Quote Originally Posted by SadieKate View Post
Why do you want another hardtail? Just asking for the input.
Two reasons. Less expensive. Less buttons and whistles to repair and maintain over time.

At this point I don't THINK I'll be racing. I ride for personal improvement - do one more trail with less dabbing, go faster through one section, take that decline this time without brakes, make it up that loose incline all the way. That sort of thing. I'm not in a hurry.

When I watch videos of others riding, they are so often out west where the trails have long declines (not so in my neighborhood) and long passages of sandy trails not riddled with big pointy rocks. No wonder those people go fast. There's no way I could go fast on these trails around here, not the single tracks anyway. So do I need that back end suspension? I ride downhill with my butt off the seat anyway....

Yes, I need to try out full suspension on the trails before I decide for sure. The only person I know who has one is a tall guy, so his bike is not going to work for me. But is some shop going to let me take a bike out on these gnarly rocky trails??? I haven't even asked. I wonder if they will.