I'm thinking of selling my Cove HJ, as I have more bikes than I can ride and it sort of crosses over with my Trance in terms of what it's for.

I like the Cove, wouldn't want any other hardtail, I just like the Trance far more.

But I've always had a steel hardtail, love the feel of it etc – and I've got a nagging worry that I'll realise I've made a terrible mistake and somehow won't be a proper MTBer anymore (yes I hate that sort of BS, but what if…)

Anyone else gone completely over to FS and never looked back? Reassure me please.

Can't help you. Only two proper bikes (ones with gears) are a Trance and an Enigma steel hardtail. There's a Kona HT SS, but I don't ride it much coz my knees don't like me after. I've had the trance for a couple of years, but I just built the Enigma because I was missing the fun of the geared HT thing. It's soooo much fun, just a different type of fun to the Trance.

Keep it. You'll miss it!

sold my kona h/t to fund a bit of my trek top fuel, and I love it…. having said that I do now have 2/3 of an on-one in my lounge as I missed the h/t experience.

if you can afford to keep it cash and space wise, then do.

You'll regret it! I moved on to a full suspension bike a while back, but i would never not own a hardtail. I can ride the same trails on the HT and the FS and enjoy it in completely different ways. full sus makes everything so smooth and flowy, but the connection you feel with the trail when on a hard tail – and the extra skill required – are unrivaled. if it were me, i wouldn't sell unless you really need the money.

You might, you might not, nobody can answer this one for you I'm afraid. I'd sooner have just a hardtail than just a full suss, but I doubt that's typical.

Are you mad?

Winter is coming…

Hardtails rule in winter conditions… 🙄

Keep it til spring

yes

I've yo-yo'd for years between HT and FS.

I miss the HT as its gone now. Certainly missed it the other day trying to get my Enduro (still in in Alps guise) round Gisburn Forest! Either I've lost lots of fitness or my bike is really really heavy.

I miss the "having to pick a line" thing and whilst blasting through stuff on the enduro is great in a huge safety net sort of way, its not as demanding as a HT. Certainly my last spell on a HT improved my riding no end.

I always maintained that fs is a skill compensator.

I don't miss rear punctures (lardy chap who rides quite hard), chainsuck of my 456 summer season though.

I do miss the simplicity, the directness of drive, the weight, the distance I could cover on it, how easy it was to get up hill

That said, i sold the 456 frame and forks and bought a hybrid thing that gets a ridden to work and it flys…..compared to any mountain bike. 😀

Is the Cove actually costing you anything and do you need the sale money? If the answer to both questions is no then keep it. Ive been FS for about 2 years and want my HT back (luckily my old man has the frame on loan) and after havin a ride on a Soul last night confirms I do really want a HT again.

I think its best to have both even if they are built for the same sort of stuff they will give different rides.

My first try of FS was a fun, bouncy but not the best uphill Kona but now I find that of my 3 mountain bikes two are hardtails and the other (Epic) spends much of the time pretending it's a hardtail anyway.

I should have known better than to ask this question on here.

Maybe MBR have a forum that I could ask on instead?

you'll always miss what you don't have

You'll regret it, I've been riding nigh on 20 years. Started on a HT, just selling my FS & I'll be staying with my HT. Unless you do Le Gets (etc, regularly) no point in a FS, as far as I'm concerned that is.

I also have a cove handjob and a FS if one had to go it would be the FS handjobs are ace

I'd say yes, its going to be muddy and dark for the next 6 months you've got to have a nice simple hardtail to turn to. If you lived somewhere dry and dusty then maybe you could get away without a hardtail but not in blighty…

I've had 2 HTs and 2 FSs up to now and have now gone with a HT 29er nad I have no plans of changing. I see the benefits of both and I like FSs but the fun of an HT can't be beaten and then there is the easy cleaning and maintenance as well.
I don't think I'll ever buy another FS but as you said, bear in mind who you're asking.

Afterwards you could pop over to catholictrack.com and as about premarital sex to see if you can get a similarly ballanced view 😉

I certainly wouldn't get rid of it unless there was a real motivating reason – like the baby's going hungry cos there's no food on the table. That said, I ride FS exclusively and don't especially miss the HT. I'd love to always have one on the go but I just don't have the space for 3 bikes in my flat, so currently run 2 FSbikes – one long and and one short travel.

I guess I see a short travel FS as the base bike for a general UK rider, with the HT and long travel bikes as secondary. I suspect this is a minority view with most seeing the HT as the base bike, but I think the kind of moorland, hilly riding that is so common here is just perfect for a short travel FS.

Don't do it..

I'm lucky enouh to have a "bike for every occasion" well, HT, Full Suss, Road, ( Winer & Summer) And CX, and I love riding each of them for what they are…

I'd never get rid of any of them- theres a place for each of them, and each is in its place..

I love my hardtail (Soul). I love my FS bikes too.

At the moment I am loving the Soul most of all, and not only because it is the only one that isn't broken. (My Rush could be up and running with an hour of spannering, I have the bits but would just rather spend that hour riding the Soul at the moment).

Hardtails definitely have their place, if I was doing a long long ride then I'd sort the Rush but for an hour or two from the house the Soul is the winner.

If you have the luxury (in terms of cash or space) of having both then
keep the handjob, but there are worse things in this world than just having one MTB.

I don't particularly need the money, but I could do with the space and would also like to pilfer bits off it for my other bikes.

Getting fed up maintaining four bikes anyway and thinking one short travel FS, one 6in FS and a freeridey bike is what I'll actually want to ride.

Anyway, I'm not going to do anything rash. Will try to ride it a bit more over the next month to see if it can convince me to grant it a reprieve.

Yes

(Mr MC posting)

do you spend more time/money maintaining 4 bikes, rather than piling all that wear and tear onto one bike and maintaining it 4 times as often?…

I had to give up hardtails >5yrs ago due to a spine problem. Since then I've exclusively ridden a multi-pivot linkage bike (kona) which isnt as maintenance heavy as some people suggest (only changed the rear bearings last year). Just bought another pimpier multi/linkage bike (Nomad) and when the weather gets grim my kona will be my winter bike.

have "bid" on a hardtail on STW classifieds (though the seller has gone quiet) more out of curiosity to see if I can ride a HT, and if I would enjoy it if I could.

MC however has a winter/hack HT, a nice new HT and a big full susser and loves having the choice. Two different opinions and experiences, only you know how much you get out of riding a HT.

a 6" stroke HJ . . now thers a thought 😈

I'm gonna run with the concept that a hardtail is the cycling equivalent of premarital sex, you really wanna give that up for comfort? ;D

Yep! you'll miss it for sure.

Ride FS for a while then get back on a HT.
It just seems so fast, so direct, so adrenaline inducing.

Keep the HJ

SB