Moving to full sus.....??

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  • philofcas2
    philofcas2 Posts: 26
    Hi Richard, a recent higher model Scott Spark.
  • 02gf74
    02gf74 Posts: 1,168
    PhilofCas2 wrote:

    What I’m wondering is if I can retain the fun of the hard tail but mix in some a good dose of plushness, i.e. best of both worlds.
    .

    Yes. One word = Lockout.
  • philofcas2
    philofcas2 Posts: 26
    :D stay with hard tail then.
  • eric_draven
    eric_draven Posts: 1,192
    If you were thinking of a Whyte T130, Wheelbase have £1k off the RS model at the moment
  • philofcas2
    philofcas2 Posts: 26
    Good shout Eric, cheers.
  • Lydia-Hines
    Lydia-Hines Posts: 8
    After switching to FS in '96, I got back on a hardtail (as a second bike) at the end of '02. Forgot how fun it is! Ride the same trail differently on the two bikes. As is, the HT gets about as much use as the FS, though it becomes my primary in winter and gets ridden less in summer.
  • johnmcl7
    johnmcl7 Posts: 162
    PhilofCas2 wrote:
    Well, I had a more extended ride on my mate’s Scott, o dear, back to square one, felt comfy as hell, but lacked any feedback, (though I did really wonder if the shock was too low in pressure?) It had the feeling of being able to tram along with little care of what you’re riding over and on that front I could see it being a less fatiguing ride, but it just felt soggy and devoid of much need to take control and ‘ride’ the bike if you get my drift.

    I suppose it reinforces the fact of needing some demo rides.

    That's how I feel about full suspension bikes as I go back and forth between them but just find the hardtail more fun to ride, I've got a Trek Stache 29+ which has decent grip and float on rough trails from the bigger wheels.

    There is a lot of choice with mountain bikes and it comes down to what you prefer to ride so I certainly echo doing demo rides but don't assume full suspension bike is a necessary step forward.
  • philofcas2
    philofcas2 Posts: 26
    Thanks Lydia/John
  • JBA
    JBA Posts: 2,852
    Lydia-Hines wrote:
    After switching to FS in '96, I got back on a hardtail (as a second bike) at the end of '02. Forgot how fun it is! Ride the same trail differently on the two bikes. As is, the HT gets about as much use as the FS, though it becomes my primary in winter and gets ridden less in summer.

    Are you still riding the same fs bike? If so your comparison is pointless now. There have been massive improvements in suspension since 1996. More tuneability, better pedal platforms, better linkages, etc.

    I have a 140mm full susser that is used mainly at bike parks and trail centres and a hardtail that I use for more xc-oriented rides but also use it at trail centres sometimes.
    You have to ride them differently on the same trail as the ht is less forgiving.
    My son used to have a Giant Anthem with 100mm travel front and rear. I used to borrow it and it felt like a ‘soft’ hardtail if I set the sag at 20%. It was a great bike for long rides as the rear suspension took the sting out of rocks, roots, etc. It could also handle the bumpy stuff and was a great all round bike as long as I didn’t do anything too rough.
    As I get older (I’m 53 now) I appreciate full suspension much more, not only for it’s ability to allow me to tackle trails but also for the comfort it provides. Due to my decreasing ability to heal quickly after crashes I am riding fewer trails with drops and jumps and veering more towards XC and natural trails so I think my next bike will be a decent short travel full sus.
    “Life has been unfaithful
    And it all promised so so much”

    Giant Trance 2 27.5 2016 ¦ Sonder Broken Road 2021¦ Giant Revolt Advanced 2 2019 ¦ Giant Toughtroad SLR 1 2019 ¦ Giant Anthem 3 2015 ¦ Specialized Myka Comp FSR 2009
  • sniper68
    sniper68 Posts: 2,910
    JBA wrote:
    As I get older (I’m 53 now) I appreciate full suspension much more, not only for it’s ability to allow me to tackle trails but also for the comfort it provides. Due to my decreasing ability to heal quickly after crashes I am riding fewer trails with drops and jumps and veering more towards XC and natural trails so I think my next bike will be a decent short travel full sus.
    I'm sort of edging the other way.
    I started out on rigids back in the 80s. got my first FS in 2000 and replaced them every 2 years up to 2015.In 2012 I decided to build a HT as a second/winter bike.By 2014 my FS was hardly used and i thought it was because I was itching for a new one so I built a Nukeproof Mega.It got used about 10 times :roll:.I rebuilt the HT in 2015 and it again was the "go to" bike.I sold the FS in 2016 as it was just a very expensive dust magnet.I bought a CX bike and pretty soon the HT also became redundant so I sold that in 2017.
    So here I am at 50 and have sort of gone full circle,although the CX is probably much better than an old 80s rigid.
    If I was to build another MTB it would definitely be another HT,probably 140/150mm travel 8)
    Lynskey R480

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