Looking to start really "Mountaining" :)

[biker chick]

In Brian Lopez's book Mastering Mountain Bike Skills, p. 5, he writes," cross-country trail bike with 4 inches front and rear travel. I ride this bike most often...lots of hard climbs and fast technical descents... rocks, deep ruts, and rad, bermed turns. " I am sure an expert as himself gets out of the saddle even on a full suspension. On p. 2-3 he talks about hardtail or full suspension. "Hardtals...perform better in two particular conditions (1) cross country riding on smooth trails and (2) dirt jumping and bikecross on smooth courses. The lighter, more stiffer bikes transmit more power to the ground...In almost all other off road situations, full suspension is superior. You can ride faster and on rougher terrain with more comfort and more control than with a hardtail."