HARDtails (or why FS makes you lazy!)

Timely thread this. I’ve been riding hardtails exclusively for 20 years and definitely appreciate the skills they give you aswell their slight limitations. Only ever had one bike at a time and get to know each one very well.

Just finished a build today. I bought one of those Grapil frames on the PSA thread as a cheapish experiment really; took all the bits off my Ti456 and heading for some decent Welsh hills for a test ride, where i found the limits last of my hardtail last year. Gonna be fun!

Every time I hear a Youth criticise anything about a modern bike I want to make them ride my old rigid carrera at gunpoint. “Oh these Avid brakes suck, they barely slow you down man!” “Let’s see if you still say this after riding the altus cantis mother******” “This suspension fork is…” “**** YOU! Bent bit of steel for you!” “These tyres…” “These are made of leather!”

Never mind yoofs, I have to have a word with myself along those lines on a regular basis!

I prefer HT riding. They make the downhill bits last longer even at 10/10ths. Exactly like my GT86 on track makes driving on the limit more exciting.
And I will confess enjoying occasionally overtaking poorly ridden FS bikes or outcornering powerful cars through Adenau Forest.

FS only makes you lazy if you let it. It’s all down to the rider, in the end. If you become lazy, blame yourself, not the bike.

I think it’s most important to ride what you enjoy, if you enjoy your full sus ride that, if you prefer a hardtail then ride that. If you want to chop and change depending on mood/weather/location then do that.

I have started hammering a BMX around my local woods for a similar reason – to keep my skills sharp/er and to improve.

Seems to be working, although I do crash a fair bit!

Well just to show i’m not a mono-interest cyclist i was back on the big bouncer hitting the DH runs at FoD today. Glad i wasn’t on my HT! (i’d have crashed 😉

I ride full sus most the time for xc and trail centres. I started riding rigid over the winter and didn’t notice a loss of skills. Just had to think more and use my legs more.

If you ride full sus properly you just go faster on the rough stuff than if you were on a hard tail.

i rode the nidderdale round today. hand on heart, i do not think i could ride it on a hardtail anymore. i have in the past, on a stiffee, a kona hoss, and a couple of hardtail 29ers. 5 year layoff has made me very soft….. 😆