• This topic has 4 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 15 years ago by ajf.
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  • What to build?
  • ajf
    Free Member

    I wan to learn a bit more about bike mechanics so thought I would go down the tried and tested route of building up a bike but I am stuck between a hardcore hardtail or a full suss.

    So I appeal to the madness and bias of singletrackworld

    What would you build ? Hardcore hardtail or full suss? as an all day mess bike for the rough stuff

    disclaimer – I may ignore your opinion completely but I am looking for both suggestions and reason to help me in my choice.

    mboy
    Free Member

    Bit of an open question bearing in mind you don’t say what type of riding you do, what bikes you already own, where you tend to ride, what your budget is, or many other variables!

    ajf
    Free Member

    I have a hardtail at the moment. A rock lobster with 100mm of front travel. A bit of a trail and singletrack beast. Can eat up the miles nice an easy so in reality I have virtually everything I need in a bike there.

    But thats not the point! I want another!, or more to the point I want to learn mechanics before I tinker with my new one and f*ck it up.

    I figure the bit I miss out on is with casual rides with mates where I am blatantly faster so I want a slow comfy bike that goes up and down easily but is not essentially fast. So that narrows it down to the hardcore hardtail or a medium scale full suss.

    Obviously as mentioned this is not gospel but I would love some opinions on why I should go for one or the other.

    I have an idea what I want to do but interested in other opinions.

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    mboy
    Free Member

    If you are genuinely faster than your mates, and you want a bike that’s comfier and a bit more fun than your current hardtail, I’d get a decent travel full sus bike personally. Something with a decent amount of travel (think 5″ or more both ends), circa 30lb or so, big disc brakes, 2.3″+ tyres etc. This will slow you down a bit on the ups (and also make you fitter still!) for your mates to catch up, but it’ll be a whole heap of fun on the downs…

    A Hardcore Hardtail is going to be more fun to ride than your current bike on the technical stuff and the DH, but it’s not going to be any more comfy. I’ve got 3 bikes right now, a lightish steel hardtail with 120mm forks, a lightish full sus XC bike, and a fairly burly long travel (170mm) full sus bike. Of the 3, if I had to do without one, as much as I like it, it would probably have to be the hardtail. Now I’ve had a lot of hardtails that I really like over the years, but ultimately I can do everything I can with a hardtail on my full sus bikes, only more comfortably (and hence for longer, and more enjoyably most of the time)… This is all in my opinion of course, others will disagree. Mountain biking is a hobby that is highly subjective and open to personal preferences though, as you probably well know.

    Either which way, whatever you do, building it yourself is a good way to learn more about the mechanics of bikes, and how to fix things yourself. Which is the best way to keep more money in your pocket for spending on more bike bits in the future!

    ajf
    Free Member

    interesting points mboy! just what I was looking for.

    Agree that it is all subjective but this is all a bit of a play thing and a great way to learn.

    Thats the point of the post though. Why would one choose a hardcore hardtail over a full suss if fun is the only consideration? If it comfort? it because of speed on the downhill?

    Mates on both by the way. They can’t tell me as I am faster on a trike with stabilisers. The joys of running means you are okay on a bike,

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