[Closed] Hardtail owners

I only have hardtails. Scott scale 960 and a fully rigid singlespeed. Got rid of my full sus as I mainly ride xc. Used my Scott at BPW and nobody died.
Had a Boardman FS but felt it was too much bike for the trails I ride. I've had the odd moment (at places like afan) where I'd wanted a bit more bike but 95% of the time I don't need it.
Funnily enough, I've just had similar chats with my mate as he was in the market for a new bike. He got a hardtail in the end.

Only ever ridden hardtails, there is very little you can't ride on a hardtail. I like really technical riding with plenty of rocks and roots. I took a single speed hardtail to the Alps and rode everything my mates on DH bikes rode.

In my case, I only have hardtails because...

1/ I feel that a FS would lure me into riding beyond my (meagre) capabilities
2/ The extra maintenance costs/effort involved doesn't appeal to me
3/ I have enough trouble hauling myself uphill, without having a heavier bike.
4/ At the moment, n+1 bikes would require n+1 sheds
5/ I'm having plenty of fun with my hardtails, thanks very much.

In my case, I only have hardtails because...

1/ I feel that a FS would lure me into riding beyond my (meagre) capabilities
2/ The extra maintenance costs/effort involved doesn't appeal to me
3/ I have enough trouble hauling myself uphill, without having a heavier bike.
4/ At the moment, n+1 bikes would require n+1 sheds
5/ I'm having plenty of fun with my hardtails, thanks very much.

I've gone back to hardtails, mainly because of maintenance and also where I live (southeast). I got a bit fed up with play developing in bearings and bushings etc...

If you are keeping up with your mate on his FS then you are likely more skilled and fitter and having approximately 28.3% more fun 🙂

Has your mate given any reason as to why he thinks you need an FS?

Ive owned a couple of full sus In the past, but I find I get just as much enjoyment from a hsrdtail, im no slower than my mates on full sus snd just cant see the point.
However I do find my seft lusting after I nice full sus trail bike whyen Iread the mags - im sure its all clear marketing and peer pressure.

I sold my hardtail and only have two FS now, one short travel 29er for races, and a long travel 26" for the rest.

My reasons were:-
- I was faster and more in control on the FS, as I could pedal over obstacles, and had my back wheel in touch with the ground for more of the time
- The FS are only 1kg heavier, but I accept are more expensive to buy and maintain
- I bu@@ered up my back doing 100k and multi-day races on my hardtail, as after a couple of hours in the saddle I was too tired to lift my butt for every bump and jump. If you're younger or fitter this may not be a problem - yet!

Couldn't afford as good a bike if it was a FS and my riding capabilities don't really warrant one anywyay.

Every winter I convince myself that I don't need my FS, then in Spring I ride it again and realise I do! If I only used a HT then I'd be more than happy with it though.
Although we had a couple of days in the Lakes recently and I wouldn't have enjoyed the descents half as much on my HT.

At trailsy 29er HT does everything I want for where I live and what I want to ride. Any limits are mine not the bike. It kicked a**e at BPW, I got a little shaken at Afan, don't care. CBA with FS maintenance, I'll keep the cash in my back pocket and if I ever 'must' have an FS I'll rent.

I currently only have a ht, well a rigid singlespeed, having just sold my geared ht. When I buy a new bike it'll be another ht.

I've had a few fs bikes but I'm just not as keen, they feel inefficient. I know it isn't really the case and even if it was I'm not exactly an xc racer. It only takes the slightest amount of bob on a climb and that's it, I'm looking for reasons to get rid.

Have a FS but not ridden it for over 18 months. But then I do only pootle around Surrey XC stuff 🙂

For balance. I say that FS owners benefit from owning and riding a HT. I would not contemplate snowdon, highlands, Lakeland passes, Sierra Nevada, alps etc on my HT.

I've been riding hardtails for ever and I've only finally cracked and ordered a full-sus because my mates and I are doing more uplift days in gnarlier places and I'm not tough enough to enjoy it as much on the hardtail. But I'm very happy (and not slow) on the hardtail for the riding you describe.

However, another of my mates has also been riding a hardtail forever and we've been trying to persuade him to get a new bike for a while - not because it's a hardtail but because it's a year 2000 GT with the geometry you'd expect from that era - and he's had too many over the bars crashes on it - if it had a more downhill friendly head angle and better forks and decent brakes (like my 140mm Cotic) we wouldn't have said anything!

I've only ever ridden a HT and I love it, so I've never felt the need for a different bike, except on a few occasions of riding something steep where I felt I was going to go over the bars.

Yeah the narliest thing my bikes will encounter is Hully Gully at Gisburn. My mate's 10 seconds quicker down there but on the Smoother Hope line he can't get near me as I can acclerate out of the berms quicker. And my local riding is mainly woodland stuff, tight and twisty, sometimes rooty. And Darwen moor and Rivington which I seem to manage ok on.

My ideal bike maybe after next year would be a 130 mm travel Hardtail in any wheel size.

Have a 29er HT and a FS (Trance x2) the FS has been hung up on my wall for 6 months as I prefer the 29er.

you aint competitive in enduro races, but you do get mega kudos.

TBH, there are only a couple of spots at Gisburn where you might appreciate a FS bike. It's an XC trail centre - a short-travel hardtail is the perfect bike for the rest of it.

You should be able to break your mate's spirit on the climbs anyhow, then tell him he really needs a hardtail...

FS smooths out the hits so the rider goes quicker seems a circular argument to me, so what? May as well get on the road bike and ride asphalt at 60mph.

Reduced fatigue, less back stress, better traction on climbing, pinging out of bends, bigger hucks, they're all potentially bona fide benefits that make sense to a lot of people, fair enough. My bikes are getting simpler nowadays, if I can't ride, I'll walk.

Who here only rides Hardtails and why not full suspension?

I can only justify one bike at the moment, for the majority of my riding I don't feel I need an FS, and given the Pennine grinding paste I often ride in and lack of time for maintenance, I don't think I'd be able to look after one.

Having said which, when I win the lottery, I shall be having a Banshee Phantom:

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When I got back into mountain biking a few years back, I looked at getting a full suss, but after a bit of deliberation ended up with a hardtail, with the idea that I'd add a full suss to the fleet later on.

Then I ended up building another, more all round hardtail.

Then I bought a road bike.

And to be honest, I have no urge whatsoever to buy a full suss any more. I think I would buy every niche bike going before I got round to buying a full suss. But then I don't ride a lot of big stuff either.

There was a 'test' in one of the mags recently of timing on a steep loose climb. FWIW (not much to me but I don't dispute the conclusion) the journo concluded short travel FS beat long travel FS beat HT fairly conclusively.

As with all the wheel size debates, ride what makes one happy. That's what were here for.

I think I would buy every niche bike going before I got round to buying a full suss.

Yeah, I'd love to try a fat bike, Krampus and so on. My money would go that way first.

Though someone I ride with has one of those new carbon Spesh FS 29ers, I can't deny it looks good.

Doesnt sound like you need one... but is always nice to have another.

I probably ride my Soul more than anything else tbh...but that may all change on my pike endowed bandit waiting in the back of the garage out of the wifes sight 😉

I wish I never got a full sus because it's hard to go back to just riding HT after. They just feel unbalanced and weird in comparison. Way better for jumps etc though. I just have to run the forks quite hard otherwise it feels wrong.

I've got a 120mm hardtail, I love the simplicity. I ride it pretty hard and sure I'll get beaten down a rocky run, but on most other stuff it's brilliant, loads of pop, very responsive, and most importantly it's fun! If I had a FS I'd spend half my time worrying about rear shock setup and getting too much grit in the bearings.

Interesting thread, speaking as someone who owns a SC Nomad Carbon but has just built up a Ragley Blue Pig (with 150mm travel forks)as a '2nd' bike. I am bowled over with how capable the hardtail is and, actually on the downs, feels very similar to the Nomad. I also ride Gisburn and on my first outing on the hardtail set PB's on the Hope line and Hully Gully line compared to times I had set on the Nomad!

However there were times on Hully Gully where if I hadn't been clipped in I would have been off over the 'chattery' bumps. Also fatigue is a factor (as someone else mentions), you can't have a crafty sit down to stick a few pedal strokes in half way down a run on a hardtail otherwise bruised buttocks will be the outcome!

I love both bikes and in an ideal world - have one of each! However if this isn't possible, can I justify the price difference of the frame for the Ragley over the Nomad (approx. £250 verses £2500!)? - no not at all!

I got rid of my last full sus when I got my Dialled Alpine years ago. I can't think of a time when I had regretted the decision. I've currently got three hardtails of varying travel, which seem to cover all the riding I am ever likely to do. At some point I will try and reduce that number but, despite the best efforts of my LBS, I won't be going down for full sus route in the foreseeable future.

I ride my hardtails 80% of the time, my FS only gets out probably once a month if that. 95% of surrey/hants trails can be done on a HT, only things like Swinley, Afan, BPW would make a FS more fun than an HT.

Might be a useful bike to have, and allow a bit more rough stuff to be ridden, but for the rare times that happens, can't be bothered with the additional maintenance / setup.

2 hardtails - one with sue. forks and gears, one rigid and SS. Reckon I can manage /most/ things on these.

But how much of my riding is limited by what I have - don't know for sure.

Had always had HT and FS but decided earlier this year to get rid of them both and get a slightly more able HT. Most of what I ride (west of Scotland natural stuff) is ideal on HT and in the previous year I had only ridden my 5 a dozen times. Also, in my late 40's at an age where not really wanting to get more air/raddness.

No regrets.

Three of my bikes are full rigid and some are full suspension.
None are hard tail with suspension forks.

only having one end with suspension just doesn't work for me or my riding style.

Then again I'm just weird 🙂

5 Mtb's here one rigid, 3 hardtails and a full suss, If I had to go one, I would keep the full suss 😀

One of the hardtails was to have a lighter bike and reduce the wear and tear on the full suss. The others just sort of came along in an attempt to make some of the less demanding local trails more of a challenge.

I've got both, depending what mood I'm in I like both, but it's not a matter of need..
Let's face it, you don't [i]need[/i] lots of things, but it's nice to have them when you want.

khani - Member
I've got both, depending what mood I'm in I like both, it's not a matter of need..

so much this... 100mm 29er hardtail and a 160mm full sus, in the right environment both are simply awesome bikes

there was always a stigma attached to early full sus, that they were heavy and pants and pedalled like crap and handled like jelly, so I was never really interested in parting with large amounts of cash for something rubbish..

When I eventually got around to trying one recently (a modern Trek) I thought it was heavy and pants and pedalled like crap and handled like jelly

I'm aware that the technique is slightly different for riding a full sus, but I don't have the time or money for experimenting with it

You probably just rode a crap one yunki. A properly set up one feels so much better than a ht. Depending what kinda stuff you ride, anyway.

no.. I rode a very good one _tom_

I just didn't get on with it.. I kept wishing I had brought my hardtail with me as the bike was hampering my enjoyment of an incredible trail (Golspie)

Possibly a case of 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' maybe though.. 😕

As more and more trail centres move towards "flowly & smooth" and away from "Natural & bumpy" hardtails make even more sense these days!

If the choice were between a 26lb HT and a 34lb FS, i'd probably take the HT for the vast majority of my riding. But, my FS is sub 28lb in 140mm mode, so there really isn't much of a penalty in terms of weight these days. However, riding a HT for a while definitely makes you a better rider, even if only in being good at picking the "right" line on a trail 😉

Full suspension is just so much fun for bouncing around on, like a snowboard in powder

at the moment have one of each. Both 26er and both around 120 travel (HT is on old pikes wound out to just a smidge over 120)

Both are fun! The FS is nearly always quicker (according to iphone straaaaaaava) in all but the smoothest of blue trails.

FS costs more to run over a year, HT does more milage.

If both are working (most of the time) then which one goes out is pretty much down to mood. Would hate to give up either tbh.

hmmm not exactly adding to the discussion here...

Hardtails only here too. I'm not really anti-fs, I just prefer hardtails.

I love the way they look, the way they ride and the simplicity.

My hardtail (456 evo 2) is a far more capable bike than I am a rider! It also copes easily with all the riding I do (including some quite rocky stuff).

Not much else to say, really.

One bike, A Hardtail, 26" Prince Albert,

All down to the fact I can't afford the upkeep of a full susser.
I must admit I've grown to love it, I ride mainly Sherwood Pines/Cannock Chase but also Wales often.
Unless I come across a large amount of money I won't be considering returning to a full susser,

Truth be told it's given me more confidence in my riding.

Full suspension is just so much fun for bouncing around on, like a snowboard in powder

This is why I like it as well. And as I said it just feels more balanced with both ends squishing. Though that being said, I'd probably be happy with my Blender as my only bike. It's just that now I know how fun a full sus is, it's hard to go without one.

I currently have a BluePigX with a 150/130 Rev, previously had a few 140mm FS and HT bikes but find I'm enjoying the versatility and simplicity if the BPX. Slack bikes are great fun but don't climb too well so I recommend some adjust-ability if you go for longer than your stated 130.

FS maintenance, weight & riding laziness (easiness?) made me miss HT, owning the FS bikes I have allowed me to attempt things outside of my comfort zone. OP, for what you've described a 130mm HT or even 140 sounds ideal. There's always a good deal on a 456 build or bundle which is an affordable way to upgrade.

I'm not anti FS, I'd quite like a Heckler for single pivot easiness. Then again, aluminium doesn't rhyme with real.

Then again, aluminium doesn't rhyme with real.

Ha!

I've tried having just a hardtail a few times now and always end up back with a full suss, also tried the magical one bike (fs) to do it all on, that ended badly! I've now got an Alpine 160 and a ti slackline, both are loads of fun and both are very capable, if I had to have just one bike out of the two then the hardtail is a bit more versatile and I'd choose that.

Had a few FS.
Went back to HT some years ago.

On two occasions since I've built a FS up, thinking I'd enjoy it for the summer but every ride I was wishing I was on my hardtail.

HT is a steel Niner.
It's just so much nicer to ride. Proper steel feel to it.

HT is a steel Niner.

got a pic? very rare to see a pic of those, especially in green.

Went back to a hardtail when my FS was stolen, i spent half the insurance pay out on the bike (456-evo) and banked the other half.

It didnt make any sense to keep an enduro style FS bike when i wasnt racing any more, the year before i'd done some Gravity Enduro and Mini-DH but my riding had become local trails and the odd uplift at FoD, Cwmcarn, Bike Park Wales etc...a hardtail seemed the most hassle free way to do this.

The fork is a coil spring which has been serviced and PUSH tuned at TF, the rest of the bike is as it came from On-One, it rides great and requires very little maintenance...thats the main appeal for me now, its very much an appliance, fit and forget type bike....no bearings to replace, no need to send the shock away for re-gassing etc.

What about something like this as a compliment to my 26 inch 100mm Hardtail http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FBOOLRCAB/on_one_lurcher_29er_x9_carbon_mountain_bike

What's your 100mm hardtail?

A Cannondale Trail SL5 with Crappy Suntour forks which I'm upgrading to Rockshox SID teams. And upgraded the transmission to SLX/XT and want to upgrade wheels to ztr crest wheels on hope hubs.

Why does your mate insist you need full sus? Is he fed up waiting for you at the bottom of every descent? Does he want to go exploring super-technical trails? I'm sure that for a given type of bike, adding rear suspension makes it more comfortable, maybe a bit more capable, perhaps even faster, but surely it only becomes necessary when performance is absolutely paramount? I dunno. I've never properly ridden a full bouncer.
For information, I've only got one MTB, a 29er, a hardtail Stumpjumper Comp carbon with 80 mm travel forks. It does me for trail centre stuff: that's everything at Afan, Brechfa, FoD and Hopton XC trails and CwmCarn, but I had to go steady on the DH track I tried. It's done Brecon, The Peak District and XC races, including Wheal Maid Quarry and Hadleigh Farm.

My mates keep telling me I "NEED" a f/s bike. But I love my BFe, there is nothing I can't and haven't ridden on it so far. It's running a long fork (160..)
I stick with my hardtail because

1) I've only been riding just over a year, so I want to learn all I can about bike control before jumping on a F/S bike (maybe a naive view)

2) I can't be arsed with the extra expense.

3) I can keep up with everyone I ride with without problem. And at times I can be quicker downhill too.

4) I just like my hardtails...

He is quicker on say Hully Gully at Gisburn maybe by 15 seconds but then I'm quicker on hope line. He is top 100 on Strava I'm top 50. I can acclerate quicker out the berms. Our local riding is Rivington and Darwen moorwhich iis rutty but nothing that needs 150mm suspension like he has.

I've got a mix, from rigid to a foot and a half of coil spring... They're all good. But I'm yet to ride anything and think man, I neeeed suspension for this- I've bounced my Ragley hardtail down fort william dh and pretty much everything at innerleithen, not as fast as on the bouncers obviously but if I suddenly lost the full susses tomorrow, I'd still ride everything I ride.

I have found different bikes help me learn, though- sometimes a particular feature might be a bit much for me to want to get into for the first time on the hardtail, where I'd be happer to do it on the big bike- then I can come back later on the hardtail. So there's that I suppose.

41 yr old - had hard tails for years, Chameleons x4, Ragleys, Evil Sov, 140mm until recently all run with Profile bmx cranks.

Ex bmx'er so like the instant snap out of berms/corners, and the directness of a hard tail. Had a few high end DH bikes over the years but all too long & slack for UK stuff and lack of directness.

Rode Staniog on my Evil and embarrassed a few DH bikes, untouchable down Lee Q's outer descent and black/rock slab route.

FS take away the skill needed to spot lines - hard tails teach you to ride properly.

But end of day each to their own!

Grew up riding Rigid. Switched to a Hardtail for a bit, then quickly went to full sus. Spent years and years riding full sus almost exclusively (I'd build up a hardtail often, but then only ride it a handful of times whilst I rode full sus all the time), but since I got a decent 29er HT I've not touched my full sus once!

Not only that, but I'm faster everywhere on the 29er HT (including technical stuff, and fast descents), and I prefer the lack of maintenance.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love a decent 29er full sus now too, but I'm really loving Hardtails again right now and not about to go back to the bounce any time soon!

I quite fancy a 29er trail bike. And use my 26er for just xc jaunts. What 130mm 29ers are out there for £1500

dannyh - Member
Hardtails only here too. I'm not really anti-fs, I just prefer hardtails.

I love the way they look, the way they ride and the simplicity.

Same here, I think that I'm just too old and set in my ways to learn how to get the best out of FS.

Depends where and what you ride. I ride my HT most of the time but for holidays and more challenging riding it's the FS. If I had to have one bike I'd compromise on a 140 FS.

[i]dannyh - Member
Hardtails only here too. I'm not really anti-fs, I just prefer hardtails.

I love the way they look, the way they ride and the simplicity.[/i]

Sums it up perfectly for me. I've had FS bikes, the faff of bearings bushings, servicing an extra shock just gets wearisome after a while.

I quite fancy a 29er trail bike. And use my 26er for just xc jaunts. What 130mm 29ers are out there for £1500

I think the wheel sizes suit the reverse; bigger for XC, normal for trail/gnar/winning. Or stick with 26 if you want a bike you can push a bit harder, given the steering difference between the 2. If you're quite tall I guess this may not be the case.

With that budget I'd get a frame n fork bundle, SLX groupset, a nice set of wheels and a dropper (pro2 evo/arch EX or something along those lines). Tyres etc are pretty personal:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/ZXOO456EVO2/on_one_456_evo_2_frame__fork_bundle

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/mtb-parts/transmission-gears/groupsets-mtb/shimano-slx-m670-2-x-10-disc-brake-groupset.html

The brakes and fork aren't great on the Lurcher you linked to. I'm sure there will be some 29" fans along to counter my advice, getting a dropper in budget may take a bit of shopping around or 2nd hand. The Wanted section is surprisingly good!

EDIT: Or go for half second hand, half new. Depends on whether you're confident selecting and building parts.

Full Suss bikes are cursed. I've owned two and each time my life goes horribly wrong so I'm not buying another.

Plus hardtails are way more fun.

I currently only ride a hardtail as the thought of shelling out all that money on a full suss scares me a little. As well as the maintenance...as im lazy.

My Mmmmbop does what i need, I'm not skilled enough to say i warrant moving up to a full suss. I have been on one and tackled a feature that i couldn't bring myself to originally do on the hardtail but then I got the confidence to do it, and it wasn't all that bad.

The comfort may be nice as rocky stuff kills my legs!! but paying more for a bit of extra comfort means i'd be having to skimp on other things.....like meals!

I've always lusted after a 456 as a play bike. And that looks fun. Keep the Cannondale as a xc whippet bike and maybe build one of them as a fun bike.

I had an Mmmbop and was very impressed with how capable it was on technical downhills to the extent that I wondered if I "needed" a full suss. However I do think full sussers are much better climbers when the going gets technical or the days get long.

After racing the Fort Bill DH track on a hardtail, it's certainly expanded my mind on what's possibly with only 130mm travel up front.

Got two hardtails and one FS. Started off on a HT, bought an FS and rode that for four years, stripped it down and built another HT. I rebuilt the FS this year and rode it about half a dozen times, it's now in storage until next spring...I may ride it a bit then.

Good to see some love for the mmmBop. Love mine. Would be a tough one to replace if it broke.

I've ridden my FS about 4 or 5 times all year. It just seems like overkill for most of the stuff I ride. Getting the hardtail (P7 with 130mm forks) out is just my default position, as I prefer the more no nonsense feel to it

I keep threatening to sell the full suss and spend the money on unnecessary bling for the Orange, but I can never quite bring myself to do it. I do still love it, when I do take it out. All bikes are good fun, just in different ways 😀

Currently all my bikes are hardtails. But I do want another susser...

The stuff you said you ride; Darwen Moor, Rivi, Gisburn, is best ridden on a hardtail IMHO. There's little to be gained from more bounce on that stuff.
(I have two f/s bikes and one h/t. 75% of the time I'd take the h/t out for those locations and leave the f/s at home)

I've never really ridden a FS properly, and i'm quite curious about trying one. But I simply can't afford to build one to the spec I would like without stripping down the HT. This would mean it would have to be my one mtb, and i'm not convinced it would work out for me. I currently have a 120mm inbred 26er which I ride on anything, including trips to Snowdon and Cadair Idris. Certainly the best tool for trail centres and long climbs.

If you're not concerned about outright speed, then a HT will go down anything, it'll just be different to a FS. I'm quite fastidious with maintenance, but have no idea if a FS will test my patience - i've only ever heard hearsay about the burden of FS maintenance, is it really that bad?? Interested to know.

Then again, aluminium doesn't rhyme with real.

I'm struggling to get anything good out of this lot:

Words and phrases that rhyme with aluminium: (0 results)

Words and phrases that almost rhyme: (15 results)

2 syllables:
minion, platinum

3 syllables:
buddhism, cubism, minimum, minium

4 syllables:
aluminum, magnesium, petroleum, titanium, unusual, uranium, zen buddhism

5 syllables:
condominium, opportunism

Words and phrases that rhyme with aluminium: (0 results)

This is one of those rare moments when being American would be beneficial;

My bike is made of aluminum,
Goes down[hill] even quicker than yo' mum!

😉