Full Suss For XC and Trails? and BM Team FS

christiannorman

I've posted on here a couple of times as I'm looking to get a new bike via the CTW scheme, I was going to get a new HT (Boardman Comp) until someone asked why not a full suss. I'd always been led to believe that HT's were better for XC and full suss for DH so I hadn't considered one and hoped you guys might be able to give me some advice from experience. I ride mostly Cardinham, Poldice and the coast path but like moderate uphill sections followed by fast DH, I like the tech bits but find that my feet do get bounced off on the harder stuff.
My main questions were -

Do full suss bikes really sap your energy when doing the uphill sections as I do 50% of my riding uphill?

Do rear suss ever have lock out other than the propedal? I was looking at the Boardman Team FS which doesn't seem to have lock out and I was worried about the problem mentioned above.

What is the Boardman Team FS like for XC as well as DH?

Any other pointers would be greatly appreciated as i am a bit stuck at the mo and also don't have access to try the different models what with Halfords only letting you near a bike once you've stumped up the money.

Thanks for all the help.

prawny

I've just bought my first full susser (Rockrider 9.1) and I wouldn't say the suspension saps much energy. I'm less tired at the end of the ride than on my HT because I can sit down and I hammer the downhill bits harder, it's a bit heavier too.

The boardman is an all round FS bike, not a downhill bike, you'd be fine on it I reckon, just depends n what you really want, for the same money a HT will be lighter and better specced than a FS from the same manufacturer.

I still went FS, I'm glad I did.

Adotparker

A decent full Suss, will have lock off front and back suspension........ gone are the days of the cheap spring and nut you used to bolock up as firm as you could with some grips.. like on the old saracens. when your climbing or on flats, lock the suspension off.....

christiannorman

Adotparker wrote:

A decent full Suss, will have lock off front and back suspension........ gone are the days of the cheap spring and nut you used to bolock up as firm as you could with some grips.. like on the old saracens. when your climbing or on flats, lock the suspension off.....

I'm not sure my budget stretches to a really good full suss, i was looking at - http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/fs_team.html and it doesn't seem to have lock off rear but i could be wrong.

Jimx26

You are right, the Boardman doesn't have rear lockout.

baser

I have a Boardman Pro hardtail and a pro full suss, the HT is faster around my local route mainly due to the fact it's around 3kg lighter. I do find i can ride the fs further though as it is more comfortable and stiffer (forks and back end) so you don't feel like you are wrestling it down the trails it just goes where you point it. The HT is likely to be relegated to winter rides and times when I need the extra speed, the FS is now my first choice.

chez_m356

Adotparker wrote:

A decent full Suss, will have lock off front and back suspension

rubbish

christiannorman wrote:

I'm not sure my budget stretches to a really good full suss, i was looking at - http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/fs_team.html and it doesn't seem to have lock off rear but i could be wrong.

neither do most, they have pro pedal or equivalent,basically a low speed compression damper. and the boardman is a very good full susser http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/categ ... s-12-35829

cooldad

Shocks generally don't have lockout, they might have propedal which firms up the shock on small hits.
TBH not a reason to choose or not choose a bike. Decent geometry will reduce pedal bob to a minimum.

Personally I only use lockout and propedal on the road to get to my local forest,(and then mainly because it's there and I want to use it or it feels wasted) and if I didn't have it I wouldn't miss it.

I never use it once the trails get real.

cooldad

Must stop opening too many tabs. What Chez said.

bamba

I switched from HT to FS about 2 years ago,Didnt really notice and loss of pace on the up hills.
I'd imagine a ht will always have the edge over a fs on the up hills assuming assuming other variables were the same,and vica versa for downhill rough stuff.pedal technique prob important on a fs, ie no standing up mashing the pedals.I have lock out up front but used it for the first year with out it before i changed the forks.
Horses for courses,6 of one and half a dozen of the other,
some one will always tell you one is better than the other.
imo my fs gives me more confidence,speed,traction,and fun where it counts.

YeehaaMcgee

Both my full suss bikes are, contrary to the popular myth, less of a drag up any hill that is not tarmac-smooth than my hardtail.
Even on smooth surfaces, the differences are minimal.

christiannorman

Thanks all, i think i'm going to have to give FS a try.
Since i'll be doing the CTW scheme i think it'll be the Boardman Team FS.
Really appreciate the help.

njee20

When I switched back to a hardtail for racing for a while I actually found it was more of a handful on the flats and the climbs. Going down you just bounced off things a bit more, but on the flat where on the FS I can just sit and turn the pedals the hardtail had you out of the saddle the whole time, it was much more of a handful. Admittedly that was 2 bikes of a similar weight, but still.

I'd get the FS unless you plan to do lots of road riding.

And +1 to the 'lockout not being the end of the world' folk, I've got ProPedal on my shock, but it always just stays in the same position.