Hard tail or full suspension??

Matty healy

I'm looking at getting my first mountain bike iv been advised that it's best to learn on a hard tail, but is it worth buying a hard tail to learn on or going straight to full suspension

kajjal

It really depends on what your budget is and where you plan to ride. It is also a bit of personal preference.

Are you buying new or used

BigAl

I think that's the wrong way of looking at it. It isn't about 'progressing' from HT to FS. Full-sussers aren't better than hardtails, just different. Good full-sussers DO cost a lot more than decent hardtails though

Have you done much mountain biking, if not how do you know you'll even like it? What type of riding do you intend to do. What's your budget?

Maybe get to a trail centre and hire something or get a demo bike.

Consider also the second hand market - you can pick up great bargains

Matty healy

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19725296#p19725296]Kajjal[/url] wrote:

It really depends on what your budget is and where you plan to ride. It is also a bit of personal preference.

Are you buying new or used

I'm going to buy new and ride the trials at cannock chase

Matty healy

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19725309#p19725309]BigAl[/url] wrote:

I think that's the wrong way of looking at it. It isn't about 'progressing' from HT to FS. Full-sussers aren't better than hardtails, just different. Good full-sussers DO cost a lot more than decent hardtails though

Have you done much mountain biking, if not how do you know you'll even like it? What type of riding do you intend to do. What's your budget?

Maybe get to a trail centre and hire something or get a demo bike.

Consider also the second hand market - you can pick up great bargains

Iv been about 4 times now down Cannock chase n love it, iv got about £500 at the min so was gonna buy a boardman ht for halfords but I use my cousins bike for now so it's also an option to wait and save for a full suspension

oxoman

Go to Decathlon and get a rockrider, better bike deal and more than capable for Cannock and a lot o the trail centres.

cubedean

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19725483#p19725483]oxoman[/url] wrote:

Go to Decathlon and get a rockrider, better bike deal and more than capable for Cannock and a lot o the trail centres.

I 2nd this. Either decathlon or check out go outdoors, their calibre range as also great value for money spec wise.

oxoman

Keep forgetting to mention Go Outdoors, has some very good bikes. Cannock is easy to do on a hardtail. I started there on a hardtail and have since done various other places on a hardtail, have since upgraded to a full sus bike as I ride harder and started to do a lot more natural and gnarly stuff. Bare on mind it took me 3 yrs to decide to go full sus route.

Giraffoto

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19725260#p19725260]Matty healy[/url] wrote:

. . . i've been advised that it's best to learn on a hard tail . . .

Surely it's best to learn on what you plan to ride? As the owner of a fully rigid hardtail, you might expect me to go on about the levels of finesse and control that I'm learning, but really I'm just learning more and more about my particular bike. Put me on a full sus bike and I wouldn't know how to pedal most efficiently, for instance.