So many people say you dont need a full suss in the u.k, spend your money on a decent hardtail..

Some people will only ride hardtails, I want to hear from you hardtail fans and tell me why you love them so much?

simple, less to go wrong, lighter, quicker up hill (generally), more involving ride – not just “point and shoot”.

i can ride everything that the FS guys i ride with ride. may take a little longer on some stretches. they can ride flights of steps or certain technical bits quicker than I but I may be quicker on other sections.

swings and roundabouts.

My hardtail’s great
My full-sus is great(er)

swings and roundabouts.

I have one of each and after only riding a FS for the past year I wheeled out my HT and loved it. So I am getting a larger frame that fits me better now. Still love FS tho.

Is it that time already?

I tried FS albeit many years ago and I prefer the ride of a hardtail. You generally do have to think a lot more riding them. They can be quicker than fs in isome circumstances eg I beat my missus uncle on a run down as there was stuff could roll over fast that his suspension slowed him down on absorbing. At the end of the day it’s personal preference. I love riding a fully rigid singlespeed off road as well as my geared front susser, but that’s hell to some folk.

I’d say a full suss is more confidence inspiring, borrowed a DH bike and instantly started droping off stuff i’d have baulked at on the hardtail.

Full sus is also faster on anything but a fire road, in which case you’d be faster on a road bike.

For me its purely a cost/simplicity thing. I’d have a full sus in a jiffy if i could justify it. Anyone got a medium prophet SL frame?

“there was stuff could roll over fast that his suspension slowed him down on absorbing”

I think he needs to learn to ride a full suspension bike…

one big difference between F/S and hardtail for me – I’m always going faster on the F/S bike when things start to go wrong and have less time to react and sort it out…

I switch between hardtails and full sussers and they both have things in their favour. I like hardtails for being simple, reliable and relatively cheap to replace if (when!) they break. I also like the way that they force you to think about certain aspects of your riding more (eg line choice) which transfers into all your riding (inc riding full sussers).

I also like the relative lack of hassle/care needed when cleaning after muddy rides…

IME theres bugger all difference between FS and a geared hardtail when it comes to maintenance. Maybe thats because I run a turner?

All the bits that need majority TLC are present on both the bikes TBH (forks, brakes, Transmission)

All of the above, less to go wrong, less expensive, lighter (generally), more involving. I’ve had full sussers, and they absolutely have their place, and I’d probably even recommend a full susser to a new rider, as they have obvious benefits. But personally, I just love the way that HTs ride, the feeling of just balancing the traction/speed on corners, the utterly predictable break away, the feeling of greater speed, knowing that pulling off a move on a HT means just that little bit more commitment.

Now, I wouldn’t ride anything else.

I ride both, it depends where I’m riding and why. FS is great all day in Wales, you get less tired and it has a talent compensator element to it. Hardtail forces you to ride it more actively (ie no talent compensation), its fun but more tiring in some ways I think. Then again are you comparing a heavy FS with bad pedal dynamics? go the hardtail

Hardtail is way easier to clean. You will generally get a better component spec for similar money.

I dont think I could choose one or the other. If you had too I’d say hardtail since you probably arent riding as much? then again when I only had one bike it was a FS.

Would it be like saying you dont need a sports car if you mainly drive to work in traffic and only use the “sport” element once a month? You dont need it, but its fun when you have it!

It also is dependant on your own level of ability. I tended to be lazy & let the suspension take the bumps. Now I’m mostly riding hardtail, I’ve been shown how to pump (nowhere near mastered it) to get most use out of the trail and move around on the bike more.

One of the last times I was out, my mate was on his Charge and was passing the local Trek owners club (a bunch we caught up with on GF, Klein & Trek full susers). He’s a v smooth rider and maintains speed into corners, whereas the others were hammering into the bends, braking to a standstill and then having to build up speed again.

Having come from 2 xc FS bikes to a Norco hardtail, the ups and flats can be a bit harder (but I’m fatter & less fit when I was riding the XC bikes), but the downs are more enjoyable.

Whatever the category it’s still just about riding & having fun.

Any bike is fun. I have a hardtail because they take less looking after and I’m lazy. I don’t really miss my fs but it was a better climbing bike possible less fun decending than the ht but that is all about the head angle imho.

i know a few people who ride 5″/6″ travel fs and it seems way more bike than they need but they seem happy so if the cap fits.

one thing though i could ride my fs for hours but my ht does batter me a bit after a while.

my advice would be go fs if you can afford it but get a single pivot, much easier to look after.

The turning point for me was riding down a section I usually struggle with on a 7″ full susser as if it was a tarmacked road (well Sheffield tarmacked). Took the fun and challenge out of the trail. I now mix and match between hardtail & full sus depending on what sort of challenge I’m up for.

“IME theres bugger all difference between FS and a geared hardtail”

scienceofficer try telling that to anyone who rides a fs specialized during the winter.

I ride a hard tail because I am a cheap bike slut.

Lol!

I did say IME.

Relboy I just read it and he isnt far off. The bearings dont go that often and while its a pain to clean the mud out of all the various holes it gathers in thats about the only difference maintenance wise.

– I’m hopeless at setting up rear shocks
– Slow riding can seem very fast and tricky.
Plus I once owned a Spesh Stumpjumper frame- it ironed out and deadened the trail. I was faster but it wasnt ‘fun’.

To be fair, I’ve ridden on the Mendips for about 10 years now, so my cleaning schedule, choice of bike an maintenance principles are, shall we say, quite well honed…

😉

Personally, i went back to a HT to re-learn how to ride a bike properly, think about line choices and have the chance to try singlespeeding.

I’ve found that i’m learning sod all and still riding like i’m on a FS and that singlespeeding isn’t all that hard work (well perhaps a bit!)

I’d not say it’s better than a full suss, just different…guess it comes down to wants more than needs.

I have both, and enjoy riding both but all in all I prefer my hardtail. 90% of the time a good rider on a hardtail will be faster and smoother than a hack on a full susser. With the exception of proper dh courses I rarely feel the need for full suss. Time spent on the hardtail gives you perspective for when you do get on a full susser – it teaches you to exploit the benefits that rear sus provides, and it teaches you how to get the most out of your forks…how to be smooth, find fast flowy lines etc

Some great info there chaps… The only thing that makes me want a full suss over the hardtail is the fact that people keep saying that you need a full suss for “all day rides” and you cant do all dayers on a hardtail.

I will be doing all day rides in the future, so i dont know what to do… you get so much more for 1500 quid wjen it comes to hardtails 😐

North84

The only thing that makes me want a full suss over the hardtail is the fact that people keep saying that you need a full suss for “all day rides” and you cant do all dayers on a hardtail.

People talk a lot of shit sometimes though, don’t they.

they do yeah

A hardtail is fine for all day rides – anyone who says they’re not is talking poppycock ;). An xc/trail/enduro type full sus is just generally less wearing and therefore often quicker overall. It’s also more forgiving when you’re tired and start making mistakes.

I’ve got a 130mm steel hardtail and a 130/100mm XC FS bike. Both weigh exactly the same.

The hardtail is just more fun, it makes me ride more aggressively, makes me take more risks and push myself harder.

The FS is less exciting, less involving, but obviously more comfortable for a long day’s riding.

I’m not really bothered about which is objectively faster, but which bike will be more fun and which will make the ride more enjoyable. Different bikes for different rides.

I don’t agree with the line about you can’t do all-dayers on a HT. I regularly do, and on a Chameleon, only last weekend I did 5 hours in Wales on one, and have done peaks rides…You just need to set them up right, carbon/something with a bit of give post, slightly plumper saddle, big tyres works for me.

But, look, this is all relative, if you want both types of bike, then get them, the idea is to have as much fun as you can, If that’s on a FS then that’s cool, if it’s a HT, that’s cool as well.

I do all day rides on my hard tail, you would not believe the amount of comfort a steel frame gives over an ali one. (though I am not saying you cant do the same on ali…)

I was riding infornt of this guy once, who was getting beaten up on his ali hardtail and when we stop he commented that he could see the flex in my rear stays and I was able to ride seated while he had to stand.

That combined with a carbon seatpost and a nice comfy brooks swift/swallow and you will be laughing.

I have owned sussers and liked them, but never as much as a good HT.

You could build yourself a very nice Cotic Soul for £1500 – thats an all day HT you could take anywhere and do anything on.

a hardtail is elegant.
a hardtail is lighter.
a hardtail feels direct and responsive.
a hardtail has a certain “je ne sais quoi”.

You’ll be fine on a hardtail for all day rides.

There is no ‘better’ when it comes to this stuff, only ‘different’. Therein lies the beauty of mountain bikes.

I have a hardtail and a full susser. I ride them according to my mood as much as anything else. I will admit to riding the hardtail in wet conditions a little more often. I just seem to prefer it in the wet. I think this is due to the fact that in dicey conditions, the ‘benefit’ of full suss is diminished and the feedback from the backwheel is more useful on slippery limestone and roots.

I did the Mary Townley loop (80km) on my full suss whilst my pals were on HTs. They are both much fitter than I am (they have done some stupidly hard events) but both noticed how much more comfortable I looked for an all day epic. My full suss certainly leveled the playing field and they promptly went out and bought their own. If you like big all day rides I would recommend (lightweight) FS.

That said, some trails are now quite boring and too easy on my full suss so I do have a HT (with rigid forks) as well! Definitely room in my bike quiver for both

you would not believe the amount of comfort a steel frame gives over an ali one.

As a general statement, no I wouldn’t 🙂 and that’s having had plenty of both. There are plenty of steel frames that are no less harsh than most alu frames and actually visa versa. Seatposts, saddles and tyres most likely make a much bigger difference than most frame differences.

And ‘this guy’ must have had exceptional eyesight – try doing the maths on frame tubes to work out how much force you have to put through a triangulated structure to get it to move more than a fraction of a mm…

when we stop he commented that he could see the flex in my rear stays

Rad to the power of sick!

a rigid is elegant.
a rigid is lighter.
a rigid feels direct and responsive.
a rigid has a certain “je ne sais quoi”.

A whole 5 hrs 🙄

Wow

it all depends on where you ride as to what is best.

if you are riding big rocks all day then a full suss may be best for your back/kidneys. if you are riding smooth singletrack with a few roots then HT all the way.

hourses for courses.

mainly will be riding red routes at trail centres such as Llandegdla but will also be doing long rides such as mountain mayhem and that type of thing..

Looking at Giant xtc1 £1250, and trek 8000 £1200.

Full sussers I was looking at were Trek ex8 £1600 and Giant trance x 3 £1600.

This is a huge decision for me and i wana get it right!