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Ive posted a load of topics in this forum on wether to get this full suspension bike or this one, or that one etc etc but im at the point now that im questioning whether i actually need it.
I ride in kent, local stuff to me is mild singletrack mostly xc, flowy woodland stuff with a nearby trail centre to sort me out for that kind of riding but i dont do anything massively hardcore and im wondering if i need to go for my first full sus bike to scratch my next cycling itch. Ive always wanted a full sus because it looks like it can take shit and look good while doing it but my latest effort to find a decent bargain model is proving abit of a headache.
Im due my cycle scheme voucher and its £1000 so ive been scouring alot of places to see what i can get, giant, lapierre, mongoose, trek entry full sus models seem close to the mark but after reading alot of comments and reading reviews i feel il need alot more beans to get the bike that does the job and wont let me down.
now on the other hand to get a more familier hardtail i could spread my £1000 alot better im feeling.
Really what is the benefit of either type of bike? and is either more superior especially for my money i want to pay?
thanx
Oh please......not again.
Buy anything - you wont be able to tell the difference.
Surely it depends on your commute? If mostly on tarmac you'll notice the difference with a proper road bike.
I got one of those awesome looking full bouncy bikes from ASDA for £80. It's amazing! Now, I'm faster than Steve Peat with dyanmite up his arse!
Hardtail. You could get a good hardtail for 1000, whereas a full sus would be compromised in several areas.
Can you spend your voucher at Halfords? The Boardman FS is excellent VFM.
I've been through a similar thought process and went for a Spesh Camber Comp. Am I faster? Honestly, I don't know but the thrill of a new bike has got me out more! 🙂 I also feel less beaten up when I get back from a ride. Any chance of a decent days hire to see how you get on?
The £1000 mark is dangerous as it means excellent hardtail and potentially mediocre full suspension.
Bikes are different
Ride different bikes (friends, demo days, shop demos)
Work out what you like
Pick one
Can't see how the South Downs would require more than an Anthem - there are a few in the sales at the mo under a grand.
nope cant go to halfords, i did previously have my eye on the team fs. currently im swinging towards a Giant anthem x 5 with prospects to upgrade later on.
hardtail wise it would be smarter and the transition will be smoother as i allready ride a GT Avalanche. Ive pretty much got the full sus argument down but can anyone reconmend a good hartail? Cube race has caught my eye.
Does this thread happen every few days?
Go test ride both and see which works best for what you want. Simple.
No point anyone suggesting a bike, hardtail or otherwise until you've worked out where you can buy a bike from!
With 1k I would go for a hardtail, you will get more for your money and it will cost less in the long run. I love my full sus but I could quite happily go back to hardtails only. Get the right hardtail and you wont regret it.
Most shops do cycle scheme, go to a decent local shop and have a look at what they have\can get. You can't go wrong with Trek\Cannondale\Specialized\Giant, they all do good quality bikes for the money and you'll find it easy to get feedback\reviews on them.
You need to find out what brands you can get, shortlist whats in budget, see what actually grabs your attention. Once you've whittled it down to 3 or 4 bikes then it's probably worth asking for feedback on particular models and test ride them if you can.
My mate bought a Cannondale Trail SL1 recently, he wanted an alrounder hardtail for around 1k. He loves it so far, he's normally a bike snob (spends 3-4k a bike) but he just wanted something for the winter that he didn't feel the need to mother too much.
Ive always wanted a full sus because it looks like it can take shit and look good while doing it
Excellent.
is there nowt on the telly ?
I am mtbless until the autumn but I'll be getting a Ti hardtail which will be my only bike from then on. Nowhere i ride really needs a full sus and i want to build it up pretty light
i ride all the south wales trail centers and the beacons, just gone back to HT just feels right. the just started mountain biking grin is back. full sus seemed too removed from trails
You mention you already ride a bit, so what bike do you currently have? If you are just starting out I would recommend a hardtail as you will gain better skills and technique that you can transfer to a full susser in the future. This would be a good investment in your riding enjoyment and suit your local trails...which just leaves the question 26 or 29er!!!!
If you've been riding hardtail a while and are looking to progress then I would go full sus, Anthem probably a good bike to look at as the frame would be a good platform to upgrade from.
I own 2 hardtails and a full suss.
I ride my full suss over summer and love it.
I ride my hardtails over winter and love it.
I could manage without my full suss but not my hardtails.
Thurlow.
I will tell you all day, everyday to go hardtail.
I am quite local to you and recently sacked my 5.5 for another hardtail. Especially in winter.
So you should do that.
But serious question. How are your knees? How old are you?
A lot of people seem to look at hardtails as a budget option. Something for beginners that can be upgraded later on maybe. I've owned both full sus & hardtail for riding trails all over the north of England & Scotland for 20 years & these are the facts as I see them.
Firstly there are very few trails that can't be tackled on a rigid bike compared to a full sus.
Secondly on any given trail you'll feel like you're going faster on a rigid bike & that means more fun, more of the time.
Finally rigid bikes can be more reliable (no shocks & pivots to go wrong) so this means more riding & less maintenance.
Don't get me wrong, I look at full suspension bikes like the Yeti SB66 & drool occasionally, but I don't think the reality would quite live up to the dream.
Just get a hardtail, you know it makes sense.. 😀
Just get a hardtail, you know it makes sense.
+1
buy a hardtail then you can bang on continually about how much better you are
On a serious note, they both have their uses, & on a specific type of terrain one will always out do the other; but facor in the 29" wheel & the overlap is skewed a bit more. I doubt I'll ever change from a 29er HT now. It really does tick all the boxes for the riding that I enjoy, & I've always loved the feel of the hardtail. The bigger wheel seems to just take the edge off the handling, making it less twitchy & roll nicely through the bumps. If rocky/steep trail centres were my usual riding spots it would be a different story though, so consider where & what you ride.
buy a hardtail then you can bang on continually about how much better you are
+2
Hardtail is so much easier and lighter than a FS; last summer I did the High Street/Ullswater circuit with three guys on FS bikes and me on the Global hardtail, which is currently full rigid with a carbon fork. They were no faster anywhere on the ride but they had to push their bikes 3500 ft up all the hills. By the end of the ride I still had plenty left in the tank but they were all absolutely shelled.
29er HT
[i]I am mtbless until the autumn but I'll be getting a Ti hardtail which will be my only bike from then on. [/i]
Eh?
Why not buy something now, even just to get you through the next 9 months?
I have both but ride the HT more, i grew up with rigid bikes in the 90s so a HT seems like a 'proper' bike to me anyway....thats not to say i eschew FS completely, my FS gets wheeled out for the 661 Gravity Enduro races and the FoD Mini-Downhill during the winter....but for pleasure i always take the HT.
One thing to bear in mind, a narrow seat tube and consequently a narrow seat post will have a barely perceptible amount of flex but is well worth hunting out, it makes for a far more comfortable HT in my experience....wider seat posts seem to act like a conductor rod to my arse transmitting all the harshness of a HT ride....fell in love with HTs again when i got a Kona with a 27.2mm seat post.
love my full suss - cleaning is a pian, but wouldn't go back
organdonor - Member
Bikes are different
Ride different bikes (friends, demo days, shop demos)
Work out what you like
Pick one
+1
Hardtail is so much easier and lighter than a FS; last summer I did the High Street/Ullswater circuit with three guys on FS bikes and me on the Global hardtail, which is currently full rigid with a carbon fork. They were no faster anywhere on the ride but they had to push their bikes 3500 ft up all the hills. By the end of the ride I still had plenty left in the tank but they were all absolutely shelled.
In a minute someone will come along with another anecdote whereby he was on a FS and his mate on a hardtail was knackered from being thrown about by all the rocks and drops.
Whatever you get, in a year or two you'll want the other as well. Resign yourself to that fact and you won't go wrong.
If you didn't need a large car, had 10k to spend, didn't go further offroad than a driveay would you buy a VW Polo with all the bits or some sort of large Lada - same thing really.
I think I prefer riding a hardtail, but full sus is fun as well.
On a group night ride the other night between 3 of us we had a modern lightweight 120mm full sus XC bike, a 30year old fully rigid steel MTB and me on a modern aluminium 100mm Jump bike. during our ride I crashed 3 times, full sus rider once, fully rigid rider didn't crash at all. Despite being the lightest of the 3 the full sus suffered 2 thorn punctures, mine skipping gears from the mud, while the rigid bike rider didn't notice any mechanical problems and even remarked how luck it was he had 30yr old cantis when a twig almost poked his imaginary disc brake rotor. So in conclusion the 30yr old rigid mtb is what you want! It won't be easy and I'll need to buy some Strongbow but I think I could talk him into selling it for £1000.. he might even let you pay on special finance deal starting with an initial £50 payment for the suntour friction thumb shifters
If you get a HT you'll want a FS and vice verca. It's human nature.
Get the HT 1st and then get a FS later.
Hardtail, for the following reasons:
- more appropriate given your intended use: on low forest trails you can't beat a nice zingy hardtail for grin factor.
- less to go wrong therefore less extraordinary budget items
- lower routine maintenance costs too (annual rear shock service and bearing replacement is big bucks, mind you lots of people neglect this)
- you'll get something very nice for your budget.
OK now - what hardtail did you have in mind?
Can I recommend my On One from personal experience? I love my Inbred and my next will be a 456.
Get a grip GW. £1000???
I know the bike you're talking about. For £1000 you wouldn't get the grips on the bars. Its a proper classic. £2000 would be a more sensible offer.
bollox!! I'd forgotten all about the Dildo grips
Make it £3000 and i'll take it!