T-man Posted June 9, 2012 Share Not sure if dual suspension or hardtail is the way to go. 29er is my next step. I did sani2c on hardtail 26er with no problems. Any reason I should consider dual suspension?? Mainly do marathons and the odd stage race.Lekker skinny..about 72kg and 1.83m....Any advice guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cav' Posted June 9, 2012 Share Do what feels right to YOU, you're the one riding it not us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NINER_boy Posted June 9, 2012 Share It all depends on what you want from it and your general type and style of riding... I have both 29" dual and HT. I love my HT (SS) for acceleration and the short course type stuff. I love my dual (Niner RIP9) for the comfort and plush ride it gives me on longer day in the saddle type rides. If you have to chose one, chose on your general type and style of riding; Aggressive, fast accelerate and decelerate; HTMore marathon style and long hrs clocked; dual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-man Posted June 9, 2012 Share Ok..so a dual sus is slower bit more comfy...does a dual sus offer any other advantages other than comfort. Down hill ability and single track ability? I can sacrifice comfort for performance.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongoose! Posted June 9, 2012 Share hardtail 29er with nice "fat" tires at low pressure feels like a 26er duel to me..... I love my 29er hardtail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie Posted June 9, 2012 Share If you are a racing snake, trying to win your age cat / beat your buddies etc, then hardtail, except if you do looooong races like Epic, jhb2c etc, when accumulated impact will take its toll, depending on your age. If you are in your 20s, then even that won't be so hard to recover from.Dual if you want to go fast, but don't mind to carry extra bike mass up the hills, to make the downhills more fun. I find that riding in rocky areas does not tire me out so much. I had a Scott Scale, now ride an Ellsworth Truth.For most races/events a hardtail would be faster imo - Nissan series, Sani2c( I've done 2) but riding around Pretoria (Groenkloof, Klapperkop trail, Breeds nek, Van Gaalens etc which has parts with lots of rocks) I enjoy the dual more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwan Kemp Posted June 9, 2012 Share Ok..so a dual sus is slower bit more comfy...does a dual sus offer any other advantages other than comfort. Down hill ability and single track ability? I can sacrifice comfort for performance.... Dual is only slower under SOME circumstances. Dual will give you better traction and grip when climbing, cornering and pacing along single track. All of those translate into speed. Dual can be pushed harder when things get rocky, rooty or just generally more technical. Yes, a hardtail can weigh less, will accelerate faster on smooth, even terrain and will climb faster on smooth terrain climbs. For the rest dual takes it... But like Cavendish said, do is best for YOU. Go ride as many bikes as possible, THEN decide. Dubber88 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted June 9, 2012 Share Dual is only slower under SOME circumstances. Dual will give you better traction and grip when climbing, cornering and pacing along single track. All of those translate into speed. Dual can be pushed harder when things get rocky, rooty or just generally more technical. Yes, a hardtail can weigh less, will accelerate faster on smooth, even terrain and will climb faster on smooth terrain climbs. For the rest dual takes it... But like Cavendish said, do is best for YOU. Go ride as many bikes as possible, THEN decide. What he said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky DQ Posted June 9, 2012 Share A PROPER dual susser is the way to go. Dont listen to all the arguments pro HT. If you get a proper dual susser is is ALLWAYS going to be better than a HT. BUT at what cost. I ride a HT not because I want to bit because it is all my budget allows considering my criteria:1. Price2. Components3. Weight4. Comfort If I had to choose between a cheap well specked 26 DS and a similar HT 29 I would go with the 26DS, but I still cant find one at the right price. So I went 29 HT with high volume tubeless running low pressure. It is still not even close to a DS. Granted the 29 goes over obsticals a lot better than the 26 and is a lot more comfortable. BUT is is still not a DS 26 or 29. Period, forget the hype. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BergForce Posted June 9, 2012 Share A dually makes rough terrain, downhills and long distance rides more fun. If you want a hardtail just lock out the rear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cav' Posted June 9, 2012 Share I've been on a 26" DS for the past couple of years (apart from the road bike)But just bought a new 29er HT this morning. All about personal preference like i stated before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-man Posted June 9, 2012 Share Thanks guys...really helps...can one test ride bikes??i live in east of pretoria.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdp_gmx Posted June 9, 2012 Share Just keep in mind that Steel and Titanium HT frames have completely different ride qualities than Carbon and Alu and are much more compliant. My Steel frame is extremely comfortable, dont think i would go back to DS in a hurry (sold 29er DS after riding my SS Steel bike for two weeks), if i do change i would get Ti just because i have never owned a Ti bike Edited June 9, 2012 by hdp_gmx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie Posted June 9, 2012 Share Just keep in mind that Steel and Titanium HT frames have completely different ride qualities than Carbon and AluI had a steel ht and after that an alu ht before a top of the range carbon Scott Scale. Of the 3 the Scale was super light and stiff, plus it had a carbon bar and post, but it also had the harshest ride imo. On 3 hr+ rides around Pretoria I felt beat up like never before. Just because a frame is made with material with the potential for more comfort, does not mean it was designed to be more comfortable. I can still race fast on my Ellsworth Truth, but I enjoy the ride much more than the Scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwan Kemp Posted June 9, 2012 Share Just because a frame is made with material with the potential for more comfort, does not mean it was designed to be more comfortable.True. I had a CR1 that was quite harsh. Back then I didn't have a lot of experience and because it still rode better than my cheapie Ralleigh I figured that's just the way carbon feels or maybe it was just me. But I got to test ride a Felt FC and BOY was I wrong. Only after I rode the Felt did I realize how harsh the Scott was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdp_gmx Posted June 9, 2012 Share Just because a frame is made with material with the potential for more comfort, does not mean it was designed to be more comfortable. I can still race fast on my Ellsworth Truth, but I enjoy the ride much more than the Scale. True, carbon is a different story though, the ride quality is dependent on the layup. Irrespective of design, Ti an steel have better vibration damping properties than Alu and the seat and chain stays will almost always be more compliant which has a direct impact on the "harsh" feel. Regardless, an HT will never be as comfy as DS its all about what type of rider you are, your personal preferences and budget. If i were in your shoes i would determine my budget and ride as many bikes as you can in that price range both DS and HT, preferably on a trail. I am sure the forum members would not mind swapping bikes for a few minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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