[Closed] Full Suss to Hardtail... Dilemma.

Bugger that, rode HT for years cos I thought FS were big slow heavy things. What a fool I was, I'll never go back.

I went FS to HT about 3 years ago and initially it's a shock but once you get over that you realise it's a different ride and you need to get those skills back in place to ride and ride well.

Made the jump don't regret it but it is different. I don't get a huge service bill each year for one!

James

One of each- ride the HT through the winter.

If the question is, ‘one bike to rule them all’, the I reckon a 120 travel 29er HT is the answer.

I'm getting older too and am fortunate to have one of each to choose from. I just seem to ride the HT (Yelli Screamy) since I bought it (about a year ago). Last time the FS came out in anger was at BPW, that must be 2 years ago.

Have a look at the new Bird 29er HT. Looks quite exciting for the money.

I ride hard tails coz at my age I can get that ‘on the edge’ feeling at a speed I’m more comfortable with... 🤣

I've got a HT, a 120mm FS and a 160mm FS and they all ride completely differently. The HT is great for pootling days or fire road bashing to work on fitness but tiring on the rough stuff. The 160mm FS is great for bike park days and days out in big mountains but far too much overkill for general riding. The 120mm FS is best for general riding at trail centres and local exploration with the odd bit of sillyness but can do gentle stuff with more comfort than the HT. My riding is varied enough to justify having all 3 but If i Was in your situation I'd choose the 120mm FS as it is the least compromised the majority of the time. Just having the HT would mean I'd be battered after a long ride from the rear having little give.

If I was you I'd rent a HT and a short travel FS for a day and see what suits best if the Genius is too much bike for your riding, then you can make an informed decision.

Personally I wouldn’t make that jump - if I had to have one bike only it would be an FS - just probably a trail bike around 120-130mm travel and nothing ludicrously slack so it could be a jack of all trades. Maybe something like that new whyte s120 or any number of the other similar bikes.

Or you could split your budget and get a £1500 hardtail and £2000 fs. Something like a Vitus Escarpe 650b for the £2k and a more xc orientated 29er hardtail for the more sloggy xc days.

I don’t know how old / broken you are, but whilst I like riding my hardtail for certain things I find my lower back will tolerate less than it used to. For big trail centre type days with 50k of riding is still take my 160mm travel enduro bike. The hardtail gets used for pushing really hard on short local rides, and will also be used for mid length natural type rides where you getting longer sections of smoother trail lacking in features.

Huge service bill? I've had my t130 for 2 years and apart from a BB and headset, not touched it. Whyte bearings are lifetime warranty too.

I don't see any reason these days for a HT. The FS bikes now do everything brilliantly

I don’t get a huge service bill each year for one!

Another myth.

Edit - 46 seconds weeksy! 😊

Got an old 90's rigid Diamond Back (Deore XT) and a newish FS - I ride the FS more as it's much more comfy (broken spine 3 years ago). The old bike is good for the slop.

Thanks all for the informative responses.

FS may be the sensible options from some of the replies.
Certainly due to my dicky back and age...

Never thought of the shorter travel FS 29'r.

Cheers

Selling my Devinci Atlas Carbon in Large if you are interested in short travel fs. Great build Pikes, Thompson dropper and new wheels.

The shorter travel 29er could be a good option as it’ll roll fast and over stuff easier. So it could do the easier stuff but cope with more hard stuff than a smaller wheeled fs might.

something like a transition scout would fit the bill.

Seriously dodgy back here, but I have ridden my Yeti SB 95 twice this year, rest of the time it has been dominated by a Ti stooge full fat rigid bike and the year before a half day steel stooge. I prefer the rigid, and I manage rock gardens okay slow but that is fine, Strava tells me at trail centre I am a few seconds to a few minutes slower but I am enjoying myself more.
The yeti will be going soon.

I'd be looking at a Spark (either 29 or 27+). The Twin lock system makes it ride like a HT when you want and a FS for the rest of the time. I guess your Genius has the same but is perhaps a bit too much bike for most of what you do. The Spark may be just the compromise you want. I have a 710 and run it with 29" wheels to raise the BB a little. Great bike.

I've got both and like both. Horses for courses isn't it? To say there is no reason for a ht nowadays is bs. My carbon honzo race is an excellent bike and at the other end of my uzzi 275 which makes most trails seem flat. Most of the time I'm out on a ht, be it 29+,29,27.5+ or normal 27.5. After trying lots of bikes over many years it seems a ht is my go to ride, the most pb's I ever got were on a trek stache 29+.

I’m currently down to a hardtail and a CX in my ‘active’ bikes and happy with my choice, but if I was looking for a ‘one bike’ I’d probably be taking a close look at a mid-long travel 29erer of the new school- like the Whyte S150...

I ride both but mainly a HT as I just find it more fun. I reckon HT can happily hammer round any UK trail centre and certainly any stuff round Winter Hill. Definitely tubeless though. Easier to clean as well!

I have only recently (last year) had a FS. Its a Cannondale Prophet that I put together cheap, so on that basis, I'm happy to have it. But I'm not 'in love' with it, and rarely choose to ride it, hardly at all on local stuff so mostly just for weekends away etc (x2 per year). Part of that is probably it is not that modern in term of geometry (high, not very long, not especially slack) and front end lifts too easily on climbs). Partly I haven't really gelled with it.

Am sure I would get on well with a more modern FS bike.

At your budget, I'd probably have both (£2k FS, £1.5k HT). But would also seriously be tempted by a modern, high end Ti HT.

If I had a lower budget (<£2k) and/or limited to one bike, it would probably be a HT.

Have a Spectral. Never ride it. Had a aluminium HT, was harsh. Now have steel HT, perfect ride. Not harsh, but still direct and fun. Great for skills too. Love it.

I had a Cotic Solaris, which I've had for about 18 months & recently split it down to sell.

Reason being, I have a light 130mm FS 29er trail bike, which is basically better at everything.

If I had to have one bike, it would still be my Fuel EX. Built up it is lighter than my high end Solaris build anyway. Yeah it will need some bearings at some point, but for the sake of 50 quid on them, I'd rather spend the money riding something I wanted to.

My experience......

This year I went from Orange Four to Cotic Soul, I’m now looking at the new Whyte S120.

The Four felt a bit ‘buss-like’ but it was pretty fast and comfortable, it however never really felt right for me.

The Soul is nice, it’s perky on the trails at QECP and not a bad bike for the XC distance stuff on the SDW, but it’s not as comfy as a FS.

Based on this I’m seriously considering a short travel 29er FS as my one bike for off road. I just can’t make up my mind though.

However if I’m 100% honest the Soul is more than adequate for my needs and the sensible thing is to keep and ride that.

All I can really say is buy whatever bike will make you happy and want to ride it.

Re: the back issues with hardtails. After a bad crash four years ago I was provided with some NHS physio and I've kept the exercises I learnt going since. I now ride a hardtail full time and rarely suffer from back issues. Cutting down on driving has helped too.i don't think bike choice is a big factor.

I tend to ride my bikes depending on which ones mucky and needs a clean Or the distance or route I fancy ..

Fullsus 130mm is the one I’d keep, fast turn of speed and comfy, saying that I do love my lefty 29er for longer smoother days, but this week it’s been all about the chameleon 29er 2.3s tyres riding rowdy, that said I think I’m gonna stick my 2.8s on in the next few weeks , for true riotous off-road action
also enjoy my diverge drop handle for a quick hour to keep the fitness up

Ps. If you can afford it keep hold of your current bike and sell only when u are happy with the new stead

Certainly due to my dicky back and age

= short travel full sus.

I had a similar dilemma. Having owned a few short travel 29ers, i fancied trying a hardtail but was worried about the harsh ride. A couple of mates had Trek Stache's 29+, running the tyre pressures at 12 & 14ish psi, and raved about them. I bought one 10 months ago, 9.8 carbon and it is the best most fun bike i've had. I bought it as a winter ride initially but ever since its been my go to ride out the garage. My high end Yeti SB4.5c was sold as it just wasn't getting used, I have no regrets selling it, if you want a super fun, capable and surprisingly fast rolling hardtail that won't give your back and ass a hard time then give the Stache a consideration, i'd recommend it to anyone. And i've owned some top bikes.

A sore back after riding a HT isn't because you've been riding a HT, it's because of other stuff. I've chopped and changed between HTs and FS last couple of years and every time I go back to my HT I realise how lazy the FS makes me.

Been through all sorts of bikes and spent way too much trying to figure it out. Now I've got a Cube Reaction GTC hardtail for marathon/distance events and decided to keep my Hightower for the 20-30 mile all day rides.

I bought a Scott Spark just over a month ago to replace the Hightower, thinking it would be perfect for my sort of riding. It was fast, light and so responsive and did far more than a 100mm XC race bike should be capable of in my hands, but I just didn't gel with it.

Going to get the Spark up for sale soon and just chalk it down to an expensive mistake 🙂 Narrowed my style of bike down to something like a typical 120-130mm 29er trail bike. I like a good climber as well as a lively, rocky descent on my rides.

In your shoes, I’d get something like a Smuggler and a Stooge. Oh, I did.

I am an antique riding a fairly antique Soul and a 29er 140mm FS . I find I ride the HT a lot more than the FS and when it came time to get a new bike I went HT. However, this may have had more to do with cash than a genuinely unbiased choice!

Love my P7 but if I could keep just one bike, it would be the Five. You're riding different places though, so maybe the new hardtail will be fine as your only bike.

I do a varied mix of riding generally, bit of all sorts, and have settled on a Cotic Flare as my one bike to do it all, currently with the 120mm reba I had on the Soul before it. Might go 130mm at some point.

Seems to fit the bill for me, it's the original geometry, not long shot, which I think is probably better for general 'mountain biking' and it's much more lively, poppy and more akin to a hardtail than the Bird Aeris 120 I had before, which while hugely capable felt dull and too composed if anything.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I think a may stay FS, and possibly go down the Whyte route.
Some more reading required and a few visits to my lbs's.

Cheers

I do a varied mix of riding generally, bit of all sorts, and have settled on a Cotic Flare as my one bike to do it all, currently with the 120mm reba I had on the Soul before it. Might go 130mm at some point.

Seems to fit the bill for me, it’s the original geometry, not long shot, which I think is probably better for general ‘mountain biking’ and it’s much more lively, poppy and more akin to a hardtail

I was pretty much going to post this. Years of riding and loving hardtails, but starting to feel a little beat up. Found a Flare for a great price (never thought I’d be able to afford one) and pretty much paid for it by selling my Stif Morf.

27.5 wheels, 140mm fork and it goes uphill just as well as any of the hardtails I’ve owned. The bonus is that it’s so much better going down. Truly a great all rounder and ideal for any riding I’ve come across in the UK. Brilliant for my local routes and okay for bimbling about too.

Was in my lbs earlier, had a good look at some of their Orbea FS bikes, bloody nice, he reckons he's selling way more of them than anything else he stocks, SC, Focus, Saracen, Yeti, orange, genesis, Marin, cervelo, Ridley, mondraker...

I've done plenty of testing and various routes on the 29er HT and Whyte T-130

On one particularly hill in Burgundy i was 4s slower going up it, with 10mins climb time, but coming down i was nearly 2 mins quicker on the Whyte. I can live with 4s slower going up.

FS's these days are not the slow lardy things they once were.

That last genius platform was a brilliant trail bike but needs to be in carbon to make it it's best. My 700 premium was probably sub 26lbs but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as good at 30+lbs.
As above, I wouldn't go to a hardtail as my only bike as they really aren't that forgiving and my back hurts even planning to ride my scale.. However the new (2017/18) spark plus is faster everywhere than my old platform genius was and an absolute blast to ride.
This is where I'd look before moving over to hardtail only.
That said, I'm trying to decide on a light long low slack steel hardtail to replace my winter scale plus.

Presumably the £3.5k budget includes the proceeds of selling your current bike? If so, i'd say keep your current bike, buy a nice hardtail for substantially less than £3.5k and then spend the next couple of years swapping between the two to help you decide 🙂