Bad Back - Hardtail or Full sus

bleasy

Hi guys im looking to take up mountain biking but suffer from back problems i have always wanted a hardcore hardtail with long travel like a Ragley, On-one 456 or Cotic Bfe but not sure if i would be better with a Full sus any advice o this is most welcome

deveng

I too suffer from back problems and the most important thing for me is that the bike is set up correctly - you need the right size frame and to have the seat post/stem heights correct.

hardtail or full sus I personally wouldn't worry too much - the suspension isn't there for comfort it's there to maintain the load through the rear tyre - so I'd put the most emphasis on the right size bike.

Dave_P1

A full sus will offer a nicer ride when compared to a hardtail

.blitz

If you are buying a FS for comfort you are buying it for the wrong reasons. FS is for traction and being less concerned about the terrain.

Biking is something we have learned how to do - not evolved - and although it is a very efficient way of getting around because it utilises the biggest, strongest muscles in the legs the strain on other muscle groups is immense.

If you have a bad back HT/FS it makes no difference. Learn how to work the muscles and joints that do nothing when you're riding. Stretch and release the tension after every ride and inbetween that way you will be able to ride any kind of bike

Thedesertfox

First time responder here so please play nice ladies and gents.

For my tuppence worth I suffered with back pain on my HT while training and racing it. I fitted a thudbuster seatpost and it improved marginally. I bit the bullet and bought a FS - which I'm yet to race, but comfortably train for 4 hours plus pain free.

Given my occupation I am fully up to speed with stretching and the benefits thereof post phys.

In my opinion - if that's what you're after I would borrow a FS and see how you get on. Best of luck either way mate.

Girya

I find the full suspension more comfortable for distance, you just don't get battered like a hardtail. Depends how long you ride it for, but stronger 'core' will help with both hardtail and suspension

Tintin rize

Girya wrote:

I find the full suspension more comfortable for distance, you just don't get battered like a hardtail. Depends how long you ride it for, but stronger 'core' will help with both hardtail and suspension

i agree with girya full sus is confi and you can twick the rear shock to your confort ! i have a full sus cannondale RIZE and i dont think i would go hardtail for a while yet !

Curious Yellow

I'd say get the bike you enjoy riding the most and the one that will make you most likely to ride. May well be worth getting some physio or professional advice on how to sort the back out long term, or if there's anything you can do to bring additional muscles in to support your back and get some stress off it.

Stu Coops

I ride a with a few guys on HT and after a 3-4hr ride over rough ground there normally in bits where as i'm nowhere near as fatigued on my FS and i suffer with a bad back and it definately offers more comfort

geebus

In the past I've had a bad back that's played up from impact - full suspension made a big difference for me.
I find I use similar effort going up hills on my Reign (and the boardman FS I did have) as I did on my GT Avalanche Pro - while you lose a little from the suspension, you get better traction.
Find I hardly lose out when sitting down on the flat.

Despite being sceptical, definitely a convert here!

paul.skibum

The fit of the bike and how your weight is positioned ont he bike is key, I never understand people who say they get more battered on a hardtail than a full suss - if that's the case you are doing something wrong on the hardtail.

You should always be using your legs and arms as suspension, maybe you can get away with a bit less on a full susser but if you are riding at the limit and one assumes that the limit is slightly lower on a hardtail then you should be moving about, absorbing pressures and shocks and so on as much on both bikes.

Personally I have back issues and I find them far worse on my DH bike as I typically ride a lift up, descend for 10 minutes standing the whole time, absorb a lot of bumps and shocks and then do it again - so if my back hurts the most on an 8 inch travel full susser but not so much on a hard tail where does that leave us?

And also any answers along the lines of - oh my mate rides a hardtail and he's always more tired than I am at the end of a ride - are just nonsense unless your mate is your physical twina nd his bike is identical geometry and fit but with no rear suspension as there are so many factors involved in that statement beyond a comparison of HT and FS.

chez_m356

paul.skibum wrote:

Personally I have back issues and I find them far worse on my DH bike as I typically ride a lift up, descend for 10 minutes standing the whole time, absorb a lot of bumps and shocks and then do it again - so if my back hurts the most on an 8 inch travel full susser but not so much on a hard tail where does that leave us?

are you hitting the same downhill runs on the HT as FS, probably not, if not, what does that tell you?

spankwilder

Just go for the HT and wear thicker socks. I would have thought the contrast between fs - ht, is the equivalent of bending your knees or not when landing a jump.

paul.skibum

chez_m356 wrote:

paul.skibum wrote:

Personally I have back issues and I find them far worse on my DH bike as I typically ride a lift up, descend for 10 minutes standing the whole time, absorb a lot of bumps and shocks and then do it again - so if my back hurts the most on an 8 inch travel full susser but not so much on a hard tail where does that leave us?

are you hitting the same downhill runs on the HT as FS, probably not, if not, what does that tell you?

I ride my hardtail and my full suss xc bikes on the same trails and see no difference in my back at the end of the ride - I am generally a bit more knackered on the FS as its a bit heavier and sucked up a bit more effort (before I changed to a rear air shock) - my DH bike I ride in the bike park - I rode a mates hardtail there for a few laps and it was fun as it skipped over stuff but I dont ride either of my xc bikes in the bike park because I dont want to destroy them.

spankwilder wrote:

Just go for the HT and wear thicker socks. I would have thought the contrast between fs - ht, is the equivalent of bending your knees or not when landing a jump.

You should bend your knees whatever bike you are on - your legs are better than the bikes suspension.

geebus

The bits that did me in on a HT were where I was sitting down over long bumpy ground.
Ironically a load along a cycle path that followed a canal (not known for being 'back breaking'!)- crossing bumpy fields next to the canal where you wouldn't want to be standing up all the time.
I was fine on more 'extreme' stuff where I'd stand up anyway.
But the constant juddering was what I worked out caused lower back problems; on a FS these are smoothed out significantly.

felix.london

I'm with Paul on this (not that I suffer from back ache) I'd say if you're feeling more fatigued or generally beaten up after riding a hardtail compared to a full-suss you're doing something wrong

You need to adjust your line choice far more on a HT. If you're just ploughing straight through stuff as if you were on a FS bike then of course you're gonna feel more beaten up (so's the bike)

On any bike - if there's rough ground and/or I'm descending, I'm out of the seat and don't see there would be a difference to your back whether you have rear suspension or not as everything should be going through your legs and arms. If you're just sitting and spinning up a long climb then rider position and how your cockpit is set-up is key. I could make my back ache quite easily on any bike by adjusting seat and handlebar position

stubs

Dont listen to the useless bollocks being spouted on here its your back not theres. It works for me it might or might not work for you only you can decide, if you do something because some idiot who has never met you tells you to do it your a bigger idiot than them.

Having got that rant off my chest it can depend on what riding your doing if its long days out on bumpy trails deffo go full suss if its short blasts down the local woods it probably wont make much difference.

Try a Full suss if it works for you buy one.

felix.london

?? - have you read the title of the thread?

felix.london

stubs wrote:

Try a Full suss if it works for you buy one.

But don't try a hardtail?

chez_m356

felix.london wrote:

stubs wrote:

Try a Full suss if it works for you buy one.

But don't try a hardtail?

try both, but FS will feel better for your back, i certainly feel the difference swapping from one to the other

stubs

felix.london wrote:

stubs wrote:

Try a Full suss if it works for you buy one.

But don't try a hardtail?

Where did I say dont try a hardtail. I said try a F/S if it works for you buy one.

felix.london

erm, the bit where you said "Try a Full suss if it works for you buy one"

stubs

felix.london wrote:

erm, the bit where you said "Try a Full suss if it works for you buy one"

Ah sorry I didnt realise english wasnt your first language.

What that sentence actually means is "Try a Full suss if it works for you buy one".

If I had meant to say dont try a hardtail the sentence would have looked like this "Dont try a hardtail it wont work for you buy a full suss"

Theres a biscuit for anyone who can spot the difference between the two sentences :roll:

paul.skibum

You could probably have written "try both and buy the one that works for you" though if we're being pedantic.

cooldad

We're not, you are. No biscuit for you.

geebus

You did note the bit where he said to ignore advice from random people on the internet?



Presume that made the rest of his post redundant.

Unless of course that meant you ignored his advice to ignore advice. At which point the universe would probably collapse or something!

Oh Marone

I suffer from a bad back and recently bought my first proper mtb. I have a 100mm hardtail with 2.25" tyres and I have to say it is surprisingly comfy off road, was expecting it to be quite harsh being a hardtail with only a 100mm fork. How much of that is due to the frame design, tyres, fork or riding position I don't know but whatever it is I was pleasantly suprised.

Went for a 2 hour ride in my local forest on Sunday which was a mixture of road, off road paths, tree roots and some more hilly terrain the locals use for jumping. Was a bit stiff after the ride and could deffinatley feel it in my legs but no back pain. Not used to riding or using legs as suspension and am no where near fit enough but should hopefully get easier once I get used to it/fitter. I stopped for a breather fairly often to let my legs and lungs recover and had a bit of a stretch at the same time which seemed to help.

I think the most important thing is to find a bike with a comfy riding position and maybe start out on some easier going terrain and build up over time. Oh and padded under shorts make a suprising difference on the backside comfort factor.

geebus

Oh Marone wrote:

I think the most important thing is to find a bike with a comfy riding position and maybe start out on some easier going terrain and build up over time.

Doing that on a hardtail was exactly what lead up to me first getting a bad lower back, I believe.

The Rookie

Which, as a statement makes as much sense as a Mitt Romney speach.....

Riding position is what saves you from getting a bad back riding, if your local trails have long 'chattery' sections which on an HT can give your derrier a hammering then an FS may help, at a trail centre it will make little odds as your mostly out the saddle anyway.

Daz555

deveng wrote:

hardtail or full sus I personally wouldn't worry too much - the suspension isn't there for comfort it's there to maintain the load through the rear tyre - so I'd put the most emphasis on the right size bike.

Comfort is not its primary function but full suss is far far more comfortable. It is very nice to be able to pedal smoothly in the seated position over hard terrain without feeling like someone is smashing your coccyx with a sledghammer.

The Rookie

Daz555 wrote:

It is very nice to be able to pedal smoothly in the seated position over hard terrain without feeling like someone is smashing your coccyx with a sledghammer.

Don't knock it until you've tried it Baby!

I agree, I tried some Full Suss at the cycle show, while I hated the lack of feel of some (name no names) i was blown away by the Pivot Mach4, I seriously want one now, felt just like an HT to ride but over the 'chattery' stuff (not big lumps) I could just sit and spin and it felt like I was on a road - well smoother than that actually!