hardtail or full susser

beastofackworth

hi all,am just about to get back in to mountainbiking after probably 7 years lay off as i snapped my gt karakoram ht and at the time couldnt afford to replace it.
well now im wanting to get back into it and am looking to buy/build a new bike.i have about £1500 to spend but im unsure if i should get a hardtail which is what im used to or if i should get a full suspension bike.
most of my riding will be on moderate terrain/tracks and im not really into big downhill sections as i dont fancy caning my knee's again so basically i dont really need a downhill bike but want something that can take some rough terrain without braking.

bikes ive looked at

stuntjumper expert ht
stuntjumper fsr

so any advice will be most appreciated

Anonymous

If i were you, i would consider one of two things...

look into a short travel full suss. for £1500 you will struggle to find a better FS than the trek top fuel 8 at £1400 and kitted out with fox, sram X0 and avid juicy 5's. Another one to look at would be the anthem but remember that this has very poor spec compared to the trek.

The other option of hartails would get you a better specced bike and lighter but you may find that it beats you up a little. At £1500 the world is your oyster, trek carbon hardtails, Xtc C3, or if you wanted to go alu then the konas (using easton ultralite tubing) offer a fantastic ride and are fast as you like... The carbon hartails would comprimise on spec but give you a much lighter ride and take the sting out of it all...

For £1500 you will struggle to go wrong but if it were me, i wouldnt change anything and would stick to the top fuel 8.... lovely bike

supersonic

1500 quid would get you a Ti framed bike form Van nicholas, sound investment.

Scubar

Full sus would be my choice, i had the same amount of money and was trying to decide what to go with. Ive ridden hardtails my entire life and never had a problem but i just made the jump to full sus and i can tell you im never going back to hardtail again, the ride is so much more enjoyable having that rear shock to absorb the bumps for you, especially when rocketing downhill. I got myself a Trek Fuel EX 8 and its an absolutely fantastic bike to ride whether its uphill, on the trail or downhill.

Father Faff

For £1500 you might pick up a 207 Commencal Meta 5.5.2 in the sales....a 10/10 full-sus machine. Its fantastic on downhills and technical trails though perhaps not as good on the uphills - good if you live in rocky terrain. For £1500 you could get a really good fun hardtail - something like a Pace 303 frame + Pace forks built the way you want.

Scubar

They currently have the Trek Fuel EX 8 for £1099 at Evans, Easily one of the best £1500 Full sus bikes you can get and at such a low price theres no way you could beat that. The Top Fuel 8 is also £1099 if you prefer the look or slightly shorter travel.

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70706 ( Specs are wrong it comes with an XT Rear mech LX Shifters and LX Hydro Brakes.

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70800

passout

Short travel Full Susser I'd say - 3 or 4 inches. Try a Giant Trance.

WillGTJumper

I recommend a Orange P7 Pro HT, its got 140 mm up front, plus leaves you £300 pounds for upgrades

or

Another Orange HT, Sub Zero S with this time 150 mm up front, plus leaving you £250 for upgrades

bryanm

Specialized Epic should be on the list to test for that money? I was sceptical about full sus, but rode Epic and Stump HT back to back. I'm glad I bought the Epic now.

DSA244

I would normally recommend a full suss in your price bracket, I got a Stumpy FSR at the start of year and love it (my first full suss), however, by what you have said I would be tempted by a good hardtail.

If you will be going up and down some of the more steep/bumpy terrain I would say get the best full suss you can afford and like rideing, but if your going for the more user friendly trails then a full suss may not be necessary.

The full suss comes in to it's own on good decents and lose/bumpy climbs. The hardtails are lighter and more than good enough for trails, this makes the hardtail a better buy for these types of terrain. Why ride a heavier bike if your not going to use it's attributes.

In a nutshell my opinion is think about your type of rideing now as a rider coming back and when you are back in the swing of things. After that just test ride.

The sales are starting, but maybe there will be more bargains come Sept if your not in a hurry

alanoriordan

As mentioned above, this is a great time of year to pick up a 2007 model bike for a bargain price. I'd definitely look at the Stumpjumper FSR and the Commencal Meta 5.5, and I would definitely go full suss, having recently converted from hardtail to FS myself. It's just so much more fun and it makes you take on more difficult terrain, so your riding skills (in my opinion) also improve. I used to be snooty about full suss bikes (make you a sloppy rider, etc.), but not any more....