Does rear suspension really add that much comfort?

cheaterkiller

If your going downhill at speed over rocky trails would there be a great deal of difference between a hardtail and a full sus bike? Assume the quality of bikes is what one could reasonably expect for £1000 new. On the really bumpy stuff I stand up with bent knees to make it easier on my poo dispenser.

supersonic

It is mostly there for performance ie traction.

But for many it does add comfort as they can sit and pedal through stuff they cannot on a hardtail.

cooldad

I switched to a full sus because at the end of long rides I watched friends cruise over little bumps, whilst my body ached, and my legs were too tired to stand up. My body is also a bit old.
It's not like riding a Laz-Z-Boy, but it does take a bit of stress out of things.
But going downhill over rough stuff you would stand anyway, so it doesn't make any difference from a comfort point of view.
I also ride an old rigid steel bike if I feel like a bit of punishment.

WindyG

It does add some comfort yes, I do feel more battered after long rides on my hardtail but as above the suspension is there for traction rather than comfort.

alan1985

Having made the switch over from hardtail to full sus in the past week I'd say a massive yes-managed to nail a 30 miler a few days ago on a hardtail and because I rushed around I felt it by the end, since then I've hit 3 10+ mile rides in 3 days by taking shortcuts with massive climbs to get to the fun stuff and apart from a bit of a bad back from work I'm all good to go again for llandegla tomorow-first two rides I found myself sitting down jus to try and keep the bike planted as it weighs a fair bit less( kraken to anthem)-best thing you can do is nail a test drive on one-I've jus finished colour coding my bike this month and now the girlfriend owns it apparently ;-(

Padgie

alan1985 wrote:

Having made the switch over from hardtail to full sus in the past week I'd say a massive yes-managed to nail a 30 miler a few days ago on a hardtail and because I rushed around I felt it by the end, since then I've hit 3 10+ mile rides in 3 days by taking shortcuts with massive climbs to get to the fun stuff and apart from a bit of a bad back from work I'm all good to go again for llandegla tomorow-first two rides I found myself sitting down jus to try and keep the bike planted as it weighs a fair bit less( kraken to anthem)-best thing you can do is nail a test drive on one-I've jus finished colour coding my bike this month and now the girlfriend owns it apparently ;-(

Llandegla is closed buddy!

danlikesbikes

cheaterkiller wrote:

If your going downhill at speed over rocky trails would there be a great deal of difference between a hardtail and a full sus bike? Assume the quality of bikes is what one could reasonably expect for £1000 new. On the really bumpy stuff I stand up with bent knees to make it easier on my poo dispenser.

As per others I find the rear only helps with traction & have not noticed any real difference in comfort but I am an XC rider and racer so am not an out and out DH rider but do go pretty quick.

Other thing I would add is that if your comparing a Full Vrs front suspension bike at around £1,000 you'd need to pick carefully as components could be different on one against the other as no need to design & fit a rear shock meaning a potentially better front fork.

Tom Barton

Traction/performace mainly for me. But yes on the long rides its more forgiving on a full sus.

I ride hard on the downs and full suss lets you get away with slightly bigger mistakes by absorbing some of the cack handed/directed energy as well.

The Rookie

Even 100mm of travel (quality suspension) will allow you to sit down over chattery stuff that would have you out the sadle (or at least partially unweighted) to save your bot on a hardtail.

coursemyhorse

In my experience it is much more comfortable yes.

nferrar

On rocky downhill stuff it's just added traction as you'll be standing up on a full sus to, however on less bumpy stuff it allows you to sit down whereas you'd still need to stand on a HT so less fatiguing and more comfortable in the long run

rockmonkeysc

It depends on the quality of the suspension. A cheap rear shock with no small bump sensitivity won't feel much better than a hardtail. I still prefer riding a hardtail, I have had a few full sus xc bikes and find the hardtail a better ride for me, I can quite happily ride 40 miles without feeling beat up.

.blitz

Personally I don't think it makes much difference per ride. The important thing is that FS allows you to go again the next day, and the next day, and the day after that and so on and so on without feeling beat up.

nicklouse

in a word no.

but you may be able to go faster.

suspension has nothing to do with comfort.

unless you are on a hybrid.

The Rookie

Have to disagree, back to back I demo'd a trek Superfly HT and a Pivot Mach4 FS, on the same chattery singletrack where I was out the saddle on the Trek (or just unweighting enough to take the sting out), I was just gliding the ripples on the FS, if you only do upto 30-35 miles it's probably not worth it, for all dayers it probably is.

john10012

Can you lockout the rear suspension on an FS mountain bike like you can on a hardtail with the front?

cooldad

Depending on the shock, yes.

passout

For all day rides on challenging terrain (thinking some Highland rides I did & lakeland loops) then yes, a fs is more comfortable. I'd still ride a ardtail though - more fun. Comfort isn't the reason to get fs though.

felix.london

nicklouse wrote:

in a word no.

but you may be able to go faster.

suspension has nothing to do with comfort.

+1 to that. Decent rear suspension means you can go faster, take corners quicker, pick sketchier lines and generally hit bugger stuff. Maybe that's just cos of where I'm riding but you're either slowly climbing in the saddle or rapidly descending out of it.

supersonic

There is no denying that some people find it more comfortable, especially over longer rides.

stubs

I have a dodgy back and knee. I can ride my HT offroad for about an hour or two before I start to ache. On my Canyon bouncer I can ride 3 or 4 hours and most importantly do it again the next day. If your over 40 and been riding offroad for 30 plus years in all weathers like me a nice bit of squidge at the back end is lovely.

milko9000

I've been trying to ride my HT at the same speed as my full-suss on the bumpy downhill stuff. Even though I'm out of the saddle I definitely feel a bit more beat up by it at the end, though its good fun.

The Rookie

stubs wrote:

If your over 40 and been riding offroad for 30 plus years in all weathers like me a nice bit of squidge at the back end is lovely.

We still talking rear suspension on the BIKE?