Hard Tail or Full suspension?

barbs

I have a specialized myka at the moment and it needs to be upgraded. I am really confused as to whether to go for another HT or go FS. what is your general opinion on the two?

Faye@BikeRadar

Heya Barbs,

It depends what kind of riding you're going to be doing/where you ride most...
And it can just fall down to personal preference sometimes...

I'm a full-suss girl through and through- but I love all-mountain and DH riding so I prefer a lot of bounce!

What are the reasons for you upgrading your Specialized? It might help you come to a decision on what type of bike would suit you most.

Bx

Have you got the chance to have a go on some bikes, either from a mate, demo from a shop or a demo day? I find them quite different to ride and you might realise that you prefer one to the other if you try them (worth trying a few of each too as different bikes within each category will feel very different!).

I upgraded from a ht to a fs last year and have never looked back. I knew I wanted a burlier more forgiving bike for the terrain/style of riding I was doing and it was exactly what I wanted. I did love my ht when I had it and when I've been out on it since my fs arrived I still like it but it is a less comfy ride! I intended to use it for xc racing and riding but I have to admit I favour my fs bike for those things too :roll:

Get out and try a few, you'll soon find some thing you like

barbs

Hi

Thanks for your input. My bike is now in need of upgrades as has been completely used and abused! so will be cheaper to just get a new one. The guys I go riding with all have FS and they love theirs and also wouldn't go back, myself and Nat (the only other girl in our group) both have HT. We are out every weekend and tend to ride in the woods and also trails (bedgebury and cannock) have tried the FS when out in the woods and I must admit that it feels smoother over the lumps and bumps. My main dilemma is do I just upgrade to a better hardtail (was looking at the Specialized rockhopper as had bike of year 2011 in the mbr) as this will still be a vast improvement on what I already have and save quite a few pennies and think what I have never had I can't miss, or bite the bullet and spend extra pennies and invest in a FS ( looking at the Giant trance x4 2011 and Specialized camber 2011 as they both had good reviews in the mbr mag) Decision decisions!!!!!!

surferchrisg

Hey barbs, hows you? Been talking bikes with your uglier half today. I completely understand your dilemma, as I spent the best part of 3 months deciding what bike to get, and found that my budget just kept expanding the more I looked at my options, very good but not so healthy for the bank balence, + I think I was driving Nat crackers looking at bikes on line every free moment I had too!

Hard Tail or Full Suss.. My opinion - For the type of riding we do both are suitable, however a full suspension bike makes most things a whole lot easier (not necessarily better), less hard work and more comfortable, if your more comfortable chances are you will engoy it a bit more. I think FS bikes are also more forgiving and confidence inspireing when the trail gets a bit rough and fast.

Hard tails do generally peddle up hill easier though, and you will get a better specced bike for your buck with a HT. You will notice an increase in comfort and control with a better HT than the myka you currently ride, for example a rockhopper pro will ride much better than your myka, more plush forks, better breaks, lighter, stiffer........

It comes down to budget in the end... I ended up spending less, didnt get exactly what I want but feel better for not blowing so much money, and now have pennies left over for other things. However, if you go for a HT now, then next year decide you want a FS after all itll cost you more in the long run.

Trance v Camber - After having a ride about on the Camber Expert the other day, and having the company of a Trance X2 for a few weeks I would say the Camber suits you better. It feels lighter, more nimble, better stand over, I think although an excellent bike the Trance X4 will feel big and a bit heavy. They are both great bikes though so you wont go too far wrong with either.

Happy bike shopping.

Mrs Toast

I'm a full-suss fan, mainly because my knees are knackered so can't handle too much impact! A full suss will almost certainly be heavier, but ones with a triad rear-shock allows you to switch to pro-pedal/turn off the rear suspension altogether if you're worried about bobbing on the way up.

There's a lot of demo days going on at the moment, it might be worth checking out one near you?

barbs

Hi Guys

Thank you for taking the time to reply I have finally decided a FS is the way forward, I have looked at my options with my OH and for what I will be using it for and for my price range these are the three we have narrowed it down to Giant Trance x4 2011, Giant Anthem x4 2011, Specialized Camber fsr Elite 2011, I have sat on them and the sizings are right and they feel nice and comfy to ride. Which one would you lean more towards :-)

Hels147

Hi,

I'm also looking to buy a new bike. My current one is a 12 year old Scott! Great for commuting to work and chaining to railings but totally unsuitable for trails! I've only been going off road since last autumn (the ex introduced me to it and my love of trails has lasted a lot longer than him!). I've been going up to Cannock and hiring bikes, but having to organise ahead is not going to suit me over the summer when I wake to up good weather and just feel like heading off!

I've been told I'm quite an aggressive rider, not too technical yet, but probably looking to go on a skills course pretty soon!

I've been reading this post as I was also debating over HT or full sus. I'm probably going to go for full suspension, but with all the choice out there I'm getting a bit bamboozled! I've read the buying guides elsewhere on this forum and keep looking through mags etc. People have mentioned demo days - how do you find out where/when they are? Also, when you sit on a bike, what sort of things should I be looking out for? I'm 5' 6" (and a half), 'normal' length legs, but I do know I have short arms. Would a 'female specific', be better for me, or should I ignore those?

Am I best just narrowing it down to a couple of makes and then working my way through their ranges??

Any help gratefully received!

Hels

supersonic

Depends on your budget - quite often a hardtail is the better way as you will get a significantly better specced, and lighter bike.

Try both mens and womens, they vary so much. What is you budget?

Thewaylander

supersonic wrote:

Depends on your budget - quite often a hardtail is the better way as you will get a significantly better specced, and lighter bike.

Try both mens and womens, they vary so much. What is you budget?

This its so budget dependent,

I would personally say its ahrd to find a well specced and weighted full susser these days below 1.5k where a hard tail its much lower. This of course is personal opinion. You can obviously find cheaper if you second hand or buy last years which is often were i look, previous years bikes on reduction

Hels147

I'm looking at around the £2500 mark. Been reading up on the specialized stumpjumper. Looks a safe bet??

supersonic

A healthy budget! This years Stumpys have been getting great reviews, light frames, nice kit and seem to be liked by all. I would certainly test one.

bartiebat

Yes defo try some. My friend has a stumpy in the same size as my rockhopper, but it feels huuuuge (guess its all the bouncy stuff). I love his on the downs, but I find the ups just aren't worth it for me. And defo try both men's & women's. I recently tried the trance both men's & womens & found the men's 16 just perfect but the women's 16.5 too cramped, same with the the Trek Ex8 v lush, but then with Ghost the women's version I'd buy 2mro if I hadnt foolishly tried a Yeti SB-66 (which I can never afford!), whereas the blokes felt like a tank.

poppit

It's a no brainer http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes ... tml?b=2561

kathg

Hi Poppit.. sorry to kinda hijack the thread but I'm thinking of going for a Canyon bike but would love to know how accurate you found the sizing. I'm gonna be a size SMALL according to the data I put in, I'm 5 ft 4 with short legs and am worried about the whole sizing issue. How did you find the whole buying process? Any advice gratefully received!!

Kathg

poppit

Ok. I put my sizes into the calculator and it suggested a large, I ordered a large AM 8.0 and it's perfect. I put my wifes sizes into the calculator and it came up a XS (BTW she's 5'5" tall), we ordered a XS Grand Canyon AL 8.0W and it's perfect. Don't just trust the calculator though, this is the process we followed:

Get someone to help you measure yourself as it's difficult to do on your own and follow the advice on how to do it on the website. Put the sizes into the calculator and see what it says. Check the geometry of the size it suggests and compare it to a bike you already own or a bike you have demoed. If your present bike/demo fits and the geometry of the Canyon is the same then order that size but if your present bike/demo is larger/smaller then go up or down with your Canyon size. The Am 8 in a L was the same as my Marin in an XL so I was pretty confident it would be ok, my wifes Canyon was slightly smaller than her Marin which was fine as the Marin was too big.

If you still are unsure then give Cullen a call at Canyon UK and he'll help you out.

The buying process is faultless, order through the website, remember to order any extra bits as it saves on postage. You'll get a pdf listing your order to check if it's accurate, confirm it is and the order is placed. Watch your bikes progress across Europe to your front door using the tracking process. When it arrives unpack it from the box, assemble (takes about 10 mins as everything is dead easy to fit), put some air in the fork and shock using the supplied pump, then ride with a happy grin on your face. If there are any problems Canyon UK will sort them out, if the size is wrong then send it back within 30 days and they'll send you another size.

It's all pretty straightforward and the bikes are great and dirt cheap for the spec'.

victoriac

I've been trying to make the same decision but I've just made my order for a new FS.
Gone for a Specialized Era - womens specific XC bike that should (fingers crossed) give me some extra confidence on the downhills which are my weak spot on my current HT.
I really like the Specialized womens bikes for my size/shape (5ft5 so I'm on a small) and I had a go on the mens Epic and really liked it so hopefully my new bike will be here in a week and I can start getting used to it!
I'm getting very excited now

miss notax

Sounds good!!!

victoriac

I've had my new full suss for a few weeks now and I love it. It's given me a lot more confidence to get my speed up on the downhills and feels so much more stable. I thought I would still be taking my HT out on the odd ride but I've found that I always go for my FS so my mum's taking my old bike off my hands!
For me, it was definitely the right choice - now I just need to improve my skills to be good enough for my snazzy new bike

grl

I have a Rockhopper and a Cube FS and I think they both are equally fun. Your best bet is to,try both as much as possible and take a view on which fits the bill. No substitute for spending some time and money on investigation! Best of luck, tell us how you get on

Giles