutely paramount? I dunno. I’ve never properly ridden a full bouncer.
For information, I’ve only got one MTB, a 29er, a hardtail Stumpjumper Comp carbon with 80 mm travel forks. It does me for trail centre stuff: that’s everything at Afan, Brechfa, FoD and Hopton XC trails and CwmCarn, but I had to go steady on the DH track I tried. It’s done Brecon, The Peak District and XC races, including Wheal Maid Quarry and Hadleigh Farm.

My mates keep telling me I “NEED” a f/s bike. But I love my BFe, there is nothing I can’t and haven’t ridden on it so far. It’s running a long fork (160..)
I stick with my hardtail because

1) I’ve only been riding just over a year, so I want to learn all I can about bike control before jumping on a F/S bike (maybe a naive view)

2) I can’t be arsed with the extra expense.

3) I can keep up with everyone I ride with without problem. And at times I can be quicker downhill too.

4) I just like my hardtails…

He is quicker on say Hully Gully at Gisburn maybe by 15 seconds but then I’m quicker on hope line. He is top 100 on Strava I’m top 50. I can acclerate quicker out the berms. Our local riding is Rivington and Darwen moorwhich iis rutty but nothing that needs 150mm suspension like he has.

I’ve got a mix, from rigid to a foot and a half of coil spring… They’re all good. But I’m yet to ride anything and think man, I neeeed suspension for this- I’ve bounced my Ragley hardtail down fort william dh and pretty much everything at innerleithen, not as fast as on the bouncers obviously but if I suddenly lost the full susses tomorrow, I’d still ride everything I ride.

I have found different bikes help me learn, though- sometimes a particular feature might be a bit much for me to want to get into for the first time on the hardtail, where I’d be happer to do it on the big bike- then I can come back later on the hardtail. So there’s that I suppose.

41 yr old – had hard tails for years, Chameleons x4, Ragleys, Evil Sov, 140mm until recently all run with Profile bmx cranks.

Ex bmx’er so like the instant snap out of berms/corners, and the directness of a hard tail. Had a few high end DH bikes over the years but all too long & slack for UK stuff and lack of directness.

Rode Staniog on my Evil and embarrassed a few DH bikes, untouchable down Lee Q’s outer descent and black/rock slab route.

FS take away the skill needed to spot lines – hard tails teach you to ride properly.

But end of day each to their own!

Grew up riding Rigid. Switched to a Hardtail for a bit, then quickly went to full sus. Spent years and years riding full sus almost exclusively (I’d build up a hardtail often, but then only ride it a handful of times whilst I rode full sus all the time), but since I got a decent 29er HT I’ve not touched my full sus once!

Not only that, but I’m faster everywhere on the 29er HT (including technical stuff, and fast descents), and I prefer the lack of maintenance.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a decent 29er full sus now too, but I’m really loving Hardtails again right now and not about to go back to the bounce any time soon!

I quite fancy a 29er trail bike. And use my 26er for just xc jaunts. What 130mm 29ers are out there for £1500

dannyh – Member
Hardtails only here too. I’m not really anti-fs, I just prefer hardtails.

I love the way they look, the way they ride and the simplicity.

Same here, I think that I’m just too old and set in my ways to learn how to get the best out of FS.

Depends where and what you ride. I ride my HT most of the time but for holidays and more challenging riding it’s the FS. If I had to have one bike I’d compromise on a 140 FS.

dannyh – Member
Hardtails only here too. I’m not really anti-fs, I just prefer hardtails.

I love the way they look, the way they ride and the simplicity.

Sums it up perfectly for me. I’ve had FS bikes, the faff of bearings bushings, servicing an extra shock just gets wearisome after a while.

I quite fancy a 29er trail bike. And use my 26er for just xc jaunts. What 130mm 29ers are out there for £1500

I think the wheel sizes suit the reverse; bigger for XC, normal for trail/gnar/winning. Or stick with 26 if you want a bike you can push a bit harder, given the steering difference between the 2. If you’re quite tall I guess this may not be the case.

With that budget I’d get a frame n fork bundle, SLX groupset, a nice set of wheels and a dropper (pro2 evo/arch EX or something along those lines). Tyres etc are pretty personal:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/ZXOO456EVO2/on_one_456_evo_2_frame__fork_bundle

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/mtb-parts/transmission-gears/groupsets-mtb/shimano-slx-m670-2-x-10-disc-brake-groupset.html

The brakes and fork aren’t great on the Lurcher you linked to. I’m sure there will be some 29″ fans along to counter my advice, getting a dropper in budget may take a bit of shopping around or 2nd hand. The Wanted section is surprisingly good!

EDIT: Or go for half second hand, half new. Depends on whether you’re confident selecting and building parts.

Full Suss bikes are cursed. I’ve owned two and each time my life goes horribly wrong so I’m not buying another.

Plus hardtails are way more fun.

I currently only ride a hardtail as the thought of shelling out all that money on a full suss scares me a little. As well as the maintenance…as im lazy.

My Mmmmbop does what i need, I’m not skilled enough to say i warrant moving up to a full suss. I have been on one and tackled a feature that i couldn’t bring myself to originally do on the hardtail but then I got the confidence to do it, and it wasn’t all that bad.

The comfort may be nice as rocky stuff kills my legs!! but paying more for a bit of extra comfort means i’d be having to skimp on other things…..like meals!

I’ve always lusted after a 456 as a play bike. And that looks fun. Keep the Cannondale as a xc whippet bike and maybe build one of them as a fun bike.

I had an Mmmbop and was very impressed with how capable it was on technical downhills to the extent that I wondered if I “needed” a full suss. However I do think full sussers are much better climbers when the going gets technical or the days get long.

After racing the Fort Bill DH track on a hardtail, it’s certainly expanded my mind on what’s possibly with only 130mm travel up front.

Got two hardtails and one FS. Started off on a HT, bought an FS and rode that for four years, stripped it down and built another HT. I rebuilt the FS this year and rode it about half a dozen times, it’s now in storage until next spring…I may ride it a bit then.

Good to see some love for the mmmBop. Love mine. Would be a tough one to replace if it broke.

I’ve ridden my FS about 4 or 5 times all year. It just seems like overkill for most of the stuff I ride. Getting the hardtail (P7 with 130mm forks) out is just my default position, as I prefer the more no nonsense feel to it

I keep threatening to sell the full suss and spend the money on unnecessary bling for the Orange, but I can never quite bring myself to do it. I do still love it, when I do take it out. All bikes are good fun, just in different ways 😀

Currently all my bikes are hardtails. But I do want another susser…

The stuff you said you ride; Darwen Moor, Rivi, Gisburn, is best ridden on a hardtail IMHO. There’s little to be gained from more bounce on that stuff.
(I have two f/s bikes and one h/t. 75% of the time I’d take the h/t out for those locations and leave the f/s at home)

I’ve never really ridden a FS properly, and i’m quite curious about trying one. But I simply can’t afford to build one to the spec I would like without stripping down the HT. This would mean it would have to be my one mtb, and i’m not convinced it would work out for me. I currently have a 120mm inbred 26er which I ride on anything, including trips to Snowdon and Cadair Idris. Certainly the best tool for trail centres and long climbs.

If you’re not concerned about outright speed, then a HT will go down anything, it’ll just be different to a FS. I’m quite fastidious with maintenance, but have no idea if a FS will test my patience – i’ve only ever heard hearsay about the burden of FS maintenance, is it really that bad?? Interested to know.

Then again, aluminium doesn’t rhyme with real.

I’m struggling to get anything good out of this lot:

Words and phrases that rhyme with aluminium: (0 results)

Words and phrases that almost rhyme: (15 results)

2 syllables:
minion, platinum

3 syllables:
buddhism, cubism, minimum, minium

4 syllables:
aluminum, magnesium, petroleum, titanium, unusual, uranium, zen buddhism

5 syllables:
condominium, opportunism

Words and phrases that rhyme with aluminium: (0 results)

This is one of those rare moments when being American would be beneficial;

My bike is made of aluminum,
Goes down[hill] even quicker than yo’ mum!

😉