I ride xc on my dh race bike. I also race dh on my xc bike. Yeah, I only have one bike, but it works for me. I am hoping to get a dedicated dh racer though.
I personally don't like shocks at all. I ride XC Trails and all shocks do is kill your energy when you ride up steep hills. Maybe I'll get used to it, I just moved over to MTB from BMX recently.
I ride only hardtails, even if there is down the hill or up the hill. Of course a full suspension bike would do the job alot more efficiant down the hill than all the HT's you´ve ever tried Bloghogs but sure uphill you can never get wrong with a hardtail.
i´ve been useing a 140mm fork on my trail bike for all forms of terrain.
Maybe illustrated pic would do the job ^^
I earn my down hill runs.In fact it seems I climb more than anything.Im not knocking dual suspension(it certainly has it's place)but I just dont need...
I earn my down hill runs.In fact it seems I climb more than anything.Im not knocking dual suspension(it certainly has it's place)but I just dont need it.I cant see myself riding a big hit bike around town,at the skate park,or any urban setting.Theres plenty of mountains and fire roads around,and Ive never really found myself wishing for a rear shock.Must be some reason you see plenty of hard tales racing XC and 4X.In my world,what goes flying down the hill has to grind back up the hill.
Hi there,
I have switched from the road to the mountains. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using a hardtail instead of dual suspension? This is relating to XC and not DH.
A hard tail will out climb and out accelerate any dual suspension bike.They are lighter and have more pedaling efficiency.
On the down side,obviously a harsher ride.On a hard tail,you get really good at riding around with your butt about two inches above the seat.
Agreed. I bought a specialized p1 am hardtail last year specifically for downhill. I also use it for freeride and plan to start xc. I think that a having a hardtail makes you a better rider because you compensate for bumps and rocks with your body positioning and by riding loose rather than by just relying on a rear suspension. Despite the rougher ride, I enjoy my hardtail.
I ride all the time with guys and their squishy bikes and watching them climb usually pretty funny. Their ass hard planted in the saddle crankin about 100 mph bike bouncing in time with there cadence and the bike barely moving.
I still see more hardtails on the trail then full suspension. A good hardtail decent front fork and the right tire pressure and you can have a really smooth ride. I don't think the hardtail is dead at all...Full suspension seems to be about status most of the time from what I see.
I think the full sussers have their place - certainly on the more extreme conditions..
But personally I think that hard tails are better value for money, lighter, less tricky/technical to set up and generally easier to live with.
The other big things that puts me off about them are:
When I see people on them I think the hardtails look better
The consistent bounce
The amount of real cheap full sussers around - which makes even the expensive ones look cheap or no good
I think the full sussers have their place - certainly on the more extreme conditions..
But personally I think that hard tails are better value for...
I think the full sussers have their place - certainly on the more extreme conditions..
But personally I think that hard tails are better value for money, lighter, less tricky/technical to set up and generally easier to live with.
The other big things that puts me off about them are:
When I see people on them I think the hardtails look better
The consistent bounce
The amount of real cheap full sussers around - which makes even the expensive ones look cheap or no good
I'll try to abbreviate. I was out of riding for 10 plus years. Last FS bike, GT LTS1. Loved it, even used to commute on it. Last HT was a GT Zaskar. LTS was down for what ever reason so I rode the HT Zaskar. Couldn't believe what I had been missing. Fast forward to 2009. Wanted to start riding again and thought full suspension was the best way to go. Did a little research and decided on Trek EX8. Unbelievable ride. Worked great going up, down, braking, not braking, awesome ride with no downside. Started noticing the "tall" ride and constant need (desire) to raise the seat. Being "old school" with roadie background I wanted my seat at the same level and not adjusting it for every situation. Disccussed with a riding buddy that I really miss a hardtail and he said he had one for sale. Bought it. 2010 Specialized carbon fiber, all XT. NIRVANA! I couldn't believe, once again, what I was missing. I was all ready to sell my Trek EX8 because I have arrived. The hard tail was 'The Shit'. Being caron fiber, I guess, the ride was the ride was much smoother than the Zaskar hardtail I remember, awesome. Decided that I should give the Trek one last try, before casting her aside, and quickly realized I was in love with 2 machines. They both have qualities I LOVE and both have qualities that I don't really like. There is no perfect bike. You need 2. The best analogy would be women. We love good girls, but we want dirty girls. You get to decide which is which.
Great thread here, providing some insight I've been seeking. I was heavily into the racing scene in the early-mid-90s, and over the years my riding tapered off to none at all. I've been getting out lately on my 18 year-old RTS-1, which I actually still love but is obviously beyond long-in-the-tooth. Weepy, flexy Mag 21 SLs, worn out drive train and "vintage" brakes make me realize it's time to put her out to pasture.
I've been focusing on Specialized's line of products and have been considering a Stumpjumper 29 Comp or Stumper FSR 29 Comp. I realize this comes down to a personal decision, but besides the weight thing, do you think I'd regret the decision if I returned to XC competition on an FSR? I loved the RTS and never felt penalized by it (still like the "rocker tuned" system with its chain torque suspension lockout). With the manual lockout feature on the FSR I'm thinking I could be happy with the thing.
At the age of 52 I'm likely to appreciate some rear suspension movement at the end of a long day's ride or perhaps a last lap of competition, but also understand the 29 inch wheels offer some extra suppleness in themselves. I love my wife's Epic FSR but another one is not in the budget at present.
To clear up any confusion created by too much wordiness- could a Stumpjumper FSR be considered a XC racing platform?
hardtails are definitely not dead,switched from hardtails to fullsuspensions to hardtails. went back to hardtails cause i crashed in my last fullsuspension bike and it was GT LTS years ago now i ride a hardtail titanium bike and rides amazing and still handles fast and smooth.
Love my felt hard tail did a fork upgrade and a few other things and handles great.like said above the full suspension bikes I pass all the time going up hill.don't get me wrong I'm sure they will kill me going down .
personally, i like riding a 6.5" bike with flats everywhere- along with strong, athletic women.
i´ve been useing a 140mm fork on my trail bike for all forms of terrain.
Maybe illustrated pic would do the job ^^
I have switched from the road to the mountains. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using a hardtail instead of dual suspension? This is relating to XC and not DH.
Thanks
On the down side,obviously a harsher ride.On a hard tail,you get really good at riding around with your butt about two inches above the seat.
I still see more hardtails on the trail then full suspension. A good hardtail decent front fork and the right tire pressure and you can have a really smooth ride. I don't think the hardtail is dead at all...Full suspension seems to be about status most of the time from what I see.
But personally I think that hard tails are better value for money, lighter, less tricky/technical to set up and generally easier to live with.
The other big things that puts me off about them are:
When I see people on them I think the hardtails look better
The consistent bounce
The amount of real cheap full sussers around - which makes even the expensive ones look cheap or no good
I've been focusing on Specialized's line of products and have been considering a Stumpjumper 29 Comp or Stumper FSR 29 Comp. I realize this comes down to a personal decision, but besides the weight thing, do you think I'd regret the decision if I returned to XC competition on an FSR? I loved the RTS and never felt penalized by it (still like the "rocker tuned" system with its chain torque suspension lockout). With the manual lockout feature on the FSR I'm thinking I could be happy with the thing.
At the age of 52 I'm likely to appreciate some rear suspension movement at the end of a long day's ride or perhaps a last lap of competition, but also understand the 29 inch wheels offer some extra suppleness in themselves. I love my wife's Epic FSR but another one is not in the budget at present.
To clear up any confusion created by too much wordiness- could a Stumpjumper FSR be considered a XC racing platform?
Thanks in advance for any useful input.
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