Phillippe Coetzee Posted April 17 Share 1 minute ago, Nic Brigando said: Or they like having fun ;D Time and place for all types of bikes. Depending on the type of riding you do, some are faster, some are more fun. Don't discount a gravel bike with a small suspension fork - maybe look at a Lauf fork on a cheap-ish gravel bike, it'll probably be faster than even the lightest FS bikes on a longer gravel ride, and you can definitively take it out on the trails still. Looks who it is.. your frame pushed me to create a forum 🫠😂 Nic Brigando 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skubarra Posted April 17 Share 8 minutes ago, Phillippe Coetzee said: Does the DS feel a lot slower or not really ? Not exactly a like for like comparison because my hardtail was an older model, but I bought a full sus to replace my hardtail on trails - only to see on Strava my full sus is faster everywhere including gravel and tar despite being heavier than my HT. Only reason I still have the HT is because as gemmerbal said - the maintenance on it significantly less so it works well for commuting. Phillippe Coetzee and gemmerbal 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillippe Coetzee Posted April 17 Share Just now, Skubarra said: Not exactly a like for like comparison because my hardtail was an older model, but I bought a full sus to replace my hardtail on trails - only to see on Strava my full sus is faster everywhere including gravel and tar despite being heavier than my HT. Only reason I still have the HT is because as gemmerbal said - the maintenance on it significantly less so it works well for commuting. Interesting would have thought the HT would be faster 🙈 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmerbal Posted April 17 Share 25 minutes ago, Phillippe Coetzee said: Does the DS feel a lot slower or not really ? If i go ride xc-type trails, the DS is slightly faster over rolling terrain. On techie climbs it’s also slightly better at maintaining traction and therefore it can be said that it’s a bit faster. Descending is obvious but I do miss the roughness of having to manhandle a back-end that is all over the place, so the HT is more fun in that regard. I suppose the only real factor that will determine if it is faster or slower in general is going to be the weight. I bought a descent DS so it weighs more or less what the HT did, so if that is the measure I would have to say it is about the same. Sorry, probably not a clear-cut answer. But that’s just the way I’ve experienced it. I’ll say this, I wouldn’t sell my DS, it’s a great piece of kit and having lockouts all round means I have all the options available to me. To be fair, the running cost of a Merida 96 is probably better than other brands, but ja, mud and pivots/bearings don’t work well no matter which brand it is. Edited April 17 by gemmerbal Phillippe Coetzee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Sywurm Posted April 17 Share 26 minutes ago, peepeekaitjie said: Mountain bikers who say they prefer hardtails over full suspension are just engaging in mental gymnastics to cope with being too poor to ride a full suss I had two dual susp bikes and I sold both, stuck with my ht. _David_ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillippe Coetzee Posted April 17 Share 2 minutes ago, Super Sywurm said: I had two dual susp bikes and I sold both, stuck with my ht. main reason why you went to HT ? Was it for Maintenance, Speed, weight, fun factor ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmerbal Posted April 17 Share PS: I also have a roadbike which I absolutely love to ride. For me that is the perfect N+1: a DS and a roadbike. And roadbike maintenance is ridiculously cheaper in my experience. Edited April 17 by gemmerbal Phillippe Coetzee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Sywurm Posted April 17 Share 1 minute ago, Phillippe Coetzee said: main reason why you went to HT ? Was it for Maintenance, Speed, weight, fun factor ? The fun factor is the number one reason by far. Second reason, the creaking pivots made me crazy (maintanance). It's nice (comfortable) to ride a DS, but I enjoy a HT way more. Phillippe Coetzee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillippe Coetzee Posted April 17 Share 1 minute ago, Super Sywurm said: The fun factor is the number one reason by far. Second reason, the creaking pivots made me crazy (maintanance). It's nice (comfortable) to ride a DS, but I enjoy a HT way more. Do you do longer rides as well ? How does the HT feel after 80+ km compared to the DS ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillippe Coetzee Posted April 17 Share 2 minutes ago, gemmerbal said: PS: I also have a roadbike which I absolutely love to ride. For me that is the perfect N+1: a DS and a roadbike. And roadbike maintenance is ridiculously cheaper in my experience. Plan is to go roadbike + 1 mountain bike. DS is expensive to maintain 🙈 but more comfy. HT is cheaper but funner 😎 gemmerbal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Sywurm Posted April 17 Share Just now, Phillippe Coetzee said: Do you do longer rides as well ? How does the HT feel after 80+ km compared to the DS ? I do rides over 100km, quite often. I can't really say what the difference is, the last time I rode a DS was in 2021, I think. I am just used to a steel HT with 100mm travel. _David_ and Phillippe Coetzee 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmerbal Posted April 17 Share 3 minutes ago, Phillippe Coetzee said: Do you do longer rides as well ? How does the HT feel after 80+ km compared to the DS ? I'd chip in here: the reason I went DS was because I was preparing for my first Munga and it just made sense in my mind to have maximum comfort over that distance, given my physical attributes. I don't think I would have survived if i went with my HT. But anything under 12hr rides, I had little to no issues with comfort. On the roadbike I can also manage about10-12hrs without issues, but my body definitely knows about it the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigCCW Posted April 17 Share My two cents....Had a alu dual suss, heavy but loved it. Sold it went for a carbon gravel, very quickly realised that gravel is for youngsters or guys made of sinew only. Got a Trek Carbon Hardtail, love it, great off-road and great on road, and great for long gravel rides. I find the Hard Tail to tick all the right boxes for the type of riding I do. Phillippe Coetzee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillippe Coetzee Posted April 17 Share 8 minutes ago, gemmerbal said: I'd chip in here: the reason I went DS was because I was preparing for my first Munga and it just made sense in my mind to have maximum comfort over that distance, given my physical attributes. I don't think I would have survived if i went with my HT. But anything under 12hr rides, I had little to no issues with comfort. On the roadbike I can also manage about10-12hrs without issues, but my body definitely knows about it the next day. No 5 hours max for me thank you.. I cant go further, dont think my body will make it.. gemmerbal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillippe Coetzee Posted April 17 Share 1 minute ago, CraigCCW said: My two cents....Had a alu dual suss, heavy but loved it. Sold it went for a carbon gravel, very quickly realised that gravel is for youngsters or guys made of sinew only. Got a Trek Carbon Hardtail, love it, great off-road and great on road, and great for long gravel rides. I find the Hard Tail to tick all the right boxes for the type of riding I do. What trek you own ? Saw the procaliber it looks pretty sick 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillippe Coetzee Posted April 17 Share Appreciate everyones insights, opinions and feedback 🙏🏼 gemmerbal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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