Going from FS to hardtail

[cmbicycles]

I'm in the process of deciding whether I want to upgrade my 04 C'dale Scalpel to a 29er full suspension or hardtail. I don't do big drops, just ride with my kids MTB team for fun and fitness, and am riding mainly singletrack in central Virginia.

I am leaning towards getting a hardtail for budget reasons and wanted to see if anyone here had moved from full suspension to hardtail and had some feedback on what they liked or didn't like.
Thanks

[Gummee]

I have one each: FS, HT with suspension, HT rigid

I keep reaching for the rigid bike

Otherwise? HTs have less chance of pivots needing replacement

M

[andeww]

I went from an Epic 29 to a steel 29+
I think the larger tire volume made it an easy transition and what I would recommend. However I am now back to FS with a scalpel 29. The HT requiered zero upkeep besides brake bleeds, and makes more sense for the right trails or riding style IMO

[p nut]

I went from FS to Hardtail to Rigid. Complete opposite of most people.

But depends on your end goal. If speed is top priority, FS XC bike is probably your best bet. I'd imagine riding in VA, there are a lot of roots and rocks. FS would be faster there than HT.


Or you could go softtail.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...olorCode=black

[TomP]

I also have both. For me there is no question the FS is a better performing bike. Pivot 429. I keep the hardtail to maintain my skills and fun factor.

[fmradio516]

I went FS right out of the box, but now looking at whats involved in servicing these puppies, which the manuf recommends ONCE A YEAR!!!, I think if i could do it all over again, id go rigid with the really fat tires. That being said, I have never ridden anything like a fat bike before, so i have no idea if i would like it.

DIY Wrench content:
My first mtn bike had Rockshox, which I was able to look up enough online and do the full rebuilds on my own with tools I already had, pretty much.

My current ride has Fox and while i havent put a ton of miles on it, im already looking at whats needed to service them. From what I can tell, you need a LOT of Fox proprietary tools, and they arent cheap. Havent researched if theres DIY versions of them, but im guessing not. So servicing these will be expensive.

Bottom line: if I didnt do jumps and drops, id go full rigid!!

[Jaybee]

Any good MTB is a fun time. I do think that for most modern bikes, a lot of the traditional disadvantages of a FS have been mitigated. The bearings seem to last longer, the bikes pedal better, the shocks are both plusher and more supportive depending on how you like your tune. they are night and day different than your 04 Scalpel - I know because I used to have one.

I will occasionally get out on my 29+ hardtail (fatbike conversion) and though the monster tires help and the bike is a barrel-of-monkeys fun on flowy trails, I am mostly reminded of what an awesome bike my mid-travel 29er is. There isn't a single thing the FS doesn't do better, other than flotation in really soft surfaces.

I am really intrigued by the Supercaliber and the isostrut. I'd like to see it get a few years of use and evaluate the failure rate, but that could be an ideal second bike for someone with a long/mid travel bike for bigger days.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Gummee

I have one each: FS, HT with suspension, HT rigid

I keep reaching for the rigid bike

Otherwise? HTs have less chance of pivots needing replacement

M

I switched my hard tail for a rigid. I love it. For the fire roads in my area, it's perfect. Plus, it looks sleek as hell.

[Tony]

I have had three FS bikes and had several HT bikes, FS is just better/fun when things get bumpy.

Here is a trail in Nevada City called the Hoot trail. In the beginning of the video riders were telling us to be careful, two riders already went down due to icy conditions on the top, so no jumps. I love this 360 degree camera. I'm the rider in the back, orange helmet. This trail is at the limit where a HT is fun, any more technical and its not.
https://youtu.be/7bK7xR8qIBo

Below another trail with many jumps in the same area. Landings are nicer with more control using a FS.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iPrXKikw2md9ac9o9

[45K10]

I went from FS 26er to a hardtail 29er and have no regrets.

[weaponsgrade]

I have a FS 29er and full rigid 29er that leans towards an XC setup. I pull the FS out for chunky trail days and the rigid 29er for smoother stuff. Based on your description, I'd keep things simple with a rigid or hardtail with room to fit big tires - say 2.5s. If I could have only one mtb, that'd be my setup.

[colker]

Originally Posted by p nut

I went from FS to Hardtail to Rigid. Complete opposite of most people.

But depends on your end goal. If speed is top priority, FS XC bike is probably your best bet. I'd imagine riding in VA, there are a lot of roots and rocks. FS would be faster there than HT.


Or you could go softtail.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...olorCode=black

Greeaaat little short movie.

[HenryA]

Started rigid because that’s all there was. Next couple of bikes were front suspension hardtails ‘cause that was a great improvement. Tried out some full squish bikes early on and never melded with them. After a bad crash on a FS bike about 15 years ago I swore off for good.


I’d get either a 650B (27.5) or a 29er hardtail with the best XC fork I could afford. I’m riding a custom Serotta 650B with state of the art fork from 10 years ago. Sometimes I want a custom 29er just for the easier rolling. Thinking about a Wojick.

The first vid that Tony posted is a good example where FS might be better on an otherwise smooth groomed tral, but I doubt I’d get run away from by any other same age riders while riding my hardtail.

Where hardtails really are at a disadvantage is in rocky crappy places with lots of sharp bumps. It’ll just wear you out. But I avoid those kinds of trails because I do not find any attraction to them. Better riding a motorcycle on those and even then I don’t find it fun.

A good back-east example of a perfect hardtail ride is Tsali in North Carolina. Smooth and flowy mostly with just scattered technical areas. If you ride trails like that get a hardtail for sure.

[Ken Robb]

Lots of comments about which bike is faster. For ancient riders like me I like FS for comfort and better traction when climbing on other than smooth hardpack. For me rear suspension reduces by far the times when I apply too much force to the pedals, lose traction and stop on a steepish hill.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Lots of comments about which bike is faster. For ancient riders like me I like FS for comfort and better traction when climbing on other than smooth hardpack. For me rear suspension reduces by far the times when I apply too much force to the pedals, lose traction and stop on a steepish hill.

When I said above that my FS was a better bike in nearly every respect, that absolutely includes comfort. Since I'm on trails now nearly every day this means that I can hit a hard 15-20 mile trail ride over some decently technical terrain and still be back at it the next day without my wrists/kidneys/back complaining. That's worth it to me.