oh no F/S or Upgrade

fletch8928

Hi, I know this has been done but in my case i fear I am looking out of greed.

I have a perfectly respectable Scott Scale 50 08 and I am toying with including a F/S to the stable but there is a doubt that i think i need advice from others to help me decide.

I would like a 100-120mm travel bike, but on the other hand i love the fact that i never lose out on the rough stuff we ride on,

I am thinking maybe new forks would be good enough! Then the price comes into it and i think "new bike isnt much more". I would be looking at £1500 on a new bike, so 3x the fork cost

We ride on roads(4-10miles) to get to open moorland tracks(10-20mls), sometimes head to harder stuff.

What i would like to know is how many h/t to f/s riders out there feel you ought to take your f/s because you have one and do you wish you had taken your h/t instead?

ps, very rarely do trail centres or tough downhilling

supersonic

So....

What is wrong with what you have?!

M6TTF

Sounds like the full susser would be an indulgence? But if you can afford it then why not

pdid

I went from a Rock Lobster to a Meta 5.

I`ve not yet been on a ride where I`ve thought I wish I`d brought my HT. In fact the only time the HT comes out these days is for quick blasts from my front door. My riding style is a bit different to yours though, I ride trail centres and rocky Lake District rides.

VWsurfbum

i had both and found that i very rarely was using the HT because the Full bouncer was just as fast and more comftable.
I have a Genius and can lock the rear out so i couldnt see any reason to keep the hardtail.
see if you can borrow one for your normal ride.

lm_trek

I was the opposite had a HT brought a FS and the FS never really came out to play, took it to scotland and on the bigger days out but just prefered the HT. To force me out on the FS i sold my HT and this gave the full bouncer some play time.

Saying that ive been building up a new HT over the last few months so the bouncer may be retired early!

VWsurfbum

after the race i did at the weekend, i was definatly in the minority on the FS, i was planning a HT toy for the winter but maybe i'll be building a HT race rig?

fletch8928

Thank you all.

I have had a blast on a few f/s rigs and apart from being a touch more comfortable, which was nice, i was trying to find a reason why i need one.

Looks like after just a few replies that if you have a f/s you will use it but then again 2 are looking at the h/t option again.

I will see if i get many more opinions before i start looking in earnest on either a new bike or a well thought out upgrade. Forks are getting to be a needs must. which is why i am having the thoughts of maybe a new bike

llamafarmer

I'm really pleased with the move to my FS Anthem over the HT Cube, but a lightweight 4" full susser is just perfect for the stuff I ride in Bristol imo. It's rocky and rooty, but the gradients aren't all that extreme, so you don't tend to get the big hits you might get at a trail centre. The Anthem smooths out the rocks and keeps the back wheel gripping on techy climbs and I'd say I'm definitely quicker than on my hardtail, but that's a full sus vs a hardtail.

If you're going full sus it sounds like you might be well served by an Anthem or similar - a Scott Spark maybe?.... But a hardtail could be just as quick/fun.

Anonymous

cube, giant, spesh, trek all good bikes for that sort of money.. all seem to be more or less the same though.

CycloRos

If its a quick blast and I wanna feel really involved I'll take the HT, if it's an all day epic I'll take the full bounce. That's not too say I wouldn't be equally as happy on one as opposed to the other. If you can afford it go for it...

You can never have too many bikes IMO

adb1006

pdid wrote:

I went from a Rock Lobster to a Meta 5.

I`ve not yet been on a ride where I`ve thought I wish I`d brought my HT. In fact the only time the HT comes out these days is for quick blasts from my front door. My riding style is a bit different to yours though, I ride trail centres and rocky Lake District rides.

Blasphemy!

pdid

adb1006 wrote:

pdid wrote:

I went from a Rock Lobster to a Meta 5.

I`ve not yet been on a ride where I`ve thought I wish I`d brought my HT. In fact the only time the HT comes out these days is for quick blasts from my front door. My riding style is a bit different to yours though, I ride trail centres and rocky Lake District rides.

Blasphemy!

slimboyjim

Hi,

I'm in a similar position at the moment - trying to choose a top of the range HT or a mid range FS is a difficult (but nice) decision. I'm still undecided and will be looking to do some demo rides soon (annoyingly expensive - grrr!)

If you like your Scott you can currently get the Scale 35 for £1400 (reduced from £2k) from the following retailer. It seems a good choice from your description and got an excellent review recently in MBUK. I was very tempted but have decided to go for something a bit burlier due more trail-Am riding I do... You may not have considered it due to your £1500 budget? As it's underbudget you may be able to keep your current bike for a quick blat every now and again too!

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/2009-b ... ke-725.htm

I've not used Westbrook and can't vouch for their service though - sorry!

Best of luck!


James

delcol

if you can afford the full squish then get it...

i have 2 a hard tail i use for winter and wet weather.(easier to clean) and a full squish for summer and big mountain terrain...

i love riding both bikes i would find it very hard to choose a faverout out of the 2..

full suss definatly makes thngs easier and aid traction on teccy climbs.

but hardtails sharpen and help hone your skills,..

i wouldn't be with out either bike...

Thewaylander

I have to say with recent experiances it depends where you ride.

Locally i wouldn't dream of riding anything but my F/S its more comfortable climbs and decends way btter.. why i live in Wales adn its rocky rooty and steep all over.

But if i were say round the midlands riding trails like follow the dog, i would really want a hard tail as its fast and would accelerate way better than a full susser as the trails are smooth fast and fairly flat.

Look out of your door. would a FS make your local riding fun, because most of the people commenting probably do not know what you ride locally so can not give you clear advice on what is appropriate

andy46

slimboyjim wrote:

Hi,

I'm in a similar position at the moment - trying to choose a top of the range HT or a mid range FS is a difficult (but nice) decision. I'm still undecided and will be looking to do some demo rides soon (annoyingly expensive - grrr!)

If you like your Scott you can currently get the Scale 35 for £1400 (reduced from £2k) from the following retailer. It seems a good choice from your description and got an excellent review recently in MBUK. I was very tempted but have decided to go for something a bit burlier due more trail-Am riding I do... You may not have considered it due to your £1500 budget? As it's underbudget you may be able to keep your current bike for a quick blat every now and again too!

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/2009-b ... ke-725.htm

I've not used Westbrook and can't vouch for their service though - sorry!

Best of luck

James

dammit i wish i knew about that shop thats a fair bit cheaper than i paid for my spark 50 :evil:

never mind :roll: it's still a cracking bike

fletch8928

Slimboyjim

I have seen the spark at westbrooke, I know the shop but have not bought anything from them yet, i tried to get a meta last year but my online order was cancelled (meta ?? was £1600, now £0000, you save £1600). the transaction was complete and the postage had been paid. funny why that order got cancelled!! it was a n obvious mistake so didnt challenge but it was worth a chance.

Thewaylander

I ride on proper moorland and have a growing number of local trails that i ride and explore.

I would say my riding is mainly sweeping and swooshing, a F/S would make it less harsh at times but then again its maybe only for a few minutes, crossing fields ect. I think 120mm of travel behind me would be lovely but not necessarily required.

On the + side my forks are fine so i dont need to think about changing them and i think i shall hang on a bit longer as i suspect there could be a few bargains coming around due to price hikes last year and over manufactoring. spesh, giant and trek seem to have run out but some retailers have said scott have alot of bikes left :idea: