Full suspension vs Hard tail

Can someone recommend the pros and cons of a full suspension vs hardtail as I've seen top Action Asia competitors in the Challenges use both in the same race. Thinking of not renting anymore and buying my first bike (if I can find room in my apartment) but confused at which is better.
Glen

Hi Glen.
As an ex competitive mountain bike racer from New Zealand(10 years ago) I raced through the transition from Hard tail to Full suspension.
Full suspension bicycles have come a long way since their beginning.
Originally I would have said that any full suspension bike will suck the energy you are putting into the pedals so much that I would have only used them for down hill races. And use a hard tail for cross country races.

BUT that was then,
Now they have tuned the linkages and shocks such that whilst you are out of the saddle pushing hard, the shock literally locks and you don?t loose much power through the shock bouncing. (We also have leavers that Lock Out the shocks at the push).
Light weight Materials are also becoming cheaper making the Full suspension bike less of a burden (they are still noticeably heavier if you need to carry it up stairs, but you can ride it down the same stairs)

There is a great advantage in terms of rider fatigue by having a Full suspension frame as you can ride the bumps out rather than having to stand up to absorb them and continue peddling.

If I was looking this is what I would look for...(in this order)
1: Light weight
2: Suspension dampening adjustment/Lockout (function)
3: Dollar amount
4: Components (Shimano< suntour etc) No need to buy XTR.

Don?t buy a down hill bike if you are planning to race cross country you will pay the penalty. Get a light weight cross country full suspension bike with a maximum of 4inch shock travel.
Light weight wheels and tires are defiantly a good idea also.

Hope this helps

Sprockett (Matthew)

Thank you Matthew as sounds like you know your stuff. A friend of mine still thinks a hard tail is better and faster. Still confused. I wonder if the bike store will let people test their bikes?? Guess not...Very expensive those full suspensions though for a good one?
Glen

Glen Just to clarify...
A hard tail will always be faster (maybe not on a gnarly downhill) but over the entirety of a long race the fatigue factor kicks in. The jarring the hardtail gives you and the time out of the saddle over the rough terrain.
For example... on my hardtail (yes I still have one be it titanium) when I get to rough terrain I have to get out of the saddle and ride the bumps out normally quiet hard to peddle hard through this as the rear wheel is bouncing through this, on my full suspension (High quality) I can remain in the saddle and pedal hard. The rear wheel tracks well without bouncing and the power is constant.
I am not knocking hardtails as I really enjoy riding mine, but with the modern materials and configurations I believe Full suspension bicycles have an advantage on rides over 1 hour (off-road)
Just remember buy light and you only need 3 or 4 inches of well dampened travel front and rear.

Sprockett

Hey Matthew some good comments but would be interesting to get Gary Mandy or Daniel Browns comments as I think Gary prefers full suspensions or at least he won some races on Chi Ma Wan using full suspension I think and Daniel Brown who uses the hardtail (if he's not breaking his bike)!!
Personally I like the hardtail as find it easier on the hills but haven't tried any new bikes so would like to try and see if worth switching....
MM

Lots of factors - the main one being you and where you ride. If you want to win or place well, and don't have more than 10,000 hkd to spend on getting a quality full-susser at a reasonable weight / climbing ability, go hardtail. If you want the ideal ride for HK and want to do the occassional race, but can only afford / have room for one bike, get a 4-5-inch travel dual suspension ride, and maybe an spare lightweight wheelset with skinnier tires for racing. I wouldn't get anything less than 120 mils of travel on the front end, in any case, especially for general trail riding.

one thing that no one has mentioned here and a very important thing to consider

the mo moving parts the more fancy little knobs bells and whistles there are on your bike the more likely it could go wrong, as many peeps here have said it really does depend on your style of riding and the terrain your riding on, if you dont want to be hunking a full sus bike up and down hills at the cost of time and energy when all is really needed is a hardtail

if its a race bike then id say think simple - go hard tail (or preferably soft tale) with nice light components id even recomend v brakes over hydrolic disc brakes

in my experience in adventure races the trails are never too technical and can be cleared just as fast on a hard tail - if there is a hike a bike section then these are a lot easier to carry then a full sus and the weight saved mans more strengh left for kicking some bogo bogo biongies ful sus but on the uphills

Hi everyone;

My name is Antonio and just finished my first 100Km MTB marathon (chupacabras 100km in Mexico) with a 26" TREK 4300 hardtail as a personal challenge, I basically trained for 2 months prior to the race and enjoyed a lot but Unfortunatly I have to confess that I don't know anything about Mountain bikes.

At this moment I am in the process to choose a bike because I like this sport (something new for me) for this reason I would like to know what you think about 29er Cannondale hardtail vs. 29er Gary Fisher full suspension.

Thanks for your advice.

Antonio

Every thing has their good and bad sides. Why not try to PM those you've seen in here who owns both? Then you'll find the answer to your question. But, as for me, I would prefer full suspension bikes rather than those hardtails.


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