[Closed] Your reasons for owning a Hard Tail and a Full suspension ?

My hardtail is a ss and I have a geared full sus for bigger days out- that is all 😛

100mm steel hardtail - muddy, wet, local riding, winter night rides, weighs 28lbs

140mm Orange 5 - bigger days, trail centres, weighs 28lbs

I think the hardtail keeps me a bit sharper - if I ride the Orange all the time I get a bit complacent and when I hop back on the Rock Lobster I fluff a fair bit for the first hour

I have a 115mm geared and a 100mm SS HT and also a 140mm FS, I've got them cos I like them.

The geared HT gets used for longer local rides when I CBA'd riding the SS and for any XC races I do, the SS the rest if the time locally. The FS for everything else.

Oh yeah, geared HT is 26lbs at the most, FS is 28lbs and the SS is 25lbs

Since going back to hardtail (456 carbon) my only use for the full sus is for towing the kids (on a tow along). 456 handles everything from wild scottish singletrack to trail centre black routes.

100mm hardtail, local, muddy and winter rides
120mm FS big rides, trail centres etc.

100mm Hardtail

130mm full susser

0 mm 'cross bike.

Why?

Because i can.

Hardtail - Cotic Soul, 140mm, geared - for both ends of the riding spectrum, wodland muddy night rides and long highland and Southern upland XC days, as it pedals better than the FS I have.

Bouncer - SC Heckler 150mm - Bought after a rocky week with Joyriders in Spain, which made me realise that a FS would help me ride big rocky descents. Only had the bike for about 5 months, and helped me through some rockfests - Walna scar (pre-pavementisation), Parkamoor, Carn Ban Mor, Ciaran path, Devil's staircase, Fort William WC and red......

I have ridden a long (80km) day on the Heckler, and I was yearning for the Soul, but on the rides mentioned, never have I wanted the Soul.

This is how I can justify the 2 bikes to myself.

150mm fs(Pitch)
115-140mm hardtail(BFe)
Both are used for anything from xc through to dh, hardtail gets loads more use in the winter and for night rides and off road commuting.
Could easily get away with just the one but it's nice to have the choice.

100mm hardtail.....I like the simplicity, it just looks right too.
Extremely satisfying to cover challenging terrain on a bike the magazines would have you believe is only good for trips to the corner shop.

They're not worth selling after I've had them.

It's not especially about weight - neither are heavy. By the HT feels light and skippy while the FS just plows through rough stuff. They are just different styles of bike and both good fun.

Because I can own what I want.

jumping and XC would be a bit shit on a 40lb 8" travel DH bike and proper mental rocky DH is a bit shit on a 28lb 100mm travel hardtail,
they're both shit in skateparks, bmx tracks and on the road so I have the appropriate bikes for those types of riding too.

why do most folk who have both seem to say they ride the FS at manmade trail centres?

.

ianpinder - Member

Because I can own what I want.

Very 😆

There has to be a reason,well nobody told me............ 😯

3 of one & 4 of the other,because...err..why the hell not !I also have more than 1 pair of trousers....

all my bikes are colour matched to my different lycra strips, so I just take which ever compliments my outfit some times it's a boinger, some times it's hardtail

HT [Stiffee] for nobbing around trail centres and less severe trails.
FS [Alpine 160] for local woods, bigger days out, Alps and when I fancy riding something different.

In terms of the "what can you do differently", GW has it above. Don't know about weight. As to the bikes you mention, I'd go for wider variation or the 120mm FS as single bike.

My wife said she'd leave me if I didn't have lots of bikes. Probably.

DrP

I ride everything from xc, dj, downhill and whatever trendy new marketing term the latest bikes have. I tried the one bike to do it all and it was rubbish. I now have 5 (soon to be 4) and am much happier 😀

Go for it, you only live once!

Scot scale 20 - use it for a mix of road, smooth trails from my house..

Sc blur lt2 - , used for rougher off road, local trail centres.

Difference in weight is around 7lb and i could get away with just one bike, but like both.

I also have more than 1 pair of trousers....

Quote of the day!

Go for it, you only live once!

Reason enough for me.

Variety. I could do most of my riding on 2 bikes but it's fun having 7.

GW - Member
why do most folk who have both seem to say they ride the FS at manmade trail centres?

Look mate, we can only dream of being as awesome as you.

I wanted two mountain bikes. The HT SS is used for local rides, winter rides, night rides and the occasional longer ride when I fancy a challenge or the FS is out of action. The FS is used for racing, longer rides, harder rides or just when I feel like it.

It's nice to have variety if you can afford it. I also have a cross bike and a road bike.

Jack of all trades full sus, and a jack of all trades commuter road/ thing.

The Sanderson has ended up as a 100mm travel singlespeed, it get's f*** all maintenance and doesn't complain. Rides pretty well too. Good to get back on it after a ferw rides on the big bike and remind myself how much more work it is without 6" of squich.

The Pitch is OK for XC but works better on bigger trails, doesn't do so well at places like Swinley.

Al, seeing as we're such good mates you won't mind me telling you what a prick you're being. 8)

Folk are saying they keep their FS for trail centres and I'm genuinely interested why? personally I don't really like jumping or riding manmade stuff like you find at many trail centres nearly as much on FS as rear suspension squat can kill the pump/pop and for me it just doesn't feel as good. I'd sometimes like FS for some of the longer/rougher sat down climbs where hardtails just don't roll over the ground as well until you get them up to a certain speed (on a loop, climbs are usually where I try to conserve energy tho)

why do most folk who have both seem to say they ride the FS at manmade trail centres?

Because they're full of braking bumps which are easily smoothed by a full sus 🙂

I ride both but only have a full sus built up as a usable mtb at the minute (my ht has rigids and slickish tyres for roads). I like the speed and comfort of the fs and it lets me get away with lots of stuff I couldn't on my hardtail. What I don't like is how much energy it saps on sections where you're trying to pump for speed. And hardtails look better.

Got one of each cos I can. I ride them both about equally, ride the same trails and terrain on them. I just find the variety nice, and I like to ride the same trails on different bikes occasionally to get a different perspective.

Both the HT and Full Sus are keepers too, I've had many many bikes over the years, my current 2 are probably the best bikes I've ever owned, so they'll be staying a long while yet.

😆 @ Tom
I find most of the braking bumps are right down the middle of straights before corners when for many you should'nt actually approaching the corner from there (or braking) anyway.

FS is my main / fun bike
HT is my basic average looking bike for commuting / local rides ( FS does not come out to play at home after my last one was stolen - by the scum down the road)

I bought my kona blast mainly for hacking around but have really come to enjoy riding it , to the point where i'm thinking of getting a better spec'd HT 🙂

until recently it was two very different 100mm HTs one for DH rufty tuffty type riding, and one for more general XC/longer rides (but still happier on the downs).

the DH HT has been replaced by a 7" bouncer as a more suitable tool for that job. the "xc" bike has had some lighter parts added and a dropper post fitted to make it suit all dayers and longer rides better. Oh and a rigid SS build to save the other 2 from being dragged out and knackered in all this awful winter weather... Oh...

Aw bless GW, did I hurt your feelings?

Because they are both different and change is good.
I like a FS [ orange 5 with pikes] for proper rocky mountain days - I could do it on the Hardtail but it would be less fun [ slower].
For non "proper mountain" routes [ high and rocky] or local I like to take a Hardtail.
Winter i SS
Road i use a road bike with drop bars and everything

Race on the HT and live in the south (flat)

Full Sus - Being a Northern lad used for pennines, lakes, peak district, wales, scotland, france etc (you get the picture)

I find most of the braking bumps are right down the middle of straights before corners when for many you should'nt actually approaching the corner from there (or braking) anyway.

I haven't ridden at a UK trail centre for ages so I can't actually remember where they are. Where I'm riding now though the braking bumps are everywhere including right in the middle of berms on some trails. Full sus helps a lot.

sold my full suss - just not the thing for me. transferred all the parts to a 456t frame and i love it. but still don't ride it enough. prefer lightweight singlespeed 90% of the time.

Chumba HX2 hardtail, does everything I want to ride i.e exploring, natural, trail centres etc. Doubt it would do DH without spitting me off but that doesn't bother me as proper DH scares the sh*t outta me and I want to keep the teeth I have left.
Moved to the Chumba fro a c456, from a 314 to the C. Won't go back to FS cos for what I do its overkill.
I know the flame war will start now but I can't think of a trail centre in Scotland where a FS would give you a significant advantage over a HT (inners DH excluded), but then again maybe I'm just crap at riding 🙂

No more reason than I want to. I can do pretty much all the same things on both bikes (160 front sus on both and 140 back end on one) the FS is faster in some places, both weigh over 30lb so it's just about what I fancy riding really. I go through phases of riding both all the time.

My question back would be why not have both? Unless money is tight and you can't afford it I see no reason not to have both.

My question back would be why not have both? Unless money is tight and you can't afford it I see no reason not to have both.

I think that is a very important point in this discussion. Some folk can only afford one bike and surely that must compromise the choice they make compared to those with the resources to own say 5,6,7 bikes?

They were both cheap.

115mm steel hardtail --- XC stuff (although I was doing the DH runs at Wharncliffe on it last week)

150mm bouncy bike --- gravity assisted fun and occasional XC workout.

There was a time when I had 2 F/S bikes but the steel hardtail made me realise what I was missing from my riding.

SS rigid HT for rides with the kids, 19lbs or there about's give or take.

HT horror bike with 2x9, rigid, flat bars & 700c CX tyres for keeping up with my mates as I need the speed, about 21 lbs, fast as.

FS, 80mm? rear (turner burner, I'm showing my age) with 100-130 adjustable at the front for fun, pretty 'burly' for me & it's about 28lbs, only use it when I have a bad back or want a chill ride by myself with jumps, 2-4" drops ;)only.

Enjoy what you ride, or can afford, a better bike doesn't make you a better rider or give you more time to enjoy riding 🙂

115mm steel hardtail --- XC stuff (although I was doing the DH runs at Wharncliffe on it last week)

150mm bouncy bike --- gravity assisted fun and occasional XC workout.

Pretty much the same here, with a SS HT for winter duties and a SS roadie for commuting.

XC Full-suss, 21Lbs ish, 100mm both ends
XC HT, 20Lbs ish. 100mm
.
Some race courses suit full-suss bikes and some suit HTs and I'm fortunate enough to have the option. Also means I have a spare bike for longer races, 24hrs etc.
.
Also have big coil-sprung full-suss (125mm rear, 150mm front) because it's a lot of fun and I love it, and also a rigid SS, great winter bike and good for riding with slow people!

33lb 160mm travel all mountain fs for, er... all mountain, the more tech and gnar the better.
26lb 150mm travel hardtail, so I can ride it in a similar way to the above bike without risking life, limb and bike snappage.

My full suss weighs 35lbs with the coil shock in and can go anywhere, but isn't much fun to do long distance on. My hardtail weighs 25lbs and can go [i]pretty[/i] much anywhere, more slowly and carefully (which is good, variety), and munches miles far better.

TBH I could be just as happy with a big full suss and a little full suss, but for now I have a hardtail and a full suss and that seems to work.

I like mountain bikes, so I got 2. Be stupid to have 2 the same, wouldn't it?

120mm hardtail for dragging every bit of fun I can out of some pretty mediocre tarrain. And a lot of fun pretty much wherever.

Full suss 29er, because I was curious. Haven't really had the chance to ride it yet, but I've a feeling it won't fit the bill as an only mountainbike in the way the hardtail has done for me.

I always meant to sell the HT when I bought the bouncer, just never got round to it. I'll take the full suss out most of the time as my ride of choice but jumping on the HT now and again makes me realise how lazy a rider I can be given the extra bounce. I keep the HT now to force me into riding with some technique when I need it

150/140mm fs and 125mm ht here. The ht was only recently built up from bits off my old fs after borrowing a mates ht. It was built up with winter riding in mind but I've used it a couple of times locally. However my fs is a lot more fun/easier for most of the riding I do so it's really just going to be used for riding in utterly crap conditions & canal bank pootles.

HT = 100mm forks 22lbs lightweight xc bike for Yorkshire Dales/canal commuter/general fitness rides.
SUS = 140 rear/160mm forks 30lbs bouncy bike for big rides in Lakes/Alps and playing around in the local quarry.

Hardtail - simplicity, rigour, honing skill;
FS - doing stuff I can't do so easily on a hardtail.

My full susser weighs 37lbs

My hardtail doesn't

Simples

i own an orange 5 2010 and have recently built a 2010 ragley pig.i ride cannock , sherwood pines trail centres and the peak district .i definetly find the full suss better suited to trail centre use and dont know whether i,ll better the long travel ,steel hardtail for the peaks.love both bikes and think there probably the best of each for me in the two catorgories.

First proper mountain bike I had was a Trek Fuel 80. The next one, which I'm still riding, was a Giant VT2.

Got a Haro Mary XC 29er this time last year with an Alfine wheelset and 80mm Rebas, just out of curiosity about hardtails, steel, 29ers and Alfines. Nice to get them all out of the way with the one bike.

The initial idea was that it would be more fun in the winter gloop. It wasn't. I hardly rode it all winter. Had much more fun on it in short techy blasts in the woods than on longer rides, that I now tend to reserve for the Giant.

4inch 29er full suss turner sultan which replaced the 4inch flux when that frame broke
4inch 29er steel hard tail jamis dragon

use the fs for races and long days as it means i dont get so beat up as i become tired and dont pick smoother lines and the ht for training and short blasts around smoother trails. I found 3 hrs was my average max limit on a ht around the n and s downs after that it started to be a lot less fun. But having 2 bikes means i have a spare if ness for friends or if one is awaiting a new park etc

I have a 30lb 140mm susser and a rigid SS hardtail which weighs 20lbs

I don't want to pedal 30lbs of bouncy bike on a commute to the station

100mm XC Hardtail, weighs about 23lbs (and has shed weight in the last year)

Reason: I live in Kent & the terrain isn't sufficient to justify anything more & less maintenance for winter

150mm Full Suspension, weighs about 32lbs (my guess & has gained weight in the last year)

Reason: Riding overseas, away days/weekends in the UK, getting airborne

100mm hardtail (Whyte 805, 27lbs) for trail centre and XC riding.

140mm full sus (Marin Wolf Ridge, 32lbs) for generally pointing down a hill.

Full sus for bumps strangely enough, so rooty/rocky rutty riding. Hardtail as most trails are not rooty/rocky/rutty enough so become a bit boring on a full suss/ or there is no need.

Part of the fun of biking is dealing with the rough stuff otherwise I would be a road biker or ride smooth trail centres all the time.

i like big boingy bikes for most of my riding, but my kids like dj/4x type stuff so ive got a lttle ss hardtail for that too. i do keep sneaking out on it by myself though, its good fun...

456
Orange 5
Both around the 28 pound mark,
mainly use the hardtail for night riding as my lights are not powerful enough to ride the 5 at a speed that makes bringing it out worthwhile, to be fair they're that bad I'm on the edge of whats comfortable on my 456, with lots of 'unusual' line choices if followed by someone with a decent lumen count, as I end up in the 'shadow' of my own lights.
I think I need better lights, but I've been saying that for about 6 years now.......................

Gone the other way at the moment.

Have a 140mm alu HT for trail centre riding and general messing about on.

Have a 100mm FS for longer days in the saddle and XC racing.

Also have a 160 FS though for the steep stuff 🙂

100mm Hard Tail / 120mm XC Full Suspension, Much difference in riding ?

[b]Big difference.[/b]

I have:-

A 150mm Travel Full-Susser for trips to the big hills, and rides where I want to really rag it in the local woods. This is my best bike, the one I would keep if I could only have one.

A 100m Short-Travel Full Susser for long days out and winter gloop (it's a simple single pivot full susser, easy to clean and maintain).

Road bike - commuting speed machine.

Also got a couple of decent hardtail frames and a classic 1990 Marin rigid hardtail in the shed but can't bring myself to part with them.