Serious question time: Move to full sus or stay with the hard tail?

I’m at an impasse right now with my mountain bike and trying to decide whether I _need_ a full sus, or just _want_ one.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my Malt 2. It’s light, sturdy and great fun, but every time I sit on a bike with rear suspension, I just feel more comfortable and in control. I know it’s probably a lie, with the suspension just tricking me into wanting it, but should I make the move?

Leave aside the wheel size for now though, the decision itself is hard enough…

Stick with the hardtail, less things to go wrong.

If you want one, get one. It’s all for shits and giggles anyway.

I went through the same thinking. Bought a Spicy last year. Its great. But I just preferred my hardtail. Its more fun. So much so that I will be selling the Spicy in the new year and getting a hardtail again. Even though I also have a rigid 29er!

(unrelated) Are you a python developer?

I’m in the same boat! 26″ hardtail, wondering whether I move to fashion wheel size and rear suspension. Thing is is that I enjoy riding it.

I am at the same point and decided to stay with a HT for now. a full sus just looks like a more serious expensive bike, wouldn’t be comfortable leaving outside the coop when I run in to get bread or outside the pub. Not everyone can afford several bikes, I reckon if you only have one bike, make it a hardtail.

Python developer? No, infosec, although I have dabbled with Python in the past. Why?

The cost is another angle that I would have to work in. Decent and new seems to equate to over 2k these days and that is some serious coin. I could stretch that far, but I’d have a tough time justifying it if I chose the wrong wheel size and then ended up getting laughed at by everyone on here.

That said, I went out for a ride on my 26″ wheeled bike the other day and the trail did come alive, but maybe not as alive as they could have been.

Move, its more comfortable ; )

Pointless question. Ignore all that is said and go try and demo some full suss bikes and see what YOU think about them. I have both and love both. Only you will know what you prefer/want/works for you, no one else.

I’d been ridding about 5 years on a HT after a long break from BMX. Never wanted a FS then got curious, brought an Orange Five 18 mtgs ago, still got a HT for pumptrack/4x/DJ etc but would never want to loose the comfort of FS for trail ridding and just as much fun without feelin like I’ve taken a beating everytime I’ve ridden!

There are some amazing deals out there at the moment, why not take a punt?

Try some test rides if you can. At the end of the day… Full suss is generally better, except for the weight/cost/servicing. But better isn’t always better. Will your riding be made more enjoyable by a better bike?

You actually NEED both. 2 bikes, that’s all.

FS is so much more fun if your doing technical riding and trail centers also for me much more forgiving on my aching body and it makes things easier like cornering. But good to learn the skills on a HT first and keep a hard tail for longer xc rides.

I’ve had a load of full sussers but changed to a ht 3 years ago and love it. Its a Stanton slackline and preferred riding to the spesh enduro I had which just felt a bit boring in comparison.

i live how even a full suss feels just like a rigid.

you have set your sag all wrong 😉

OP if i only had one bike it would be a FS

If you haven’t had one, give it a go. It won’t be at it’s best in the mud (compared to your HT), so don’t rush into buying onethis minute, take you time and get some test rides to find what suits you. No matter what you get it’ll feel initally soft and squidgy after riding only a HT, but give it proper go (in the dry preferably).
I love my HT but I need a FSer again! (for april/may onwards)

a rigid has no absorbtion and a full suss has even absorbtion. both ends are even

I pretty much ride only my El Guapo full sus, that’s because I pointing it down and not really use my brakes.

whatever you do, dont get rid of the hardtail till you are well over the honeymoon period with your new full suss. too many people regret doing that.

Went from hardtail, to FS (medium travel, then short travel and then back to medium (140mm) again) and am now riding a 140mm hardcore hardtail (identiti aka) with 650b wheels. Happily ragged it down the trails around Hebden (steep, rocky, muddy) and on trail centre reds/blacks without noticing any reduction in speed (I’m reasonably quick).

Given that I’m not into riding huge drops or massive jumps, the only real difference in terms of my riding (and I’d suggest the majority of people on this site) is that when the terrain gets bumpy you don’t have the benefit of the rear suspension tracking the bumps and keeping that wheel glued to the ground. That means less comfort and less control as the rear end of the bike is being bucked about more. However, If you spend most of your time on terrain like this out of the saddle (I do) then you learn to use your legs to absorb more of the chatter. I also reckon that it is probably faster over your typical swoopy trail centre terrain as it doesn’t have the absorption mentioned above by jedi. To me this means that it gets spat out of corners and compressions faster than a FS as none of the energy is being absorbed by the suspension. However, this is speculation on my part and I have no scientific evidence to back this up 😉

Being a 7005 aluminium frame with the Superstar/Pacenti Tesla TL28 wheels, it is also seriously light and climbs like a goat on speed/fire/crack – delete as applicable.

I still have the 650b FS bike (transferred parts from one to the other) and will undoubtedly build it back up and keep using both, but right now if I had to make do with just the one it would be the hardtail.

FWIW the Infiniti AKA is superb. Climbs well, descends superbly and corners like it is on rails, as well as having a relatively slack head angle, short chainstays (great for popping over obstacles) and being optimised for 140mm forks. You can pick up a frame headset combo for £300 and it takes both 26″ and 650b wheels.

Sounds like you know you want a FS so go for it, they’re ace!

I’ve recently gone back to HT 26″ but as soon as funds allow I’ll be building my FS 29″ bike back up as I really miss it. The HT is a laugh but the FS is a better bike 95% of the time in my opinion.

Two of my mates went back to HT a few years back. One of them admitted defeat last year and got a new FS and is very happy he did, the other wants to go back once funds allow.

If I had a 1k budget and had to buy one bike with it that might sway me back to HT but with 2k to spend you can get a really decent FS so that’s where I’d be going. Always a good idea to demo a few though.

I always thought i’d have a hardtail whatever else I rode, But this last year – after riding them loads for 10+ years – I just went right off them. Probably getting old, My Solaris is a lovely bike but I rode it about 5 times and the last two didn’t enjoy it at all.

I’ll keep the CX bike, but the Solaris is going and I can’t see me going back to riding a HT now, I just think FS are more fun more of the time. I appreciate this may not be a widely held opinion.

Go try some. Most – if not all – of bikes at 2k are brilliant. You’re sure to find something that you like.

Agree with Alex’s post above. I can’t recommend switching to a full suss enough.

I have so much more fun now I’ve gone down the suspension route.

I’ve had my 160mm travel full suspension frame for nearly 2 years now and there is no way I’d go back to a hard tail.
For one I hate the bone shaking and always felt beat up after a ride on my HT.

I got fed up of not enjoying rides, aching and having a sore lower back.
Switched to full bounce and it all went away.

Rear suspension works, and it works well. You feel more in control because you are ! The rear end is more in contact with the ground and not skipping about like a HT. If you feel like a change then do it. I have both a HT and FS and ride the HT most of the time but as above if I had only one bike it would probably be a FS.

Also depends on what sort of HT. I went from a 160mm Enduro to a 160mm (lyrik u turns) stanton slackline.

Like i say i found the enduro just bit too boring on local trails and places like cwm carn. Came into its own on DH days but they were few and far between.

Much, much prefer the ride of the slackline

Try to have one of each.
Sounds like a cop out but I found a FS made me lazy whereas a HT makes me ride better, I had the tendency to sit down on the FS and normal trail riding became boring, the purchase of a HT cured that so to speak.

I use the FS for racing and most uplift days, that said I’m taking the HT to Bikepark Wales for some uplift action next week.

I had this a few years back went from a Stiffee to a Meta 55, just swapped parts over as I just felt like I was getting beat up after a long day on the HT. Rode the FS for about 3 years before going back to the Stiffee as I’d kept the frame. Loved getting back on it but still felt like I was being beaten up on it so sold it and went back to FS.

The key will be to test a few bikes with different travel to find what you want if you are set on going FS. Look at Canyon, Bird or YT for well spec’d good value bikes.

I’ve moved back to a hardtail out of necessity but I will be getting another full suss eventually.

It’s a completely different riding style, I currently ride hardtails on trails as though I have a severe case of dyspraxia. It’s not just having less grip, body placement and center of gravity changes in response to the terrain are entirely different.

I will be keeping the hardtail though as I reckon they make you a smoother ride.

I think age and state of body are big factors. Older ore injured more benefit from FS

I’m glad I bought an FS

I think they sometimes give the greatest benefit on the boring bits. You know a trail that is constant gradient and rouhg. So you are just getting bumped about. My FS also climbs steep climbs better than any hardtail I have owned

Buying used reduces the risks. As if you sell on after not liking it you will have lost alot less money. That’s what I did. As I love it my only regret is the loss of Warranty

Try and have both is something that I’d go along with too.

Since September my Slackline has become my main bike really….the Rune is just hanging up unused. I tried to sell it but couldn’t get what I wanted for it so will hang onto it. The hardtail doesn’t climb as well as the Rune (slack seat tube and its a bit small) but it’s great fun when you’re in the mood but can be a pain when you’re not. What I do like is that when its really grotty I can just sling it back in the garage without worrying about pivots etc.

I love long travel hardtails though. If I could only have one bike, I thnk that’s the route I’d go down.

Full sus, comfier for all day epics, my hardtail just shakes me bones to bits and ache all over half way round, wishing i’d took the full suss out.

Maintenance costs, hmmmmmmm new bearings every few years, £50?

Also majority of FS have lockout for mud, climbing, road etc etc or depending on suspension design handle this stuff like a charm anyway.

Up until now – about 10 year,s the only MTB I’ve had has been a Scott Scale 30 in carbon its been ace for almost everything EXCEPT ragging round trail centres. However, I’m getting older and more fragile and have acquired a Specialized Enduro FSR from a mate. Its a revelation in many ways, it still climbs well, has plenty of traction in our filthy muddy trails and descends as if its on rails – I’m hooked, but I wont give up the Scott for long trips, hard trails and XC racing. Get one, you wont regret it (both on 26″ wheels btw)

I bought a hard tail 29er after years of full suspension. It was fun, but by eck it beat me up after a few hours. Sold it when 2nd child came along. I’d have another for winter, but it would never be my only bike

Scratch that itch!

Ive always ridden FS, when I try a friends HT I think, bloody hell I don’t like that much.
I think its the natural evolution, HT to FS then FS 29er.

It doesn’t matter.

You do this for fun, right? I mean no one is paying you to ride a particular bike? Then ride the one that makes you smile most. Lots of people like HTs lots of people like FS.

It doesn’t matter.

Go full sus and keep the suspension stiff.

Go FS and lock the suspension out. Best of both worlds.