Do I want Full Sus? - HELP

prawny

Just getting back into this mountain biking lark after a few years off followed by a few years on the road. Realising now that my ageing Saracen is OK but not great I'm planning the next purchase.

I live in Cannock so my riding is going to be almost exclusively on The Chase, mainly the dog and monkey, just because I haven't got to think about which way to go.

I'm considering (50/50 really, definitely not certain) having a go at an XC race or two but I've never had the highest confidence levels off road so I think I'd like shat myself if I got anything too racy. At the same time I do like to hammer it when I'm in the mood and feeling good and some of the more hardcore bikes really appeal

I'm likely to be spending up to about a grand so full sus I'd be looking at the Boardman Canyon Nerve, The decathlon ones (er1 looks nice)

If I went hardtail I don't know what I'd fancy but probably more burly than whippet. 29ers appeal a bit too, but although they sound good for racing, and longer rides over the chase I get the feeling the negatives would outweigh the positives, that said I've not ridden one so I don't know.

Should I go full sus? Will it improve my overall experience? Or would a decent hardtail with a good fork do me just as well. Not planning on rushing into anything so any advice/anecdotes is/are welcome.

Cheers

delcol

you will get more bang for buck with a hardtail...

i would say hone the skills on a hardtail then go to fullsuss.. but thats just me.. is there anyway you could get a demo day on a hardtail then a full suss.. or maybe hire a hardtail for a few hours then a full susser in the afternoon to get a comparison...

i have both a full suss and a hardtail i tend to use the hardtail 99.9% of the time... i only really use the fullsuss when i go to whistler,,

they both have there advatages.. hardtail is easier to maintain especially this time of year.. they usually weigh less to (depending on spec ect) and you get a better specced bike for your budget.

full susser comfier especially if mile munching,, better traction especially on teccy climbs more forgiving (bad line choices ect)..

bails87

Swinnertons let you demo bikes, then knock the demo cost off the price if you buy it. Worth a try? Something like a Trance would be a good all rounder, or an Anthem for something racier. Not sure what spec you'd get for £1k, but you can always have a demo just to see if you like the idea of a FS (I know they're all different, but it's better than nothing).

dirty face

The age old question of HT v's Full Sus. It's really down to you, however, having been to the Chase quite a lot on my HT, I have no problems what so ever and that includes all the black sections of FTD + Monkey. That said, the advantage of a full suss there may be that you could go a little faster....for longer as your body won't take so much of a pounding compared to a HT. I'm switching to full suss but thats because I'm sick of riding DH on my HT so moving to a full DH rig so I can session the routes at Stile Cop. If you've got a good mate who owns a full sus, ask him to swap bikes and ride the routes there and see how it feels. That should help you make up your mind before you slash out your hard earned cash!

cooldad

Full Sus is just better.
Everyone knows it's a fact.

bartimaeus

I now have a hardtail to complement my full-sus. I'll let you know which is better in 6 months or so...

bluechair84

I had a hardtail and a full suss, I've just stripped down the H/T and it's being sold off in bits to make room for a second F/S. Which you will enjoy most depends entirely on your riding stile and routes - though Cannock isn't a place where a full suss is vital.
As for 29ers, it seems that taller folk get more out of them. If you'd typically get a large frame, then maybe 29ers will feel better. At 5'10", 29ers feel rather odd to me.