Full Suspension Benefits?

jakesurf

Hi all,

I've owned a Boardman Pro Hardtail (09 version, Rockshox Reba race 100mm travel forks) for the last four years and have recently been considering a change in bike. I originally went for a hardtail as I needed a bike that I could use for trail centres, cycle paths, road use etc. However over the last four years I've bought a road bike and hybrid so the boardman is only used for trail centers now.

On average I typically only get to a trail center about once per month (Hamsterley Forest and Cannock Chase typically) so the maximum I want to spend is £900. I've been considering a full suspension bike but have the following questions:

1) Would I notice the difference of a full suspension bike at this price range compared to my Boardman at trail centers such as Cannock Chase? I'm a fairly average rider not particularly slow but not fast either.

2) There are currently two bikes I'm considering:

The Rockrider 9.1 for £799.99 (http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-91-id_8213074.html)
The Boardman Team FS 650B which I can get for £810 (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_991934_langId_-1_categoryId_165499)

Which is the best out of these?

3) Are there any other options I should be considering either full suspension or hardtail? Or should I just stick with my Boardman?

Thanks for your help!

markhewitt1978

Why not rent a full-sus at Hamsterley next time you're there and decide for yourself?

The Rookie

Breifly (from only a few rides) I see FS as having
Pros
1/ More traction on bumpy terrain
2/ More comfortable and less fatiguing
3/ More forgiving of some riding errors (not all!)
Cons
1/ At the same price point will always weigh more
2/ At that price point you'll always feel some 'loss of connection' with the trail

The RR and Boardmans are both good solutions the Boardman with the larger wheels would probably be my choice of the two as they are otherwise evenly matched, consider also the trance X3 http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b0s1p494 ... CE-X3-2013

oodboo

Stick with the boardman and save up for a decent full sus. With a sub £1k budget you're not going to get much, if any, benefit over your current bike. Double the budget and start shopping then.

kajjal

I tried full suspension and found I went faster off road but did not enjoy the ride as much due to not being able to feel the trail and bike as much. It's just a personal preference unless injury means you need a more cushioned ride or you enjoy throwing yourself off cliffs

Giraffoto

Would you go riding in more difficult adventurous places if you had a bike with full suspension? Is it only your lack of full suspension that's stopping you? If so, at least give it a go on the hardtail, you might be surprised by what you can do. (Don't necessarily try any huge jumps or drop offs though). If it doesn't work, you'll know you need the full sus bike.

Or to think of it another way, do you often find yourself thinking, "I need more suspension here"? Another sign that you could do with full suspension.

jakesurf

Thanks all for the responses. It looks like in summary that if I do go full suspension the Boardman would be the best bet and that I would probably gain a bit in comfort at the expense of losing a bit of feel.

However I'm also keeping an eye on the Hardcore HT or FS? thread as a third option. Would any one be able to give me a rough idea of how much of my current Boardman I could donate over to something like the Cotic Bfe with a view to upgrading to longer travel forks in the future?

supersonic

Pretty much everything really, though check seatpost sizes.

Personally I'd keep what you have and get the Boardman. Feel is subjective mind, more traction might add 'feel'!

whitey161

If you want a decent full suspension for a grand you're best off going second hand.
Could get something like a remedy for around the £1000 mark with some decent kit on it.

Brand new i wouldnt bother with a FS for that money, could get a nice light hardtail for that though.

tarbot18

Id go for the boardman teal full suss mate has one great looking bike and nearly the same spec as the new trance 650 the £1500 one . It'll give you a more comfortable ride over the rough stuff andmay give you the confidence to do more on it.

Kowalski675

whitey161 wrote:

Brand new i wouldnt bother with a FS for that money

Yeah - the Boardman, Trance X3 and Rockrider are all really cr*p bikes that get relly terrible reviews and ride really badly...

jon1993

I had a boardman pro HT I used all the parts to put on a carbon Scott spark 30 frame which cam with remote reba and remote rear shock for £400 so cost me 1200 (ebay from boardman on cycle to work scheme) and built myself a much more expensive bike than I could afford due to the great spec of the boardman and i still have the frame and reba forks to sell from my boardman. Might be something worth thinking about doing if the parts on your boardman are still good? Also for me at dalby forest which is stupidly bumpy in parts yes it made a massive improvement to my riding speed now sub 2 hours previously 2:40ish on HT.

Angus Young

jakesurf wrote:

The Boardman Team FS 650B which I can get for £810

How are you getting the Team FS for £810?