weight of bike and weight of rider

[LiquidFeet]

I weigh 115 lbs, and I have a 32 pound all mountain full suspension Marin, and a 25 lb Titus Racer X.

The Marin is better on the terrain in the NE. It is heavier for sure, but it takes the hits much better. The lighter bike does not stick as well over the rocks.

Lighter may not be your solution due to your location.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. When I ride full speed down a fairly straight New England rocky hill, I have my butt off the seat and back a bit beyond the saddle. I attempt to visualize my line, ignore the rocks on that line unless they are big enough to hit the chain ring, and just go. I keep my torso smooth on its path down the hill, and the bike bounces leftie-rightie beneath me. A lighter bike bounces MORE. A heavier bike, with its added momentum, bounces less. I've checked now, and know this from experience. Both are hardtails.

Would full suspension make a difference if my butt is up off the seat?

[dirtygirl1]

Hey Ladies ...

my 0.02 cents ...

Until this year I raced only on a hardtail ... and loved it. I was doing the shorter races though (2.5 hours) and the terrain wasn't that technical. On the more technical courses I was being thrown around a lot but came to thinkg of it as 'normal' because I trained, played, and raced all on my hard tail.

This year I switched to the distance racing and got a full suspension bike. i can't beleive the difference. I don't feel like I ever get thrown around ... and the extra weight is un-noticable.

When deciding which bike to purchase I would ask what your goals are and what type of riding (or racing) you enjoy.

Type of Terrain:
I beleive that if the terrain is technical you will go faster on a full suspension, even with the extra weight. you save so much energy by not having to use your legs as a suspension system ... you can use that energy to work harder on the climbs and will be faster overall. If the terrain is not techical you will likely go faster on the hard tail.

Type of riding/racing:
if you like to do longer races/rides, I reccomend a full suspension. I have found that I recover faster both during and after my ride on my full suspension. My body can focus on those nice round circles, breathing, eating and drinking ... and the bike takes care of the 'bumps' in the trail. It's a more enjoyable experience and a better way to go.

If you enjoy ripping it up and only do shorter rides, you won't notice the tole on your body so much - so it goes back to the type of terrain you enjoy rideing/racing.

My bikes are both Norco, both top of the line XC bikes (EXC 1.0 and Faze 1.0) so they are very comparable. I had to take my HT out for one lap at the 24 hour solo I did not too long ago and I could not BELEIVE the difference. I was sooo glad to get my FS back!