[Closed] It's ok to ride a hardtail…

MBR in over-generalisation shocker

What a load of bobbins.

That's one of the many reasons I stopped buying MBR and WMB years ago.

Are they that stuck for things to write.

Who came out with that rubbish? A hardtail is for paupers???? What even a Ti one??????

Are they that stuck for things to write.

What you have plucked as a quote is not actually untrue, is it? Over most terrain an FS bike will be faster, more comfortable and more accurate. Agreed the 'fun' aspect is a bit more subjective but there we go.

I read in one the other day that trail bikes must have bars at least 710mm wide, what for everyone? regardless of height and build etc? What (if like me) you find 685mm almost too wide? Full of crap imo.

I had a two year mountain bike magazine habit; at four quid a time, MBUK, MBR, Dirt and Singletrack put a bit of a hole in my not-that-deep pockets.

What was I thinking?

MBR does my nut in. I subscribed for years, but eventually got bored of the repetition and predictability of it. However, I've picked up the odd issue recently, and the pictures and layout are still pretty good, and it does inspire me to ride. It's the little nuggets of nonsense and over generalization like the one revealed above that puts me off re-subscribing.

it is deffo ok to ride a hardtail especially when it's a Cotic Soda.

thats why you should buy singletrack...

R.lepecha - Member
thats why you should buy singletrack...

Yup, my sub runs out in June.
After that, Singletrack.

I should subscribe to Singletrack too. I dont know why I keep holding back. Hmm. Must do it soon.

I go to WHSmiths an buy it instead.

They are right about the prices though, I would't be getting another full suspension bike now, if I need to buy a new bike.

I subscribed to MBR on a whim using some Tesco Club Card vouchers. I don't think I'd spend real money on it. The layout is good but content not so great. My Genesis Core 40's a great ride, real fun. Don't believe everything you read - the advertising man might be writing it.

I guess that's where singletrack and he forum come good 🙂

I've just binned my MBR sub; about half of each issue seems to have been in the preceding WMB, and vice versa, and tbh WMB seems better written.

I still look forward to ST more than either though.

Andy

Future Publishing are an evil corporate empire in thrall to design and technology standardisation and their advertisers.*

While that belief (honestly held based on the facts) may be subject to hyperbole , I find that those mags are full of shite, not in the sense of being factually incorrect, but more in terms of radding everything up to the gnarfest max or is that MBUK? I really can't tell.

Anyway a hardtail is something your dad rides and you definitely need 6" travel both ends to take on the Denture dude.

* to their credit they allow The Clinic forum to continue on cyclingnews but the chances of them getting sued are pretty slim IMO

MTB is s flow grassroots thing - support the little guy 🙂

cheers, thanks a lot 😆

I guess finding something new to say about bikes month in, month outs, must be a challenge. The sweeping statements do irritate though and I challenge anyone to ride the Monkey Trail with 760mm bars. 😀

Got an MBR sub ages ago for the free Giro helmet. Sick of reading predictable reviews along the lines of "here's another Specialized let's give it 10/10".

In the end I didn't even bother reading the mag, I just gave them away.

Full suss more fun to ride... Bollocks.

I've went from full sussers to a Cove hardtail, and wouldn't go back.

I'd be surprised if the hardtail recommended wasn't a specialized. I had a sub a couple of years ago and it became laughable that Spesh came top in all their reviews.

these magazines are produced to sell you things and feel inadequate about your self.

Nothing wrong with specialized bikes think they are very good!! My issue 😉 is just the next big thing I comfortable with my bikes they don't hold me back its my skill bottle fitness etc not the bike be that my HT or FS I've seen chaps on HTs clean stuff with real style and flow I can't get near on my FS for the reasons above! But I'm working on it!!

I like the travel parts thing like trans Wales yak attack, idiabike bc bike race the trans prov article was really good stw. Stw always had a great line in single page articles liked them. I hoped privateer would be less buy this and more ride here but first issue wasn't for me seen 2nd issue in lbs so might have a look....

Gave up MBR years ago, repetitive and boring with far too many adverts. Ride whatever bike suits your style and budget 🙂 put bar ends on riser bars on Cotic BFe 🙂 its about enjoyment after all and don`t become a slave to changeing fashions

Do people still ride hardtails then? Blimey 😯

Who [i]rides[/i] bikes anyway? Surely its just owning and talking endlessly about them on forums which is important.

I think their editorial is pretty clear. They aren't telling what to ride they are just telling you what will be faster. Full suss and wider bars will generally make you quicker. The instances where that is not true I believe are where people don't want it to be true especially where wider bars are concerned.

I may have an old copy of MBR in my garage where they claimed FS would never take off as HT are fine.

My pauper's bike cost over 4 grand FFS

[IMG] [/IMG]

[b]mtbfix[/b] What you have plucked as a quote is not actually untrue, is it? Over most terrain an FS bike will be faster, more comfortable and more accurate. Agreed the 'fun' aspect is a bit more subjective but there we go.

Do you think a £1000 full sus will always be faster than a £1000 hard tail over the same ground with the same rider? especially on sculpted trail centres which the average MBR rider probably uses it on?

So many people buy into the aspiational hype of MBR etc that "you must own so & so" or "this & that is no good."
Some people have full suss bikes for mild, barely "mountain" biking & will never use them to their full potential.
I don't like how hardtails are seen as an inferior and cheaper option.
There's some amazing HTs out there that will go anywhere like Cotic, Evil, Ragley, Dialled, Orange, Santa Cruz etc.
I've just spent close to £2400 on a hardtail, hardly a cheap option!

My pauper's bike cost over 4 grand FFS

Ah but it's only a plastic one. Could you not afford a metal one then? 😀

Do you think a £1000 full sus will always be faster than a £1000 hard tail over the same ground with the same rider?

Well, my very unscientific experiment with a £3k full-susser, v my £800 SS hardtail, revealed that while the FS was more comfy, it was also more sluggish out of corners and up hills. And from my limited observations, it's actually riders on hardtails that are often quicker than those on full sussers.

I'm sure I'd be quicker down lumpy downhill bits on a full susser, but have more 'fun'? Doubt it.

Bugger, just swapped all my running gear from my FS to my HT.

What was I thinking, back to the shed.

Jeeez

I was told today whilst out on the trails that riding FS was cheating. I suggested that FS was faster and was offered a race to prove it. Some people take riding bikes and what type of bike very seriously indeed it seems. I couldn't care less really. Perhaps I should have said I'm faster on FS which I know is true. Oh well.

So, did you win?

Didn't race and most likely wouldn't win either. 😀

was told today whilst out on the trails that riding FS was cheating

I'm probably not the best person to comment on this as most people overtake me, regardless of what they're riding.

I have noticed however that when people zoom off into the distance, the majority of people I see on FS bikes just seem to plough a straight line down the trail, regardless of what's in the way. From the back, it kind of looks like they're holding on for dear life! There are the odd exception to this and seeing someone ride a FS "properly" is educational.

A lot more people it seems on hard tails pick a line down the trail, and move around on the top of the bike a lot more too. It makes them look "better" riders. Whether that means they're going quicker or not I don't know.

I ride a hard tail as I don't like the bobbing you get on a FS and I can't really afford one.

hard tails pick a line down the trail

Took longer than normal for that to mentioned...

Just observing. 🙂

I really don't care what other people ride. I'm not good enough, or have enough experience to pass comment on which is better.

I love my trusty little hard tail, and I'm sure that whoever is riding whatever loves their bike too.

hard tails pick a line down the trail

I genuinely enjoy doing this when I'm riding my FS! But overall, I ride my HT more often.

Aren't these guys based in Croydon??

I believe so, with their sister publication Cycling weekly, which is actually okay if you like all things roadie, and their local trails are the Surrey hills.

mtbfix - Over most terrain an FS bike will be faster, more comfortable and more accurate.

Really?

What full suss would be faster than an XC hardtail up hills?

How is a full suss 'more accurate' than a hardtail?

I still remember the 'conclusive experiment that they did at a 24 hour race where they showed that the FS was whatever, 30s a lap quicker or something. Fair enough, not a bad experiment, but since WHEN do we choose our bikes based on 30s a lap saving here and there? What are we, roadies?

If that were true, why would people haul 40lb FR bikes to the top of big mountains...? Of course, we know why 🙂

What full suss would be faster than an XC hardtail up hills?

An XC full sus like this maybe:

[img] [/img]