Hardtail VS Full Suspension

[Phillippe Coetzee]

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 🫠😂

[Skubarra]

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]

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 🙈

[gemmerbal]

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

[Super Sywurm]

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. 

[Phillippe Coetzee]

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 ?  

[gemmerbal]

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

[Super Sywurm]

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 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 ?

[Phillippe Coetzee]

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 😎

[Super Sywurm]

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.

[gemmerbal]

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.

[CraigCCW]

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]

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..

[Phillippe Coetzee]

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 😁

[Phillippe Coetzee]

Appreciate everyones insights, opinions and feedback 🙏🏼