cannock chase whats more suited ht or fs

muddpuppy

As above this is my local trail so will be using it the most just want to know what will be better suited

angry_bird

Hardtail

muddpuppy

Why has this been moved to routes the questions more about the bikes than the route

papertech202

Hardtail everytime for me round cannock.

edhornby

if you have the choice between the two then yes a HT but if you have a full sus as your only bike then you won't be disappointed - the only thing that may not work there is a full DownHill bike

brucie45

Ridden the chase on both, HT for me everytime now. I'm guessing you have both hence the OP, take both if possible. Do a lap of the dog on one and then a lap of the dog on the other and then you can decide. Or do the laps on the Monkey trail if your upto it, the monkey is more technical with some nice black runs.

muddpuppy

brucie45 wrote:

Ridden the chase on both, HT for me everytime now. I'm guessing you have both hence the OP, take both if possible. Do a lap of the dog on one and then a lap of the dog on the other and then you can decide. Or do the laps on the Monkey trail if your upto it, the monkey is more technical with some nice black runs.

Don't have either but this will be my most used trail as it's local and I'm tinkering on wether to buy fs or ht

brucie45

Go over to the buying section and browse the forum, there are litterally hundreds of posts with your dilema, personally I prefer hardtail but I'm sure with the right FS I would change my mind.

kammybear

I think it comes down to personal preference really.

I've just moved over the full suss and the only difference I feel is that I'm more confident with everything.

stubs

Depends on your budget below a thousand a HT a thousand and up FS starts to make sense.

.blitz

muddpuppy wrote:

As above this is my local trail so will be using it the most just want to know what will be better suited

120mm SLX HT for weekend warriors

If you really are local and are thinking of going 3-4-5 or more times a week (easily done in summer) then FS all the way

buddy_club

.blitz wrote:

muddpuppy wrote:

As above this is my local trail so will be using it the most just want to know what will be better suited

120mm SLX HT for weekend warriors

If you really are local and are thinking of going 3-4-5 or more times a week (easily done in summer) then FS all the way

Disagree, hardtail all the way and i'm there 3 times a week (not that its got anything to do with the fact i'm too poor to afford a decent full sus )

postie90

I'm in this dilemma, to go hardtail or full suspension.... Only done the green/blue @chase trails on a hybrid... Really wanna get a new bike to use on follow the dog and eventually the monkey....

kajjal

Unless you have long standing injuries or prefer very rough tracks it is just down to personal preference. In the early 1990's when I started mountain biking VBrakes and front suspension were just becoming affordable and we rode rough trails on rigid bikes.

frankspencer1979

I've seen a fella tackling the werewolf drop on a £100 tuff trax Asda special, so you can ride it on pretty much anything°! Just get the best bike you can afford, i'm guessing at some point you will want to have a day out somewhere else.

° he nay have died whilst attempting this, I didn't stick around to find out ;-)

dusk

Full sus all day long, the trail is so well used it's full of ruts so you can't pedal well on a hardtail (too many idiots braking in the wrong place!)

Lowride

I've got a Trek Remedy full susp and a Canyon hardtail 29er. The Remedy is totally wasted at Cannock, the Canyon has 120mm travel and it's perfect for the Chase

If you're planning on going further afield i.e Wales etc. then I'd buy a full susp for sure but it depends what you have planned. You certainly don't need a full susp for CC

postie90

Lowride wrote:

I've got a Trek Remedy full susp and a Canyon hardtail 29er. The Remedy is totally wasted at Cannock, the Canyon has 120mm travel and it's perfect for the Chase

If you're planning on going further afield i.e Wales etc. then I'd buy a full susp for sure but it depends what you have planned. You certainly don't need a full susp for CC

I'd be doing the chase just once a week or so, I was up there the weekend and it was 50/50 looking around ht/fs had a word in the cycle shop there and they seem to leaning 2wards full suspension, obviously Fs is more expensive, then a good Ht has been recomended.... What to go for.......

morepower

I go to Cannock and Sherwood Pines mostly.. I have a HT Orange Crush... it has been brilliant I have done the top and bottom cliff sections and love it.. I dont feel the need for full sus... I used to ride a rigid when I started riding off road and never found I was avoiding any where to be honest... Drop offs into an old quarry on a local ride in the Mansfield area before Sherwood Pines had been started and up into Derbyshire. It was more down to riding technique than bike then. Now I have had a long break from riding due to work, injuries and life in general as I moved away. My best mate never stopped riding so is fitter than me now but on the downhill sections I still get away from him on the HT. OK I may have a motorcycle riding background where he has not but even a full sus with a rider who lacks technique will struggle to keep in front of a HT with a rider who has some technique. You learn more about riding I feel on a HT or Rigid as you have to look for lines and learn to be smooth and fast. A full sus is not so critical to just get round a route.

I am happy with my HT at Cannock and dont see me swapping any time soon as I enjoy it so much.

JodyP

It depends what kind of FS your after. A lightweight XC FS is the best of both worlds. Bit of comfort, climbs well and takes most of the hits when needed.

postie90

morepower wrote:

I go to Cannock and Sherwood Pines mostly.. I have a HT Orange Crush... it has been brilliant I have done the top and bottom cliff sections and love it.. I dont feel the need for full sus... I used to ride a rigid when I started riding off road and never found I was avoiding any where to be honest... Drop offs into an old quarry on a local ride in the Mansfield area before Sherwood Pines had been started and up into Derbyshire. It was more down to riding technique than bike then. Now I have had a long break from riding due to work, injuries and life in general as I moved away. My best mate never stopped riding so is fitter than me now but on the downhill sections I still get away from him on the HT. OK I may have a motorcycle riding background where he has not but even a full sus with a rider who lacks technique will struggle to keep in front of a HT with a rider who has some technique. You learn more about riding I feel on a HT or Rigid as you have to look for lines and learn to be smooth and fast. A full sus is not so critical to just get round a route.

I am happy with my HT at Cannock and dont see me swapping any time soon as I enjoy it so much.

thanks for your reply, this with other posts has sort off made my mind up to get a good quality hard tail....

stubs

You will get a better standard of kit for your budget. If some time down the line you decide you want a suspension frame then a lot of the parts will swap over if you just buy a frame. What doesnt fit will soon sell on ebay.