First MTB. Do I need dual suspension?

[RobertWhitehead]

To answer your original question: Yes 😁

['Kaze Pete]

I always said I'll get a dual suss when I turn 50. That ship sailed and I'm still on a HT. Mostly riding gravel roads on it, 'downgraded' my gravelling bike to a gravel bike (even less suspension!).

For rougher surfaces (non-manicured roads) a dual suss makes a lot of sense, but... buy something decent as there is no point in lugging around a bunch of cheap / heavy links and shocks just to be on a 'dual suspension'

[Gundo Nemushungwa]

Good day

After doing my homework just like you did, I decided to go for a full sus. You can always lockout the rear shock if ever the need does arise or tune it to your preference. I have no regrets, buy once.

[Jono]

Get a trail hardtail.

Try buy second hand, after a year you can decide which direction to go. If you sell it you’ll get similar for what you paid (if you bought wisely). You’re at the beginning of your riding journey, nobody can tell you which direction you’ll end up going. 

Also want to add, get a good fork and set it up properly. Something like Rockshox pike/lyrik or fox 34/36, the base models are fine.

Ride with flats (and proper shoes) for the first year! 

Do a trackstand every time you get on your bike. Learn to bunny hop and jump properly.

[Super Sywurm]

53 minutes ago, Gundo Nemushungwa said:

Good day

After doing my homework just like you did, I decided to go for a full sus. You can always lockout the rear shock if ever the need does arise or tune it to your preference. I have no regrets, buy once.

A locked dual suspension is just not the same as a HT bike.

[WT]

Hi @mynameisluka

As someone who used to be a local at Wolwespruit and enjoys more gravity bases riding here are my 2 cents (it ended up more like 2 rands in the end😅)...

Off the bat: HT (More specifically a rowdy trail HT 😁) all the way if you are starting out!

I will state my case as follows (apologies if you already knew some of this stuff) 😜

1. Riding location NOTHING at Wolwe or Grootfontein is unrideable on a HT. I did it myself for a long time. In fact most of the stuff you will likely end up riding are flow trails where a HT can actually be more fun because it is more efficient to pump (more on that later😁). For these locations though, I will suggest a trail HT and NOT an XC anything. Both Wolwe and Grootfontein have some proper jumps that as a beginner you might end up casing a few times. You don't want to be concerned about your bike's health the whole time. A light XC hardtail is built to be light and pedal easy NOT neccesarily to handle big impacts.

In conclusion here, buy the bike for the trails you are GOING to ride 95% of the time not for the ones you MIGHT ride 5% of the time.

2. Price Mentioned before a couple of times in this thread a HT is quite a bit cheaper to maintain than a fully. Like @droo has mentiined, pivot bearings and rear suspension services don't come cheap unfortunately. 

Spending less money on your bikes also frees up some to spend on something else no-one I have seen has mentioned before. GET SOME LESSONS! Which brings me to point 3...

3. Easier to learn on HT don't change their frame shap subtly when you manipulate the bike into a wheelie, manual or bunnyhop. This means it is easier to learn these skills on a HT and turn them into second nature (again go for lessons from the start).

Learning to pump the bike is also easier because you get more direct feedback and results. 

Lastly a HT teaches you to move on the bike, so you need to learn to use the suspension in your legs to squash and pump the trail. If you can make this second nature, when you do move tot a fully, you will actually get your money's worth.

@Jono also alluded to this earlier. Learning proper skills early on will make your riding so much more fun and a whole lot safer.

ending off...

So my suggestion would be have a look at the rapide tigre frame. Really good proper steel frame at a very good price. https://www.rapide.co.za/ offer some of the best service you will find anywhere and it's alocal company. Their stuff is also affordable and tough enough to last you quite a while. Their wheels are also great value! 

Then get a dropper post (PLEASE don't start riding without one) and other components (get amp series of you can) from https://www.on-lynecomponents.com/.

Again solid reputable local company. 

Fork, I suggest a DVO diamond. DVO is travel adjustable which means you can keep the fork of you change to a fully frame at some point.

Drivetrain: Shimano linkglide 10s. Dirt cheap and really solid (I just put the M5130 shifter and derailleur and the LG400 cassette on my bike and really happy so far,  entire groupset was cheaper than the freehub body I had to replace to fit the cassette.)

Brakes: hydraulic disc brakes (4 pot if you can) with 180mm rotors (203mm at the front if you are a bit heavier). Honestly brakes are a personal thing but starting out, Shimano is cheap and will stop.

Lastly if possible, try to build the bike yourself. Knowing how to do the basic bike maintenance will save you a lot of money and time in the long run. 

If you got to the end of this essay, I hope it was useful to you in some way and may you have a kick-ass time on whichever bike you choose!

Please feel free to drop me a DM if you want any more advice or some contact info for lessons (and no, it won't be from me😅)

[mynameisluka]

On 9/3/2025 at 5:16 PM, droo said:

Can confirm.

If this fits you it'll do exactly what you want. Alu HT with some nifty and effective vibration damping in the rear triangle. Decent build.

(I'm the SA Banshee agent, so there may be an element of bias here...)

Thank you @droo Unfortunately I'm going to need a large. But this is exactly the kind of thing I have come to look for. 

[mynameisluka]

On 9/4/2025 at 12:24 AM, mrcg said:

I would go with advice from @thebob above - try a few demo bikes. Best way to see what fits, you enjoy and learn about your skill set. Slight challenge is, that there are some specific geometry differences with various bikes, which will definitely impact your riding/comfort etc.

Speaking of skill set, as @Robbie Stewartmentioned your skill level/experience is key when starting out. Did you perhaps ride BMX as a kid? Any bike experience in general. Not being afraid does help in progressing quickly - helps to check a few good videos on YouTube or get a coach for a few pointers.

I think most experienced (older) riders probably all went from HT to FS (usually from necessity), which might seem like a good line of progression. Also, your intended riding will narrow down your choice: short and sharp rides (1-2h) or longer rides (2/3h plus).

Overall, taking into consideration your location (having ridden all PTA trails), I would say a HT would probably suffice for a start. If you were here in WC, I would definitely say FS. But that's just me. Go with your gut - it's usually right

Hey @mrcg Thank you for your reply. Really appreciate you taking the time. 

Yes, the plan is definitely to try out a few bikes. They also have some Scott Sparks at Grootfontein to rent for a few hours, so will check out what I can. 

In terms of experience, I did ride a MTB when I was much younger/a teen. Nothing serious, about as much as most kids ride I suppose. I have also done some skateboarding back then, and recently, and while it's got nothing to do with MTB, it does lead me to believe I would be more attracted to shorter, more adventurous stuff than longer rides. 

Mostly, I appreciate that you have ridden the PTA environment and that really helps to know that HTs are capable enough - if it comes down to that. (I don't expect massive elevation, downhill stuff over rocks around here for sure :))

[mynameisluka]

23 hours ago, Jono said:

Get a trail hardtail.

Try buy second hand, after a year you can decide which direction to go. If you sell it you’ll get similar for what you paid (if you bought wisely). You’re at the beginning of your riding journey, nobody can tell you which direction you’ll end up going. 

Also want to add, get a good fork and set it up properly. Something like Rockshox pike/lyrik or fox 34/36, the base models are fine.

Ride with flats (and proper shoes) for the first year! 

Do a trackstand every time you get on your bike. Learn to bunny hop and jump properly.

Thanks @Jono Super helpful and basically one of the two options that I have been looking at. A trail HT was first option to be honest - before I started having concerns about capabilities in and around our local (PTA for me) MTB landscape and then started looking at full sus trail bikes (whatever cheaper one with decent travel I could find.)

Absolutely will spend time learning the bike properly too, and will ride flats for sure. 

Thanks so much for the advice. Really appreciate it. 

[mynameisluka]

Hey @WT Holy cow! Thank you so, so much for your reply and advice. Really appreciate the time and thought it must have taken to write out. 

So awesome to hear from someone riding in the area, so this advice is invaluable. 

As I mentioned to @Jono above, a rowdy trail HT with some aggressive geo and decent travel was my first choice, before I started worrying about capabilities, comfort, etc. Hence, my original question here. Not even looking at XC bikes.

4 hours ago, WT said:

1. Riding location NOTHING at Wolwe or Grootfontein is unrideable on a HT. I did it myself for a long time.

This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for, and someone said the same thing earlier. Thank you! And as I would be starting off alone, likely not going for very long rides or travelling often to Jozi or out of province to ride different trails. Most of the time, especially in the beginning, it will be the PTA trails. (And most of that time would be Wolwe, Grootfontein, and Big Red Barn). 

4 hours ago, WT said:

Price Mentioned before a couple of times in this thread a HT is quite a bit cheaper to maintain than a fully.

Yes, and a full sus is more expensive up front, without even mentioning things like Helmet, petals, shoes, pumps, maintenance kits, and all that other stuff that adds up quickly. 

Personally, I don't have a massive budget, but I think a fair one for someone who is starting out. When I look at new bikes, it's either an entry level full sus (hopefully an ok one if there is a sale) or a pretty decent looking HT - though very few trail HT options new at the big stores. 

I haven't really considered lessons, outside of, say, YouTube tutorials, but I'll keep them in mind too. 

And, yes, I've heard that HTs are easier to learn on as they don't shift under weight, like when pumping, popping up, etc. And as they are less forgiving over obstacles, everyone says an HT teaches smarter decisions like line choice too. 

My worry was that I'm not 20 years old and learning. I'm 40 and learning, and knocks feel different now. So then I thought a full suspension might be smarter. But... then that just brings me back to your first point about the trails we have here

4 hours ago, WT said:

Lastly if possible, try to build the bike yourself.

I'll didn't even think to consider this, because I just figured it would be too expensive. 

Thank you, again! for your recommendations regarding components. I have picked up on some of this before, like the importance of a dropper post and four piston breaks. But, even with constantly looking for bikes and trying to learn, I haven't even heard of Rapide or DVO forks. I'll definitely be looking them up, but I think I would probably need help from someone who knows better than I do. 

I was looking at something like this: https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/merida/products/merida-big-trail-500-2025 I was also told by another store that it can be special ordered, just curious about what that would mean for the price. 

Either way, I have to wait a little while (till December) before I buy but the confusion between whether or not I should get a HT or full sus was doing my head in. This thread has been really, very useful. As has your essay  Thank you so much!

I actually really might just DM you in the future for some additional advice/opinions. Thank you for offering. 

[JoeMerida]

I rode a Hardtail for 40 Years. Always Enjoyed my Cycling.

I now Ride a Dual Suspension. Enjoying my Cycling More.

Nothing Wrong with a Hardtail but a Dual Suspension is Next Level.

[mynameisluka]

1 minute ago, JoeMerida said:

I rode a Hardtail for 40 Years. Always Enjoyed my Cycling.

I now Ride a Dual Suspension. Enjoying my Cycling More.

Nothing Wrong with a Hardtail but a Dual Suspension is Next Level.

Thanks @JoeMerida

I totally hear you. 

I'm also trying to understand the differences, especially from people with experience like yourself, considering costs, environment, types of riding, etc. 

This has all been very helpful. 

[WT]

37 minutes ago, mynameisluka said:

I haven't even heard of Rapide or DVO forks.

@mynameisluka An essay for an essay hey😅

Haha in all seriousness this is why I thought to write it down. I learnt so many things along the way that I wish I knew to look out for when buying (or possible building) my first bike. Nice to (hopefully😅) help someone else with my experiences.

45 minutes ago, mynameisluka said:

I actually really might just DM you in the future for some additional advice/opinions. Thank you for offering. 

 Please do, if someone else can learn or benefit from my old mistakes that makes me feel a bit better🤣

Have a great weekend! 

[Super Sywurm]

I rode my Rapide with a 100mm travel fork at Wolwespruit and I never felt under biked or under forked.

[MORNE]

I rode the last WC enduro on a slack, rowdy HT, ive also done a Jonkers enduro on one. I placed exactly where i would have if i did it on my big bike…smack bang lower midfield😅. But it feels great and much more of an achievement doing it with no travel in the back. its also nice chasing guys on full squish bikes for the hell of it. Trailside peeps cheer you on like some kind of working class hero haha. 

Yes it’s more rowdy, not as fast as just smashing through stuff with 170mm enduro bike, sometimes it hurts more…but it’s also super rewarding and more than anything…super fun. A different kind of fun, a more visceral experience, but still fun. All Bikes are fun. 
 

[meandmetoo]

HT is the way. Steel frame Rapide, 130mm travel forks, dropper post and solid wheelset.

The Geo is great. Long and slack but decent to climb. This will be more than capable for most riders on most trails. 

One of the funnest bikes I've ridden in years, gives a lot of confidence. 

Solid and durable, learn basic maintenance and build tools and gear up over time