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Full Suspension or Hardtail? Which Bike Should I Get?

PB Forum :: Freeride & Slopestyle
Full Suspension or Hardtail? Which Bike Should I Get?
Author Message
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Nov 1, 2009 at 12:14 Quote
Rattsl wrote:
What I was taught was a HT will improve your skills and Full suspension will allow you to continue being a hack and plow through everything, so you won't be any better.

have to agree to that too.
flag kris-mk
Posted: Nov 1, 2009 at 12:30 Quote
weather you get a fully or not depends on what you will be riding more. If you are going to be riding more dj/4x/ds then definitely get a hardtail. But if you are going to be riding a lot more trails then get a fully. There is no point in getting a fully to accommodate the riding style you will be doing the least with the bike (given that you will be doing trails less).
Personally since you already have a fully then I'd go for a hardtail. I have both and I love having the option on which to ride.
have you looked at the transition bank for a hardtail. http://transitionbikes.com/Bank.cfm
flag jweinstein
Posted: Nov 1, 2009 at 15:18 Quote
r-mullen wrote:
ive heard that 4x race bikes want to stay on the ground
hmm, never heard that. i imagine they would ultimately not jump as well as a hard tail but they should be pretty decent, i know i can (not easily) dj on my glory but i cannot boost doubles on a 4x track with it which would lead me to believe a 4x bike would dj fine. you will get more skills with a hard tail but if you are not putting much time into djing you will may get frustrated with a ht and give up riding it (like me). i have an stp, never been able to dj it, i always get tripped up by the way it feels because i'm so used to a fully. a large part about it is the fear of casing, if you case something on a ht it will hurt in my experience. i've cased djs on the bottlerocket i used to have and it didn't even faze me. a fully will be far more enjoyable for trail riding, overshooting, casing, railing corners (suspension allows it to grip better) and the occasional drop. a hardtail will be more trickable, slightly easier to jump and cheeper. a ht will also make you a better rider if you invest the time in it. just remember; you can always put more air in the shock of a fully...
flag ken11
Posted: Nov 1, 2009 at 20:38 Quote
Definitely get a hardtail. It will make you a better rider in the long run, and is more versatile.
flag Rattsl
Posted: Nov 1, 2009 at 20:41 Quote
haduKen wrote:
Definitely get a hardtail. It will make you a better rider in the long run, and is more versatile.
+ 47.5
flag AtomikDHracer
FL
Posted: Nov 2, 2009 at 0:12 Quote
jweinstein wrote:
r-mullen wrote:
ive heard that 4x race bikes want to stay on the ground
hmm, never heard that. i imagine they would ultimately not jump as well as a hard tail but they should be pretty decent, i know i can (not easily) dj on my glory but i cannot boost doubles on a 4x track with it which would lead me to believe a 4x bike would dj fine. you will get more skills with a hard tail but if you are not putting much time into djing you will may get frustrated with a ht and give up riding it (like me). i have an stp, never been able to dj it, i always get tripped up by the way it feels because i'm so used to a fully. a large part about it is the fear of casing, if you case something on a ht it will hurt in my experience. i've cased djs on the bottlerocket i used to have and it didn't even faze me. a fully will be far more enjoyable for trail riding, overshooting, casing, railing corners (suspension allows it to grip better) and the occasional drop. a hardtail will be more trickable, slightly easier to jump and cheeper. a ht will also make you a better rider if you invest the time in it. just remember; you can always put more air in the shock of a fully...

On a HT you shouldn't case as easily as on a fully, now I tend to over shoot rather than case!!!
flag phatmark7
Posted: Nov 24, 2009 at 4:34 Quote
get yourself a dialled alpine. can't go wrong. and think how cool you'll feel when you pass all the full suss boys on your bright green hardtail
flag rigidhack
Posted: Nov 25, 2009 at 10:03 Quote
I'd go hardtail for sure. I am a Sinister loyalist, so I'll suggest the Ridge or DNA (depending on how you want to use it primarily). I run a Ridge and I am amazed at how well it handles in the air and on the trail. I also ride a Sinister Splinter MX with 6"of travel front & back. I recently tore down the Splinter and migrated all the parts to the Ridge. I expected to get tossed around on the Ridge, but instead it feels almost exactly like the Splinter - which is an amazingly good thing.

Aside from the need to use my legs as suspension, and the need to land a bit more rear wheel heavy, the biggest difference I notice is how quickly the Ridge accelerates. It's awesome!
flag davo887
Posted: Nov 27, 2009 at 11:17 Quote
hard tail definately it is funner and easier for dj and 4x
flag fordgalaxy123
Posted: Sep 22, 2011 at 11:42 Quote
Hardtail, no question about it.

I have a DMR Omen 2011 and it is the funnest bike I've ever ridden.. would definatley recommend that. Plus hardtails are way more fun... full sus just does the work for you and doesn't make you any better a rider....

That's my opinion.Big Grin
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Sep 23, 2011 at 1:04 Quote
fordgalaxy123 wrote:
Hardtail, no question about it.

I have a DMR Omen 2011 and it is the funnest bike I've ever ridden.. would definatley recommend that. Plus hardtails are way more fun... full sus just does the work for you and doesn't make you any better a rider....

That's my opinion.Big Grin

Your right up until a point,then full sus just owns hard tail.
flag fordgalaxy123
Posted: Sep 24, 2011 at 0:17 Quote
[Quoten]
Your right up until a point,then full sus just owns hard tail.
[/Quoten]

How does it? Hardtails way more fun and full sus makes average riders look good because it does the work for them. No skill involved!
flag lexx
Posted: Sep 24, 2011 at 0:50 Quote
fordgalaxy123 wrote:
[Quoten]
Your right up until a point,then full sus just owns hard tail.
[/Quoten]

How does it? Hardtails way more fun and full sus makes average riders look good because it does the work for them. No skill involved!

So you're saying a full suspension makes average riders look good because it does the work for them?

Then in your theory a highly skilled rider must look amazing on a full suspension.

In rough terrain a hardtail wont be able to keep up mainly because of traction reasons. It's also proven that a fully will climb better than a hardtail if the terrain is not smooth.

Also wow holy grave dig. Well If I should say something on topic to make this post not entirely pointless umm I don't think it really matters what people start on. If they keep on riding they will learn proper bike control eventually. Just pick a bike you want and ride it.

 


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