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Post by scooter on Sept 7, 2014 13:37:38 GMT -5
I am moving to Augusta: How many Full Suspension vs Hardtail riders out there?
I have been riding hardtail in Midwest (presently Trek 9.8) for CC races
Rode a 26" Fuel (7or8) at FATS for 2.5hrs, first time on full suspension. I thought I felt a lot less beat up physically after riding just a basic model.
Considering Trek Remedy.
What tire widths are you running on hardtails? Tire Pressures?
thanks in advance
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Post by Angela on Sept 7, 2014 21:00:11 GMT -5
Hopefully some of our hardtail riders will weight in on the tire widths and pressures but I will tell you there are plenty of riders in the area riding full suspension, hardtails, and single speeds.
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Post by kconner on Sept 7, 2014 22:07:50 GMT -5
I'm currently riding a 2011 Trek Marlin 29er hardtail....my personal opinion is that a hardtail is all you need to ride locally, but that's just my opinion, to each their own. I'm also currently riding a 2.2" Maxxis Ardent Race up front, paired with a 2.2" Maxxis Ikon in the back, both set up tubeless and mounted to Stan's Arch EXs (can't remember the rim width). I'm a heavy guy at 220-230 lbs and run pressures around 23-25 psi (according to my floor pump)....anything below 22-23 and I risk bottoming out the rim.
I'm a big fan of Trek, they've got a decent line up of bikes and have the best bang for your buck at the moment IMO. We also have 3 great local shops that are willing to make deals, and the 2015 models should be rolling in any time now, which means great deals should be had on 2014 models.
Good luck and have fun shopping!
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Post by mhanna on Sept 8, 2014 8:33:06 GMT -5
Lots of different factors go into that decision. Its true, a hardtail is all you need but it may not be the best bike for your needs. You'll have to factor in your age, fitness, how many, how fast and how long the rides are you will do on a regular basis as well as your budget.
I ride and race a hardtail and love the snappy fast feel as well as the fast acceleration on the climbs. However, after 2-3 hours of riding on even the local trails the hardtail wears on my back and bottom. I bought a FS bike just for the everyday riding to take a little of the abuse off the 53 year old bones. It's super fun and comfortable to ride on any trail here or in the mountains. It is slower of course but speed is not the goal if I'm not at a race so why not enjoy the ride.
I will say this about FS bikes though, if you ride a lot they will require way more love, attention and money than the hardtails. No way around that. So many more parts to squeak, creak and fail.
Tire pressures are all over the board as well and the best for you will depend on your weight, tire type and size. I run about 25 on my hardtail front and rear in 2.2 size tires. Some of the hardtail and fully rigid guys run 20 and less but usually have larger volume tires such as 2.3 or 2.4.
All the local bike shops have great bikes and great service. You can't go wrong with any of them. Just need to spend some time in the stores kicking the tires, getting to know the folks and seeing whet kind of deal you can swing.
In the end what's best for you will be what's best for your needs and that may be completely different from the rider right next to you.
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Post by dgaddis1 on Sept 8, 2014 12:37:42 GMT -5
I started on a short travel (80mm) full suspension Giant Anthem, then moved to a rigid singlespeed Vassago Jabberwocky, and then added a geared hardtail 29er to have the option for a more forgiving bike for loooong rides. Then I broke the damper on the fork doing some maintenance, and didn't want to spend $300 to to fix it, so now both of my MTBs are rigid. I'm using a 2.35" Maxxis Ikon on the front and a 2.2" Maxxis Ikon on the rear. The front is less than 20psi (15-18psi I think, I doubt the gauge is accurate), the rear about 23-25psi. Tires are tubeless, and I'm about 165lbs. If I had suspension I'd run higher pressure, you can drive the bike a lot harder and faster through rough stuff with some suspension, and you need higher pressure to keep from bottoming out the rims. Like Mark said, the HT vs FS opinions are all over the map, everyone has what they like. I like the light weight and simplicity of the hardtail, especially rigid. My bikes are both in the 22-23lbs range with metal frames (steel on the SS, aluminum on the shifty bike). I love that there's hardly anything to maintain on my bikes: air in the tires, lube on the chain, and that's it - they're ready to rip. I also really like the feel of a HT when climbing. Suspension is certainly nice when ripping the descents though. Plenty of people can't imgagine ever riding a rigid bike though. Lots love their 4"-5" travel FS bikes. For me, I want light weight and as little maintenance as possible - so I ride hardtails. If money were no object, I'd love to add a nice carbon FS bike, but it's just not in the budget. Ride what makes you want to ride more, and what you can afford to maintain and fix when you smash it up
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Post by brando on Sept 10, 2014 18:42:56 GMT -5
I have both a hard tail and a full suspension bike. I like the ht because it climbs better and is more efficient. But after a few rides on the ht and then riding my full suspension I realize how much more I enjoy riding while on the full susser. On the fs I don't have to ease up to cushion the thud of a root or rock like I do on the ht. I run 2.2 Kenda Slant Six on rear and Ikon 2.35 on the front of my fs. On the ht I like more rubber in the rear. Usually a Specialized Ground Control 2.3 or Continental X-king 2.4. If I had to choose 1 bike to do everything with it'd be a full suspension with shock and fork lockouts.
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