Limits of a hardtail

Bigmiksears

Being a complete noob reading round the forums and finding my feet one question keeps beckoning in the back of my mind - however its an extreme noob/unexperienced question - but if you dont ask you dont find out.

As i read around i see comparisons made between a hardtail and full sus bikes - however it begs the question does a hardtail have limits to what it is capable off. For example i took time to read in the fitness sections about drop offs - now from what i can gather, significant drop offs on a hardtail would be questionable on excecution? However i then read on other threads that people participate in downhill racing on hardtails!?! Then from reading reviews on the bike i have just ordered - people have been quoting the drop off levels at 2 ft "oh ive not taken it over anything more than 2ft!" - why?

Is it a matter of technique and skill - or big balls or is it more a technical reason such as frame strength, drop forces etc? Just a ponder thats all.

Cheers, Bigmiksears

Rich Hcp

The biggest limitation is the rider!

NikB

I still ride a fully rigid bike (though that's about to change) and I have competed in xc and a downhill race (in which I came 4th) on it. I've ridden black routes on it which are considered to need full suspension so it very much comes down to the rider to an extent. For me the move to FS is one for comfort and it should reduce fatigue over longer rides. You should definitely learn your core skills on a hardtail imo.

LordBanks

You have to remember what people are doing on BMX's, their fully rigid bikes. Its down to the rider i say. Don't think just because you've got a 7 inch FS'er you can start jumping of buildings.

Steve_F

I'd take two things into consideration here;
1) the bike, a £2k hardtail will be a lot stronger and more suited to the likes of 2ft drop-offs than a £300 full sus. Also what the bike is designed for will have an impact here too.
2) the rider, I'm sure a lot of people look at parts of the trail and think 'my bike can't cope with that' then along comes someone on an inferior bike and flys past them. I'm sure that on sections of the trails where I think I'm flat out and nailed would look slow compared to a pro on the same bike!

LordBanks

Steve_F has it nailed there, don't think "can my bike handle this?" THINK "can i handle this?" 9 out of 10 you'll be through it no bother, 1 out of 10 you might bend a wheel or snap a fork, but thats all part of it. I find when i'm riding i always try to out-perform my bike, sounds perverse, but if i bend, snap or break something on my bike but i'm sound, i get a sense of pride. Probably down to bad riding skills if that happens though.

bikeperson45

Rich Hcp wrote:

The biggest limitation is the rider!

Dam straight 8)

clarkson

NikB wrote:

I still ride a fully rigid bike (though that's about to change) and I have competed in xc and a downhill race (in which I came 4th) on it. I've ridden black routes on it which are considered to need full suspension so it very much comes down to the rider to an extent. For me the move to FS is one for comfort and it should reduce fatigue over longer rides. You should definitely learn your core skills on a hardtail imo.

agreed, im learning the hard way!!

nicklouse

it is more to do with the way you do things. you cant do what you do on a fully the same on an HT.

bigfoot36954

well i've got a 4300 trek (hard tail) and i've gone off some nice drop offs and i pull wheelies before i go off the end and ive have the bike for one year and 3 months now and its working fine.

Bigmiksears

thanks for your input guys - i asked to find out what people's opinion on the matter was and that was very much fulfilled! Not having the experience of learning on either just yet (convert roadie waiting for his bike on order) nice to see what people thought on the matter. Ive just ordered a hardtail (orange P7s) hense my interest. I will definately try an take the approach mentioned by Steve_F and lord banks when building up my basic skills. Its nice to know that the only limitation on the bike is me - i wouldnt like to think i was limited by anything other than myself an therefor i will have to meet those limits and push them a little further back!

Thank you all for your feedback,

Bigmiksears

supersonic

You also have the limitation of the bike warranty - XC bikes just aint designed to be dropped off ledges and ploughed into big rocks. Yes, smooth landings and skill play a big part, but a bike designed to take the knocks will be far more forgiving - and more likely to be in that warranty. Also a two foot frop off can be static to flat, or speed to a slope - the latter far less stress on the bike.

Get a bike designed for what you want it to do.

cee

in reality, you can ride most of the trail centres on a hardtail.

I did the Innerleithen XC loop just last night on my Specialized Hardrock. So thats not even an expensive hardtail.

OK, I have upgraded the fork (after 2 years on the original) and the brakes (to hayes 9's), but I rode all of the loop, including the black drops on the Cadon Bank, with very little fuss.

As said above, a nice steep landing helps the smoothness of it, and you just need to pick your lines and speed to suit your confidence on the bike.

As you ride the bike more, you will get a feel for what it (and you) are capable of.