Yep', two hard tails. Zesty frame in the loft waiting to be ebayed.
Ride in the Peaks. I've had 2 FS bikes in the past, but just didn't feel the love for them. 26" HT for life.
Yup - Just the 456 Evo 2 and Tripster here. That's my lot - sees me absolutely fine.
Yes - 29er Hardtail
Got rid of my Kona Dawg FS back in March and built up a Bfe which has evolved since and I don't regret it! I live and ride in the Lakes (Grizedale Bridleways being my local trails) and ride everything faster on the Bfe and than I did on the Dawg!
2 x 29er HT here. Carbon best bike and an alloy one for abusing. Full sus too complicated for this bear of very little brain.
Currently my only useable bikes are my 26" HT and 26" retro rigid.
Now our lass is back at work the 29" FS frame will be built up ASAP though. It's more betterer.
Still got my Kona Cowan, the 1st orange bunch with sliding drop out and massive stays.
I would've ridden it till Dirt Mag put a Stanton Slackline in their Dirt 100.
If you can test ride any Stanton I'm pretty sure you'll never bother with a bouncer.
At 17 stone I went through frames, back wheels and then bushings on FS.
Both bikes have been put together for reliability.
Cowan is now a single speed winter hack.
I'd love a Full suspension but it'd have 180mm + travel and I'd bore my family with trips to the Alps.
Chameleon here, still got V-brake mounts, it'll be 10 years old next year!
I was about to retire it until i noticed On-one were selling some 1 1/8" Revelations.
Had an 8 month spell of just a single speed HT. while I liked the bike, I'm glad I have the option of suss and gears now
I'm rigid only at present, have been for over two years and before that was hardtail only..
I had a go on a full sus last year first go on a full sus in 30 years of riding off road.. It felt very strange
I've got an old reba fork in the shed which needs servicing which I will fit again at some point, maybe
Great loads of guys sticking with hardtails , keep it up 🙂
Solaris here
General riding, XC, singletrack, pulling 2 kids in a double trailer and a bit of bikepacking. Nothing knarly
Will be going that way soon!
Rigid 29er and a Spicy atm. Selling the Spicy as I miss riding my old mmmBop. And I actually enjoy riding the rigid more. Its not as fast and the technical stuff is quite hard on the arms. But in the end it's the grin at the bottom of the hill. That's what my bikes are for.
I've only ever ridden one FS and that was an old GT my mate had.
Put me off TBH
Hardtails only for me as I'm only a pootler anyway so a FS would be overkill.
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/vegans-arses ]Vegans, apparently.[/url] Well, one at least.
I'm hard tail only too. My bike can do more than me. It's wearing out a bit now though so bought a new bike. I thought about an FS for a long time, but couldn't justify the initial extra cost and ongoing maintenence. Got a new hard tail coming on Tuesday.
Never had a full suss either, currently running a 456 evo2, looking to get a 29er XC ht to compliment it.
Only ever had one fs - a pitch which I loved until I built up a ns surge out of spares from my shed. Broke the pitch down a week later and transferred some of the nicer parts to the surge before flogging the frame.
Yep, a fatty with carbon forks & a cross bike. Suspension feels a bit wierd now. All part of the fun getting beaten up on rocky decents, feels like you've had a workout.
Only ever had hardtails. Tried FS but prefer HT. Current bike 2014 Trek Superfly 8. A 29er is so smooth don't need a FS!
26" hardtails and a rigid 69er singlespeed for me - all steel frames too.
My 29er ht is my go to bike. I do own a fs but it barely sees light of day. I did take it out the other week but kept wishing I'd taken the ht.
I am at the moment. Bit frustrating TBH.
Seems steel frames in unfashionable wheel sizes are quite the thing 😀 Orange P7 here. I got rid of my full suss (Intense 5.5) a couple of months back, as I just couldn't justify having it any more. I reckon I'd probably used it about 3 or 4 times all year. It just sits there in the shed. When I did take it out, it felt like riding a sofa.
Whereas I'm out on the hardtail all the time. Love it!
In 24 years of obsessive mountain biking I never had a FS bike and never wanted one; I tried a few and didn't enjoy the sensation of being so out of touch with the terrain as well as the wierd feeling of sitting on a springy mattress. On top of that I couldn't see the point of adding weight, complication and expense in repairs to bearings. A fancy FS rig may be OK in bone-dry California but it's unsuitable for almost permanently wet muddy British conditions. On top of that you can't shoulder a FS bike and carry it up a mountain.
I fitted air suspension forks reluctantly when a new hardtail frame made them the only choice. I found that they did reduce fatigue on a very tough ride like the Mary Towneley Loop and I was once followed down a rocky fast section of the PBW by a bloke on a burly FS Rottweil (a DH bike I think?) who complained that I was too fast for him to get past. However the forks leaked oil from the top and when I sent them back to the importer for repair I fitted some rigid carbon eXotics and lost several kilos of unnecessary weight. I sold the repaired Rebas and on the full-rigid I could out-climb club mates on FS bikes pushing up mountains (I carried) and after completing the full High Street/Ullswater circuit I had considerably more left in the tank thanks to the lighter weight of the bike.
I just can't see the point of a mountain bike that's too heavy and complex for fast, reliable and efficient travel in mountains.
I just can't see the point of a mountain bike that's too heavy and complex for fast, reliable and efficient travel in mountains.
And when did you last go mountain biking?
Real answer from me: Blue Pig Mk1.
My forks are a bit knackered so I'm halfway to hard-nosed as well 😀
Yep, 100mm fork/26" wheel Boardman hardtail as my only MTB...
It has been modded a bit though - big brakes/wider bars/shorter stem/new wheels.
I like the idea of a full-susser, but can't justify it as tend to ride on the road more than MTB, and don't think it would be suited to muddy Kent trails.
If I got to ride on proper mountains a bit more often i'd consider it..
I have both but haven't ridden my sus for some time.
So, yeah - 100mm 26er here, too.
Is "hardtail only" a thing now?
I sold my Blue pig for an Orange 5, coincidently, I got bored of riding mtb not long after. Sure I ride faster, not as beat up riding the 5. Rode my 5 twice last year. 🙄
Is "hardtail only" a thing now?
Its the new [s]29[/s] [s]650B[/s] 26 dude! Get with the programme!!! 😉
I just can't see the point of a mountain bike that's too heavy and complex for fast, reliable and efficient travel in mountains.
My last FS bike weighed 20lbs. What does your hardtail weigh? And why can't you shoulder a FS bike?
In 24 years of obsessive mountain biking I never had a FS bike and never wanted one
Have you ever ridden a Yeti ASR?
Oh.
My.
God.
I think you'd change your mind.
However - the eternal problem, and probably the root issue behind all these discussions - complexity/upkeep.
Shock was on it's way out. I bought a Hardtail frame for the same price!
Nope because they're not as fun as a full suspension and they feel unbalanced unless you have the forks set up solid. The maintenance isn't that bad either, just get good bearings and you won't have to replace them too often.
I like my c456 hardtail, it's a lot of fun.
But, I LOVE my 160mm carbon full bouncer, it's simply amazing to ride, no matter where you happen to be riding it.
😉
I have two 650 hardtails, one rigid, one with 120mm upfront. Full sus just isn't warranted round Loughborough, and I prefer raing a hardtail.
And when did you last go mountain biking?
What's that got to do with it? I rode mountain bikes exclusively from 1987 to about three years ago when I went over CX and road bikes. During those years I competed in autumn, spring and summer Polaris events, XC races, did club night riding through the four seasons and rode up and down a fair number of British mountains and hills so I came to appreciate simplicity, reliability, low maintenence costs and light weight.
What does your hardtail weigh? And why can't you shoulder a FS bike?
With Ti frame and rigid carbon forks it must be around 9 kilos, which would be about 18-19 lbs. How do you fit a FS frame over your shoulder?
Two 26" hardtails here, a Cove Handjob and a Dialled Alpine. I had a Marin Rock Springs before which I enjoyed but went back to a hardtail for a change/simplicity. I wouldn't change them as I love riding them however I keep checking out the Whyte T130S in the LBS window.....
With Ti frame and rigid carbon forks it must be around 9 kilos, which would be about 18-19 lbs
Must it? Dangerous assumption. Ti frames generally aren't light. Heavier than some carbon FS frames.
You also said you lost "several kilos of unnecessary weight" by fitting the rigid and removing the Reba? The lightest CC rigid I can see is 750g, a Reba is around 1600g depending on model (and I am assuming 26"), so actually less than a kilo. Just sayin...
How do you fit a FS frame over your shoulder?
Depends entirely on the design, it's a sweeping generalisation, but if it's that crucial you can get one to fit the brief.
they feel unbalanced unless you have the forks set up solid.
Nope.
Correct riding of a HT requires soft legs, your forks take the front hits and your legs take the rear hits, you have loads of travel in nicely bent and supple legs.
Your point only holds water if you're riding a HT with stiff locked out legs or sat down over rough ground...in which case it is a technique issue and not a fault with the HT design/principle.
What's that got to do with it? I rode mountain bikes exclusively from 1987 to about three years ago when I went over CX and road bikes.
Bikes have changed and so has what's expected of them. I love my hardtail but I prefer my full-sus for enduro races, general riding when it isn't deep/thick mud and uplift days. It's a better bike but so it should be!
With the hardtail I definitely notice I have to be more independent of it and let it rotate fore and aft as the forks compress/extend.
Nope.Correct riding of a HT requires soft legs, your forks take the front hits and your legs take the rear hits, you have loads of travel in nicely bent and supple legs.
Your point only holds water if you're riding a HT with stiff locked out legs or sat down over rough ground...in which case it is a technique issue and not a fault with the HT design/principle.
I see what you're trying to get at but it's just not the same as having a bike with matched suspension at both ends IMO. I know how to ride a bike, and I just prefer the balanced feel a FS has. Plus that springyness you get when you compress right into a berm feels awesome. I'd rather ride fully rigid than hardtail again.
I'm in the ride what you've got camp. That happens to be a hardtail at the moment as I broke my full suss and can't really afford to replace it at the mo.
Having said that, don't think I'm enjoying my riding any less on the hardtail (not sure it has slowed my down much either - must have been mincing on the bouncy bike)
