How do you know when it's time for a better bike?

[divingbiker]

Eventually, when you stop improving and/or if you get OLD ( says the almost-33-year-old with the "some dehydration" in her spine discs) a rear suspension can make a lot of the bumps disappear and float right over things that the hardtail's rear wheel used to clunk on and jar the he!! out of you on.

Already there! I'm all for anything that eases the bumps and bruises on this 50-year-old body. I think age is my biggest challenge mountain biking--I'm learning it at a time when most people would be giving it up, and I'm just not all that brave when it comes to obstacles. Maybe if I stick with it through this summer and ride regularly I'll look into getting a better bike. Thanks for all the advice.

(The women who taught the MTB clinic I attended said I should start racing, because I'd win every time--there are no other women in the 50-and-up category!)

[IntenseRide]

I own a hardtail and a full suspension, and neither makes me a 'better' rider. I tend to use the bike that makes more sense on the trail that I am riding that day. About every five years I buy a new frame, replace some of the worn parts and transfer the rest.

I think its awesome what you are doing, just follow your antenna and have as much fun as you can!

[divingbiker]

I own a hardtail and a full suspension...I tend to use the bike that makes more sense on the trail that I am riding that day.

So on what kind of trails does a full suspension bike make sense, and when does a hardtail make sense? This may help clarify things a bit for me.

[IntenseRide]

I use my full suspension on trails where there are longer technical sections, such as rock gardens, large log piles (not just a log) and downhill sections that can be sketchy. The suspension doesn't make me lazy, its doing what it is designed to do, taking bigger hits and drops, and my full suspension frame is also built for this type of riding, its just a beefier and much heavier build. When I'm riding swoopy single track that winds through trees, or more of a cross-country type feel where speed and agility mean everything, I bring out my hardtail. There is nothing like the snappy speed of a hardtail on hardpack singletrack. Each bike is so different from the other, I so enjoy the change-up.

If you have back problems and your trails are quite jarring and full of technical features, you'll be able to ride longer with less fatique and more confidence on a full suspension bike. Its just tuning your bike to fit your weight that can be a little more complicated and then a slight learning curve on climbing with rear suspension. I started mountainbiking on a hardtail, then bought a full suspension bike to ride places like Moab, Fruita and Sedona out West. Here in Minnesota, I use my hardtail 50 percent of the time though.

[bcipam]

I use to say my old RockHopper was plenty good for me on trails and my style of riding but now that I've gone through a sucession of bikes, I have to say I've found my true love in my Santa Cruz Superlight.

Before I would ride either my Specialized Stumpjumper fully or my Specialized M4 Stump hardtail but now I usually just ride the Superlight, it's that perfect combination of both (and I recently sold the Stump fully as it is no longer needed). The SC is like a hardtail climbing and gives me just enough suspension downhill (4"). If you do see yourself riding challenging downhills then I can't say enough about a Stumpjumper. It's 5" of travel are pretty for agressive downhills but bike still works well on flats and climbing.

And yes my old Rockhopper did well but I find myself riding so much better, with more confidence on the right bike.

Good luck with your search!

[bcipam]

PS: I still ride my hardtail. I just like the bike and the Spec. Stump M4 is a great hardtail. It's perfect for fire roads, easier trails but I've ridden it everywhere I've taken my fullies. It really can handle any course, and talk about being able to climb! It's amazing the power a hardtail has over even a lock out fully. Put on some good wheels and it's a great bike.

[7rider]

Janice - FWIW, at Rosaryville on Saturday - for the first time ever I loved my dualie. I know a lot of those more experienced women were using there SS bikes in that area, but for me, I found the dualie stuck to those swooping rollers like it was glued to the trail (very comforting for the roadie in me).

I don't recall how tall you are compared to me (I'm a bit over 5'8") - and do you have SPDs on your bike? - but the next time we go out, let's swap bikes and you can try my Klein for a bit. It's a size M and you should be able to do fine on some of the less technical stuff to get a feel for it.