Full sus or hardtail

patbriggsmbr

Hi all,
I'm in the throws of getting another bike, however my dilemma is which way to go.
For the last 5 years I've had full sus and loved them, however the problems I've had with either the shock or bushings have been something else. So Im now thinking of getting a brand I had years ago and it was Awsome, which is a kona steely. My mates are saying stay with full sus but something is pulling me towards the steely. I'm thinking of purchasing it with a sus seat post to reduce the shock.
My rides are over the moors or the 7 stanes or Dalby. I would like to here from those who own a full sus or rigid and give me their views.

bennett_346

1. You must be doing something wrong if you've had that much trouble with rear suspension
2. Kona aren't cool
3. Don't buy a suspension seatpost, they are useless, if you're going to find the bumpiness annoying buy a fs
4. Kona aren't cool

cooldad

Full sus all the way.

cooldad

Or maybe a hardtail?

cooldad

Konas are cool and awesome or I wouldn't ride one.
But bennett is right about sus seatposts. Stand up on bumpy bits.

welshkev

i have both, they do different things. but they can ride all the same stuff as each other, a full suss is just comfier.

The Northern Monkey

n+1

Buy a FS and a HT.

Rigid is for hippies.

Anonymous

Both definitely. Hard tail only will leave you wanting a full sus. Hard tail as a bonus toy. At least that's what it is to me, but the main bike is suspension all the way.

.blitz

If you're thinking of buying a fs for comfort you're buying it for the wrong reason.

You will get improvements in traction and they are less fatiguing than a ht over long distances but there's a whole lot going on at both ends and some of the time this is more of a problem than the bump in the trail itself.

As said above you really need a good example of both - one is not better than the other.

Anonymous

Not so much for comfort as for awesome gnar

At least faster awesome gnar without half killing yourself. The HT will do it also, but just a different ride style and a lot more work on the technical stuff. Sure full sus is also a skills compensator, hence why I like them.

webby_1805

Glad this thread came up as i was unsure what to go for for my first bike and was going to buy an expensive hardtail may just look for an acceptable fs and cheapish hard tail :? where to store them :?:

1mancity2

Having had both and done the same with each bike, the hardtail can be lighter and easy on towpaths etc, full suss is more forgiving and allows you a bigger error margin, all depends what you want, a hardtail will do the same but with more rider effort needed.

Pudseyp

I have both and use the FS a hell of a lot more, the HT is mainly used if out with the with or a blast down the local lanes and bridleways..for the likes of 7Staines I would reach for the full suss everytime, you can ride harder and faster and the desents are much much more fun.

Long_Time_Lurker

I'm probably in a minority. I always go for my hardtail given the choice.
Feels like I am 'riding' the bike rather than letting the bike do all of the work.

Plus if I had to choose one - I would rather have a top end hardtail, rather than the alternative - a low end FS.

delcol

webby go for an hardtail and hone your skills on it,

i have 2 f/s bikes and a hardtail i tend to get the hardtail everytime..

cooldad

Long Time Lurker wrote:

I'm probably in a minority. I always go for my hardtail given the choice.
Feels like I am 'riding' the bike rather than letting the bike do all of the work.Plus if I had to choose one - I would rather have a top end hardtail, rather than the alternative - a low end FS.

So why isn't your choice a rigid? Hair shirt and all that.

cooldad

delcol wrote:

webby go for an hardtail and hone your skills on it,

i have 2 f/s bikes and a hardtail i tend to get the hardtail everytime..

Again, why aren't you 'honing' your skills on a rigid, or even better a unicycle.

delcol

i treid riding a unicycle, but i kept going over the bars...

cooldad

You'll be telling me you have a saddle as well next. Wimp.

Pudseyp

delcol wrote:

webby go for an hardtail and hone your skills on it,

and end up regreting not buying a FS

delcol wrote:

i have 2 f/s bikes and a hardtail i tend to get the hardtail everytime..

If you have two FS bikes you don't use, why don't you sell webby one....he would love it...

Pudseyp

Some facts:

FS bikes are way better than HT's (according to cooldad and I) fact
You see much more FS bikes at the likes of trail centres (which is fact and must say something)
If you buy a hard tail YOU MUST wear lycra at some stage in the summer fact
If buying a HT you will also have to grow a beard....again fact.

1mancity2

Back to the OP whats your budget?

cooldad

Pudseyp wrote:

Some facts:

FS bikes are way better than HT's (according to cooldad and I) fact
You see much more FS bikes at the likes of trail centres (which is fact and must say something)
If you buy a hard tail YOU MUST wear lycra at some stage in the summer fact
If buying a HT you will also have to grow a beard....again fact.

This is true and should be made law.

supersonic

There are good and bad examples of both types of bikes. A good sus seatpost is a good option for some people, useless they re not. With a HT, for your money, you almost always get a lighter bike, with better parts and less to go wrong. For some people this makes a big difference.

webby_1805

Pudseyp wrote:

Some facts:

FS bikes are way better than HT's (according to cooldad and I) fact
You see much more FS bikes at the likes of trail centres (which is fact and must say something)
If you buy a hard tail YOU MUST wear lycra at some stage in the summer fact
If buying a HT you will also have to grow a beard....again fact.

I agree with the trail centres , you just have to look on you tube and the amount of people on FS is huge i don't think I have seen that many hardtails which is why Ii was glad of this thread and also everyone with there bikes at the bottom of there pages which show two bikes :?

supersonic

What most other people ride doesn't really mean much, especially given many I see on the trails would probably benefit from a lighter HT anyway. Need to find the best bike for you, whether it be FS, HT or rigid.

welshkev

i have both a hardtail and a full susser. i really only use my hardtail as a commute bike. yes i have ridden it on the trails but to be honest i much prefer my full susser.

just my opinion, but if i had to have one it would be a full susser.

but like supersonic said, it's all about finding the right bike for you, what other people ride doesn't really matter

delcol

Pudseyp wrote:

Some facts:

FS bikes are way better than HT's (according to cooldad and I) fact
You see much more FS bikes at the likes of trail centres (which is fact and must say something)
If you buy a hard tail YOU MUST wear lycra at some stage in the summer fact
If buying a HT you will also have to grow a beard....again fact.

You see much more FS bikes at the likes of trail centres (which is fact and must say something)

thats because trail centres are full of crap riders that cant ride so need the suspension to make them ride things above there skill level(or lack of skill level)

FS bikes are way better than HT's (according to cooldad and I) fact
may be maybe not they have more things to service and a pain to keep clean this time of year all those nice bearings getting grit in them those shocks getting blasted with grit,those du bushings that need replacing every now and again,, all things the hardtail does not need,


oh and webby can buy one of my f/s my demo has been up for sale for a month or so if he wants a full susser...

for me it depends were i ride locally there is nothing really that warrents a full suss bike everything can be ridden on a decent hardtail..
now when i go to whistler as much as i would love to take my hardtail and challenge myself riding it over there, i think a fullsusser is better as the trails are bigger and badder out there,

JonoStevens

As someone who has just gone from a hardtail to a full sus, this is my two-penneth:

Is it more comfortable? Massively. I don't ache after a four hour ride anymore.

Do I go faster? Yes. Its amazing, you can just point it and ride without worrying about what's in the way.

Have I got lazier with my line choices? Yes, but this may or may not bother you.

Is it harder to climb? A bit, but then I used to be quite an aggressive climber on my hardtail and get out of the saddle a lot. That feels like hard work on my full sus.

Did I really need it? Not really, went to Afan a couple of weeks back and one of the lads rode 10+ year old Rockhopper around all weekend.

However, I absolutely love my full sus, it feels lovely to ride and at the moment I wouldn't go back to my hardtail.

I said I was going to keep the hardtail for bombing around my local woods, but within a few weeks I'd sold it as whenever I went to the shed I reached for the full sus. My hardtail felt like my 'out with the missus' bike.

sniper68

I've recently built a HT after 8 years on a FS(after saying I'd never own a HT again).Since it was finished about 4 months ago it's all I've ridden.OK so the FS is more comfy and I'd never get rid but the fact is 90% of the time a HT is good enough.I'm riding all the big stuff in the Peak/Lake Districts that I do on my FS and TBH not that much slower.We recently had our annual week in the Lakes riding all natural stuff and 4 out of 5 of us left the FS at home and took HTs 8)
The reason I actually built the HT was for messing about locally(Wharncliffe/Greno woods etc) and Trail centres.I haven't ridden a trail centre yet but it(HT) would always be my 1st choice as I've yet to ride one that I haven't thought "Why the Fcuk am I on a FS".
I was always a 100% FS endorser and I'm not saying I'm now 100% HT but I'd say at the moment it 50/50.
I've got two Peak rides planned next week and am planning on doing one on each...but i'll probably just take the Bop :roll:

Pudseyp

delcol wrote:

Pudseyp wrote:

Some facts:

FS bikes are way better than HT's (according to cooldad and I) fact
You see much more FS bikes at the likes of trail centres (which is fact and must say something)
If you buy a hard tail YOU MUST wear lycra at some stage in the summer fact
If buying a HT you will also have to grow a beard....again fact.

You see much more FS bikes at the likes of trail centres (which is fact and must say something)

delcol wrote:

thats because trail centres are full of crap riders that cant ride so need the suspension to make them ride things above there skill level(or lack of skill level)

I do agree with this..but if they are a crap rider they would also be crap on a HT...if so crap then a FS woud be the better choice as it is more forgiving. Yes it's the choice of the weekend warrior but MTB'ing is all about enjoyment no mater how crap you are or what others percieve.

delcol wrote:

FS bikes are way better than HT's (according to cooldad and I) fact
may be maybe not they have more things to service and a pain to keep clean this time of year all those nice bearings getting grit in them those shocks getting blasted with grit,those du bushings that need replacing every now and again,, all things the hardtail does not need,

Again this doesn't bother me, it takes about 15 mins longer but so be it I look after my bike, as I do myself I regualary check the bearings and my testicles.

delcol wrote:

for me it depends were i ride locally there is nothing really that warrents a full suss bike everything can be ridden on a decent hardtail..

I am sorry I didn't realise you rode in the Surrey Hills

It will always be a contensiuos issue, untill you have owned and rode both a HT and a FS for a length of time you won't know whats best for you...both have pro's and con's yes a HT builds core skills quicker and a FS is more forgiving as you can let the bike do of the work...if your riding at least twice a week every week then a HT is a great option, if your a weekend warrior who can only ride on a saturday then a FS is probably the best option.

And again it's all opinions..and like I said if I had to have one it would be my FS...canal paths, local woods, trail centres, bike parks, and the Alps...it will do everything where for some riding the HT would be limiting.