Poll: Full susp. or Hardtail

[alpinerabbit]

How do you ride? My question is of course to help me buy a MTB....

[SalsaMTB]

I actually ride a rigid bike right now. BUT, for recommendations for you, it really depends on your purpose and the types of trails you ride. In michigan, we really don't have anything that crazy. No huge drops, no big boulders, etc. I race, there isn't anything real extreme, so I want something light. If I lived out west or didn't race, I would be all about FS.

[Irulan]

For me it somewhat depends on my mood, which bike I take out.

[SadieKate]

Um, where's the softtail choices?

And all full suspension isn't equal - short travel XC, long travel "all mountain", whopping way big travel downhill. For instances, fire roads don't generally have a lot of obstacles but a longer wheelbase bike like a Marin Mt Vision is happier on steep fireroads than a Titus Racer X which is better on tight turning singletrack, yet they are both considered XC bikes.

SalsaMTB has it right. It's all about your terrain and your body.

What do your local riders use? Look at the characteristics of those bikes.

I clicked in every single box.

[sundial]

I chose a full suspension with 3 in. of travel that I can dial for different terrains. It's like having 2 bikes in one. :)

[tattiefritter]

Like Sadie Kate I ticked all boxes. I have a hardtail and full-suss and I love them both. I generally choose the bike to ride depending on my mood :D and if one has been getting more riding time than the other, though in the winter I'll often ride the hardtail to spare the full-suss components from the destructive gritty mud round here . I ride them on the same trails, in pretty much the same style actually (according to riding buddies) though the consequences of line choice can be different on each one. I have to say if you made me choose the hardtail would probably win but I spent years riding a hardtail before I bought a full-suss.

Check out what local riders are riding though its often said you will learn better bike handling skills on a hardtail and its also more obvious when you are travelling a bit too fast (something I nearly got caught out with several times when I changed to full-suspension).

[SheFly]

Good advice here from the others - it really depends on what you will be using the bike for. I have had DH bikes with 8" of travel in front and rear, but those were NO GOOD for riding on any trails (too heavy). Had an "all-mountain" bike with 5" front and rear that I loved for years, but just got back into racing my MTB, and needed something lighter.

I also find that as I get older, my body doesn't take the pounding as well as it used to :D.

I do, however, have a hardtail SS that I will ride on the trails and around town. Different type of riding, and I have to be in the mood, but it's still fun. So, I checked all the boxes too. :D

SheFly

[Miranda]

I own a hard trail mtb only. Trek wsd 4500. Another Midwest girl here. It's good enough for what I ride. I'm mainly a road rider, and the mtb mixes it up for me. The boxes I checked were: gravel roads, and trails.

[bluebug32]

I have a hardtail and a 4 inch travel full sus. I can lock out the suspension on the full sus. and I've got it down to about 26-27 pounds, so I consider it the perfect all-around bike. I like the hardtail for more carriage road or places with a lot of climbing and not as much technical stuff. In my opinion, it's best to learn to mtb on a hardtail and later upgrade to full sus.

[DirtDiva]

Your a roadie who lives in Switzerland. I reckon the most versatile bike for you would be a cross country fully or a lightweight trail bike - you're just not going to enjoy riding something big and heavy that much. If you don't want to spend too much, then a mid-range hardtail would be a wise choice, but I can't see a hardtail keeping you happy long-term with the terrain Switzerland has to offer. (Ooooooo, I'm jealous! :p I'd love to go riding in Switzerland!)

P.S. I ticked all the hardtail boxes, and I'd have ticked all the fully boxes too if I owned one!