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Hi Everybody,
Fairly new to MTB ing althogh plenty of road biking and just spent the weekend in the Lakes yesterday on the North Face trail at Grizedale and today on the Winlatter Altura red north and south routes. Can't believe how much fun I had and how exilerating the whole experience was, I don't know what I have been doing with my life. I'm riding a Gary Fisher alu hard tail which seems to bounce around on the back end lot. As a newbie I have to be honest and say I came off a couple of times. A few times on the banked curves on the steep descents don't know whether I was breaking too much and taking them too cautiously. Another time I went over the handle bars on a drop off at the end of the north loop on Winlater having managed to negotiate similar drop-offs around the course, a bit winded but I got back on to finish.
What I did notice where guys passing me and going faster than me on fully sussed bikes, is this an obvious question but do fully sussed holed the tracks better rather than the back end bouncing around like my hard tail or is it that I'm a newbie and just need to build up experience?
that is what the full suss is designed to do I suppose but that doesn't mean you should get or need one. some hard tails bounce around a lot more than others though. by the sound of it you are amitious and confident because it isn't a particularly easy trail. practice and you will quickly get the hang of it all
Welcome. Almost everyone starts out on a hardtail. Full sus is more fun but nothing wrong with a good hardtail!
As you become more "skilled" you'll find your speed increasing.. Full sussers do grip a bit better on bumpy climbs depending on setup i think, but some prefer hardtails for the more direct power delivery ehen pedalling uphill.. Again, there's pluses and minuses to both types but the majority of folk (I'm guessing) on here prob ride full sus for a reason. It's a bit comfier, it grips well on the ups, and is fun on the downs.
Nothing wrong with a HT though, ride it till it breaks, then consider upgrades.
You did spend time reading the forum before you posted didn't you?
All I can say is you're either very brave..or foolish 😉
Be prepared to be called a troll.
Full sus is more fun
I hate to be confrontational but I would disagree. They will be faster but more fun is very questionable
Full suss bikes are for people who can't ride hardtails or secretly wish they had a motorbike, but their mum's won't let them have one.
Ask your local bike shop to set up your forks for you, explain tyre pressures and sort out your bike fit.
Then just get riding!
You could ask on here, but your bike shop might just give you answers you can be a bit more confident in at first 🙂
Welcome to the forum, btw.
Full sus is more fun IMO.. Went full sus about 8 yrs ago and stayed that way since. Before that rode a HT for about ten years and had lots of fun on that too.. See if you can try a decent one and make your own mind up- horses for courses and all that!
There will be lots of different opinions on here, part of what makes it such a good place.
I find both HT and FS fun but in different ways. HT is more "oh **** can I get away with this?" and feels a lot more on edge, whereas a FS is "I can do whatever I want on this bike" ! That's how it feels to me anyway.
FS are quicker are challenging terrain, that's why DHers use full suss.
It could be that you're just not up to a great standard (like most of us!)
Hi Guys
Thanks for the welcome and such quick responses. Nick I'm not a troll, still not sure what one of them is. Being a roadie I pumped my tyres to the max which was probably a mistake and didn't help the bouncing about. I was just thinking about getting up the hills would be easier with plenty of air.
And I defiantly need to practice more. Any reccomendations for tyres? I'm using Bonti's which came with the back, What do people use for single track/trails riding?
Far too early to be worrying about changing kit - "ride what ya got". Just let a bit of air out of the tyres and give that a go, eg try a pressure in the mid 30's. Try sessioning sections of the trail, eg get off bike and walks section of trail looking at it from above and below, the ride section a few times pushing back up (off to side so as not to interfere with other riders). Try and watch some other riders and see how they ride stuff (with understanding that some will be doing it well and others poorly). Find some riding mates to help you out.
Dakkar The general rule of thumb with tyre pressure is pump to 30 psi, then suck it and see? If you're loosing grip occasionally then try with lower pressure. It's a trade off, the lower the more grip but harder work.
I agree with some of the advice above. Get riding, check the fork settings and go. Full sus will be something to look at a year or so later
Drop your tyre pressures and only sit down when you're going uphill or pootling along gently - your legs are your rear suspension!
Tyre pressure should be not too high so as to lose traction and not too low as to get pinch flats.
I'm much more of a roadie these days - and what you will also need to learn:
- body positioning on the bike.
- picking lines.
- braking
- unweighting
- and learning to fall 🙂
These is not something akin to road riding.
I have Gary Fisher (Mamba) hardtail and it is brilliant fun. Bonti tyres are good - set them for about 30-35 psi and you'll stop pinging off everything. First change I went for was wider bars - what a revelation! Much more comfy and much better control / leverage. Other than that I have not changed anything else except the worn out tyres. Just get out there and ride!
I agree ona29er my Gary fisher Hoo Koo E Koo is great fun and I'm sure tryes will be great as soon as I let the air down a bit. Thanks mudsux for the tips I'm sure its going to be a long learning curve my ribs are very sore this morning. 😥