100kg's on Dual Suspension

[kingmilo]

Hi Hubbers!

 

I have gotten into cycling, specifically mountain biking, over the past year. At the moment I have two bikes, a 26er hard-tail and a 29er dual-suspension. I have also spent a lot of time on a hard-tail 29er which is a friend of mines.

 

As per the title I weigh +-100kg's, 6ft2, with not much body fat. I live in Cape Town and do most of my riding on Table Mountain with the dual-sus 29er. When I am in other provinces I use the 26er and hard-tail 29er respectively. What I notice is that my worst rides from a struggling with getting up hills point of view and just getting around in general are on the dual-sus 29er. I don't know if it is just because it is much heavier than the hard-tails or if it is just not setup correctly (although I was fitted on the bike), but I really don't enjoy my riding when I ride with the dual-sus 29er.

 

To give you an example, while in Durban I had the pleasure of riding at Holla Trails, the yellow route (48km's) on a hard-tail 29er and it was an absolute pleasure. Back home in the Cape I often cycle to the blockhouse on Table Mountain +-20km, and I also took part in the Xterra in Grabouw which was a difficult 28km's but it felt like murder on the dual-sus 29er, and the blockhouse ride sucks until I start the descent.

 

At the moment the thoughts going through my head are sell the dual-suspension and move to a hard-tail. Carrying 100kg's around is already difficult as it is, am I being foolish trying to do it on a heavier dual-suspension bike? The type of riding I do is recreational, table mountain, the odd off-road triathlon and I am hoping to do some stage races next year like sani2c.

 

Having said that could it be that I need more experience on the dual-suspension, my legs need to get stronger, the setup needs to be looked at? All of which I am going to do regardless before making a decision. I find that it feels like I am riding quite low even with the suspension locked out and my pedals often make contact with objects, which when on a hard-tail, would normally not happen unless the pedals are vertical when going over an obstacle. I climb hills like a demon on a hard-tail and like a rookie on the dual-sus.

 

I would just like some insight from experienced riders like yourself, perhaps this is a normal learning curve. The 29er is a Scott Spark 940.

 

Thanks!

milo

Edited May 10, 2014 by kingmilo

[BSG]

A friend of mine who is a very good cyclist (he had a Giant full suspension and he sold his frame and bought a Giant HT frame) told me a year or two ago that if your duallie's rear shock doesn't lock out completely you will definitely loose power with the rear suspension still going up and down, I've experienced this with a full suspension Gt Sensor 1 that I had and now I'm on a Merida HT and my climbing has improved drastically and I weigh 95kg myself. But I must admit that I really miss my dually on the downhills. I always say that with my built I'm built for downhills

Edited May 10, 2014 by BennieGerber

[Trackmonster]

Im 115kg serious cyclist (Trackie). On a duel if you don't have the correct frame and rear shock the bobbing or fishtailing can make steep climbs very difficult. The only shock that can handle my weight on the climbs is the Spez brain shock because if set right it does not bob. I had a Spez epic duel and it was ok on the climbs but still flexed in the rear stays and was not great for very steep climbs. If you stand on the hills you can also get fishtailing where the rear stays move slightly from side to side and this makes climbs more difficult. I ride a 9.8kg rigid bike now and its perfect. Problem is a duel will be faster downhill on technical terrain. I'm searching for a duel frame and shock that may be able to give me a decent uphill ride but haven't found one yet.

[Oxter]

You will always lose some power with the dual sus, even if your rear susp is set up properly. HT will always be better for climbing and dual sus better on downhill, except for technical uphill where your dual sus will come in handy. I had a 26er dual sus but recently went to 29er HT and is really enjoying it

[SimpleDom]

I set my dual sus to descend permanently on you Giant Anthem x 1, and only get. Bobbing if I stand up to climb. Climb seated, and it's fantastic. Having said that, I've never ridden a hard tail, so I don't know what I'm missing......

[kingmilo]

A friend of mine who is a very good cyclist (he had a Giant full suspension and he sold his frame and bought a Giant HT frame) told me a year or two ago that if your duallie's rear shock doesn't lock out completely you will definitely loose power with the rear suspension still going up and down, I've experienced this with a full suspension Gt Sensor 1 that I had and now I'm on a Merida HT and my climbing has improved drastically and I weigh 95kg myself. But I must admit that I really miss my dually on the downhills. I always say that with my built I'm built for downhills

 

I think I could survive the bumpy ride downhill I'm pretty much used to it already, climbing is more important to me because it's the most difficult part of my ride at my weight! Didn't think of just changing the frame, thanks for the suggestion

[kingmilo]

Im 115kg serious cyclist (Trackie). On a duel if you don't have the correct frame and rear shock the bobbing or fishtailing can make steep climbs very difficult. The only shock that can handle my weight on the climbs is the Spez brain shock because if set right it does not bob. I had a Spez epic duel and it was ok on the climbs but still flexed in the rear stays and was not great for very steep climbs. If you stand on the hills you can also get fishtailing where the rear stays move slightly from side to side and this makes climbs more difficult. I ride a 9.8kg rigid bike now and its perfect. Problem is a duel will be faster downhill on technical terrain. I'm searching for a duel frame and shock that may be able to give me a decent uphill ride but haven't found one yet.

 

9.8kg's is very light, the HT's I have been looking at are around 11/12kg's. Unlike yourself I am not 'racing' downhills so going as fast as possible is not necessary, the faster/easier I can go uphill the better in my situation so I think HT might be the way to go, thanks for the info!

[kingmilo]

You will always lose some power with the dual sus, even if your rear susp is set up properly. HT will always be better for climbing and dual sus better on downhill, except for technical uphill where your dual sus will come in handy. I had a 26er dual sus but recently went to 29er HT and is really enjoying it

 

Thanks, I think the general consensus here is that HT would probably be better for my situation. Now to go through a different learning curve, trying to sell the bike

[Hairy]

Milo. ...What duallie are you currently riding?

[kingmilo]

Hairy, a Scott Spark 940 2013 (L frame) about 2 months old.

[PhilipV]

hmmm, don't compare an inefficient dual sus to a hard tail when climbing. especially not a heavy one. A lightweight, efficient pedalling fullsus bike will give better traction and climp better. I know as I have both. my fullsus DW link bike climbs alot better than my hardtail. and they weigh nearly the same.

Ask yourself, do you want a bike ro climb with, do you want a bike to descend with, or do you want a bike to do everything with. and then choose that bike according to your needs.

 

[Hairy]

Milo, that is a decent ride.

 

You say you had the bike setup, was this just fit our also your actual suspension setup.

 

With that duallie you are not loosing much in the line of Weight vs a ht and gaining lots in traction and control

[Mongoose!]

at 6'2" (188cm) you should ride more a XL frame than a Large?

[kingmilo]

Milo, that is a decent ride.

 

You say you had the bike setup, was this just fit our also your actual suspension setup.

 

With that duallie you are not loosing much in the line of Weight vs a ht and gaining lots in traction and control

 

I gave the guy at the shop my ergo fit details and he adjusted the bike accordingly with me making some adjustments as I went along but I agree the suspension setup doesn't feel right even though there were adjustments made to the suspension according to my weight, something I will need to look at again. As Mongoose also pointed out below perhaps I should be on an XL but I went on the 'expert' advice of the guys at the shop after giving them my ergo info.

Edited May 10, 2014 by kingmilo

[splat]

Hairy, a Scott Spark 940 2013 (L frame) about 2 months old.

 

You should be able to lock your rear suspension out on that bike, so pedal bob shouldn't be a big issue.

 

Switching to a hardtail to gain 2kg in weight isn't going to transform your climbing (not if you weigh 100kg like I also do).

 

Frame size & geometry/setup as well as your shock setup will make more of a difference.

[kingmilo]

at 6'2" (188cm) you should ride more a XL frame than a Large?

 

According to ergo fit yes and all my other bikes are XL, but when purchasing the Scott the owner of the reputable bicycling shop said the L of this particular bike would be fine also after looking at my ergo fit details, I went on his advice, maybe wrongfully so now I see but none wiser at the time I guess, you know how these things go.

 

Maybe I should rent a HT 29er and take it for a ride around the mountain and see how it compares.