[Closed] odd one out now.

Yeah I've noticed this phenomenon over the last 1-2 years. It seems sus bikes are getting so good that there's no real good reason to buy a hardtail - Unless you particularly want something niche or can't afford full sus. I don't think any of my friends ride hardtails any more. Of course, your hardtail is no less fun than it was 5 years ago...

But don't need and can't afford

I'm the only one left on a hardtail, my Soul is awesome and I'm never left behind so won't be changing for a long time.

I've gone from FS to HT as my main bike, tis' what real men ride.

Well my c456 performed well at stainburn at weekend. Managed a tricky steep descent no problem (one from Norwood edge forest to the road). Mate on his trek whatever chickened out and took the easy way down. Was pretty chuffed hehe.

Get a fatbike!

And me, sold a five bought a blue pig. It's great.

Still want another fs though.....

I decided to get back onto my FS this year and have done so 4 times already. That's twice as many as the whole of last year (which was twice as many as the year before). I have to say that I'm rather enjoying it. I reckon that a change really is as good as a rest.

Cant see me ever getting a fullsusser as I think the cost of the pivot and bearing maintenance will be too much .It`s bad enough with forks that im thinking of going rigid as on my single speed

Hardtails f+_*_(&_ rock man. Lighter and prettier for a start.

I've had so many MTB's over my 3 decades of mountain biking that it's ridiculous, HT and full sus but I only ride hardtails now and can't see me changing my mind for the foreseeable future.

Went from bandit 26 to a Stanton Sherpa 29er, really looking forward to seeing the difference

Cant see me ever getting a fullsusser as I think the cost of the pivot and bearing maintenance will be too much

This is so often cited as a reason why full sus are expensive, and I think it's a load of rubbish. In 9 years of riding full sus in Peaks grit (I bought my first full sus, a meta, in 2006), I think I've replaced pivot bearings probably three times. Each time I've done the maintenance myself and it's taken < 1 hour. As a percentage of the time I spend tinkering / fixing / fettling bikes it's minuscule. It's a complete non-issue IMO.

Full suspension bikes are awesome.
Mind you, hard tails are awesome too.
Ride what you've got, enjoy it and don't envy other's choices.

Yup enjoy what you have. That's the ticket. Think the C456 is a pretty capable bike for most stuff. Only negative is its fatiguing on rough terrain. Whereas my mates say they love how smooth the rear is now.
The four guys I ride with. One got back into mountain biking after a long lay off. Two others got new jobs so treat themselves to something nice. The last one his partner came into some money so bought him a super record equipped colnago and a trek ex8. He hasn't clicked with the trek at all. He was the one who chickened out of the steep descent. And regularly complains it doesn't climb as well as his old hardtail.

one of the lads in my riding group was the same. had a hardtail and loved it so much that he couldnt bear to replace it. he even hammered it at BPW last summer. then he eventually decided to upgrade and bought a f/s frame which is still sat in the shed unbuilt...
but in order to get into the f/s swing of things he then went and bought himself a YT Tues...now he cant get enough of f/s and is finally getting ready to transfer everything off the hardtail onto the full sus frame thats been in the shed for the last 6 months

I started my MTB on a bouncy bike but I'm in the choosing hardtail phase. Currently the Merida 9 6000 is ticking the boxes.
Whatever. Wednesday I had a great ride on the Ridgeway on my skinny tyred rigid commuter.
All bikes are great.

I've been riding my hardtail tons this year. No idea why. Bikes are ace.

I got back into biking a few years back on a HT, spent the last 2.5 years on a full suss and never quite got the fizz from it. Just gone back to HT and loving it. I'm actually faster through rock gardens now, firstly to smooth out the bumps with speed and secondly because i have to pick a better line.

Cant see me ever getting a fullsusser as I think the cost of the pivot and bearing maintenance will be too much

This is so often cited as a reason why full sus are expensive, and I think it's a load of rubbish. In 9 years of riding full sus in Peaks grit (I bought my first full sus, a meta, in 2006), I think I've replaced pivot bearings probably three times. Each time I've done the maintenance myself and it's taken < 1 hour. As a percentage of the time I spend tinkering / fixing / fettling bikes it's minuscule. It's a complete non-issue IMO.

Superficial beat me to it. The maintenance thing is a load of old b*ll*cks.
I've had a Meta for 6 years and replaced the lower shock bushings once, though due for another set - costs @£20-25 at LBS. Original pivot bearings still wobble/slop-free too.

Wonder if front forks are like that as well. Maintenance intervals on my sektors are insane. Measured in hours instead of months. Had em installed now for about 3 years. All I do is keep them clean and lube the tops of the stanchions' and compress. They are running as good as the day they were first installed.

Northwind
I've been riding my hardtail tons this year. No idea why. Bikes are ace

Me too! They say you're never as alive as that moment when you are teetering right on the edge. And the way i'm riding at the moment, that's seems to be pretty much 100% of the time 😉

#mostlyoutofcontrol

Im taking my f29 to the alps i fully expect to die.

Was a commited HT rider for a few years, SS as well, but splashed out on a FS earlier this year.
Just fancied a FS again. That's all.
It's all bikes I guess.
Fancy a fat bike, for no other reason than they look fun.

I'd still class the HT as my main bike though.
Sometimes, I've grabbed the FS because, given what it cost, I feel I should.
Went away for a few dats over Easter, & as much as I loved the FS, the HT felt great when I got back.

Around Peaslake on Wednesday it seemed I was the only one on a non-shiny fs...but I'm not finding it a limiting factor, in speed or fun. It's all just so much fun

I ride my HT most of the time. Although a lot of my riding buddies are also HT riders.(a mix of 26er and 29er. Ranging from xc bikes to jump style)

I do have a FS and want to like it but for one reason or another end up feeling frustrated by it. Perhaps it's just me, perhaps it's that particular bike or maybe I have never ridden it enough to get the set up right.

I do have a FS and want to like it but for one reason or another end up feeling frustrated by it. Perhaps it's just me, perhaps it's that particular bike or maybe I have never ridden it enough to get the set up right.

I wonder if they are perceived as a nirvana moment, but in reality they are a little bit better.

I got described as a Hardtail Hero today. Damn right! I mean, I'm pretty heroic all the time tbh

I rode nothing but FS from 1999 until the back end of last year. Finally bought a hardtail and I am loving it. It's taken a while to adjust my riding style, but now I have I'm finding I'm quicker even on stuff where I thought the FS would be better.

First MTB was a fully rigid M-Trax Raleigh that I used for a couple of years. Moved onto various FS bikes for the next 5 years then switched back to a HT about 10 years ago. But my left knee is starting to give me loads of problems (streched MCL) so I just got a new FS Boardman 650b , I've only taken it round the local wood so far but it seems like a nice ride.
I think HT bikes look nicer but old age and injury won't let me ride one comfortably anymore.