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  • Upgrading starter hardtail v full susser
  • redspaniel
    Free Member

    Hi all,

    First time of posting even though I have been reading for a whilst.

    I am currently facing a dilemma many of you would have been through in whether I should upgrade my current entry level hardtail or buy a full susser.

    At present I ride the newly built blue trails around Bristol and Forest of Dean. I did Cwmcarn in Wales with my mates and that was like a rodeo ride.

    Whilst I like the hardtail I intend to start doing more red runs at places like Afan, Cwmcarn etc where the terrain will be a lot more suited to a longer travel than my current 100mm and a full susser.

    As such I was wondering what the general consensus would be.

    My view is that upgrading the hardtail, forks mainly will only be suitable for a whilst, will be sufficient for what I currently do and help me to learn things suck as choosing proper lines.

    A full susser would enable me to go faster, have better kit, will cope with more trails and will last longer than the upgraded full susser.

    Your opinions would be greatly received.

    Thanks
    Redspaniel

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Have a look at this thread or one of the OP’s others (@bobbyg)

    Personally my starter hardtail at £350 was not worth upgrading so I went to FS as I had the budget and it was the recommendation of my riding buddies who were all FS from 100m to 160mm bikes

    nick1962
    Free Member

    Just to confuse you even more I would recommend you go for a slack long travel hardtail.Surely some of your mates must have one for you to try out? FS may seem the panacea when you are on a 100mm starter hardtail but I doubt it really is and a 100mm full sus is a completely different beast from a 160mm FS bike.Each with pluses and minuses but depends on your riding which will probably change as you get better and ride more.
    BTW I have just recommended a 160mm El Guapo on another thread so feel free to flame me for inconsistency 🙂

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    davidtaylforth
    Free Member

    You are shit on a bike.

    Go on a skills course or spend some time learning how to ride properly.

    gingerss
    Free Member

    It depends on your existing bike really. I’m not convinced full suspension is an upgrade as such, but more a different type of bike and something that probably defines your riding style more so than a hardtail. I guess where I’m coming from is that until you’ve established what your style is it might be difficult to choose the right bike, and you risk being left disappointed after spending a lot of money. They also require more maintenance and inevitably money spent.

    If you’re new to MTB then I’d recommend sticking with the hardtail a while longer and maybe think about spending some money on a skills day or two rather than hardware.
    I wouldn’t say red runs are something that would justify a medium to long travel full bouncer, and I’ve ridden red and black runs plenty of times on my hardtail.

    So in summary, if your current bike is pretty good aside from forks then upgrade them. If there are a few things that need attention consider a better hardtail. There is a school of thought that says you learn to ride on a hardtail and moving to a full suspension bike too soon means you don’t learn technique so well.

    If you’re dead set on full suspension next then something that’s a good all rounder might be best, e.g. specialized stump jumper.

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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