Suggestions for appropriate bike

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Suggestions for appropriate bike
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flag stratmastertj
Posted: Feb 13, 2011 at 10:44 Quote
The original poster said he just rides for fun, so I doubt he cares all that much about line choice. The point of full suspension is so you don't have to take the smoothest lines. It's more fun to ride over the rough stuff in my opinion. I think most people who don't race, and aren't looking to ride bikes for a profession don't care, and most likely aren't really thinking much about line choice, or thinking..."If I went around that rock instead it could have shaved a second off my time." I would get whatever bike you feel most comfortable on, be it full sus or hardtail. But if your going on long rides and there is a decent amount of rough terrain, I would go with a full suspension. They are more forgiving, and your body won't be hurting as bad the next day.
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Feb 13, 2011 at 11:14 Quote
stratmastertj wrote:
The original poster said he just rides for fun, so I doubt he cares all that much about line choice. The point of full suspension is so you don't have to take the smoothest lines. It's more fun to ride over the rough stuff in my opinion. I think most people who don't race, and aren't looking to ride bikes for a profession don't care, and most likely aren't really thinking much about line choice, or thinking..."If I went around that rock instead it could have shaved a second off my time." I would get whatever bike you feel most comfortable on, be it full sus or hardtail. But if your going on long rides and there is a decent amount of rough terrain, I would go with a full suspension. They are more forgiving, and your body won't be hurting as bad the next day.

True but they have more things to go wrong with them and more to service.
flag anotherbikerguy
Posted: Feb 13, 2011 at 12:23 Quote
stratmastertj wrote:
The original poster said he just rides for fun, so I doubt he cares all that much about line choice. The point of full suspension is so you don't have to take the smoothest lines. It's more fun to ride over the rough stuff in my opinion. I think most people who don't race, and aren't looking to ride bikes for a profession don't care, and most likely aren't really thinking much about line choice, or thinking..."If I went around that rock instead it could have shaved a second off my time." I would get whatever bike you feel most comfortable on, be it full sus or hardtail. But if your going on long rides and there is a decent amount of rough terrain, I would go with a full suspension. They are more forgiving, and your body won't be hurting as bad the next day.
However, choosing a smoother line also makes your body hurt less the next day, and will allow you to develop the skills to ride more varied terrain. I think full-suspension bikes are great; it's just important to be aware of their disadvantages as well.
flag lostinsolitarythought
Posted: Feb 13, 2011 at 13:06 Quote
I think your money is better spent elsewhere. For $2000 you can get yourself a Giant Trance X with 5" travel, Fox suspension, a 15mm qr, Avid brakes, SLX shifters and derailleurs.

cts-B-group wrote:
K, perfect. Thanks guys!

What do you think of the Camber Comp by Specialized? Would that fit the bill?
flag fatducky
Posted: Feb 13, 2011 at 17:21 Quote
My first bike was a Specialized Rockhooper hard-tail. I almost quit mountain biking because I kept crashing. It just wasn't much fun. After a month I decided to give full suspension a try. What a difference. Mountain biking was so much less frustrating for a beginner on a FS. Now I have two full suspension bikes and a hard-tail. I ride the HT half of the the time. It is much more easy to ride now after learning on the FS. You "hard-tail for a beginner" advocates got the order wrong. Full suspension first then hard-tail! Logic is quite simple, easy first hard later.
flag anotherbikerguy
Posted: Feb 13, 2011 at 18:00 Quote
You had your experience; here's mine. I learned to ride on a hardtail, and doing so helped me learn to choose lines that allow me to ride faster, be more smooth, and have more fun. I learned early on how to absorb bumps with my legs, so I don't need to rely on suspension to ride rougher terrain. However, personal experiences vary so much that they're rarely a good indicator. I've said before, I'm not trying to force the original poster to ride a hardtail. If he chooses a full-suspension bike, I'm sure he will have a terrific time. I only wanted to point out that starting on a hardtail has some advantages (including, I should add, price).

To cts-B-group: The Camber Comp looks like a great bike to start with. The Giant Trance X line should also be good, and Trek's Fuel EX line is also a pretty good value for the money. Just be sure to test-ride any of these bikes before buying - demo days that allow you to take the bikes out onto real trails are the best, if you get a chance.
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Feb 14, 2011 at 3:51 Quote
That is the whole point of hard tail,to teach you your own limits,full sus is cheating in a sense that it lets you get away with your poor riding choices/lines,i'm not saying your a bad rider but full sus will only make your next crash pretty flipping big as your carrying more speed and under the false assumption the the suspension will get you out of a tight and very nasty situation.
flag raukymountainman
Posted: Feb 14, 2011 at 7:00 Quote
Ok guys...great advice! and, hahaha, a lot of personal opinion (glad I started this thread).

I think the best info I gathered from this is

a) test out on demo days
b) either bike would do, just be careful with false feeling of being in control on a full suspension rig

I currently ride a stock Norco Kokanee (hardtail) so, anything would be better than that. This is my reasoning for the post. I bought the bike because of price point and to see if I'd use it. Now I know (after one season) what kind of use my bike will get, I just need something more specific for the rides I do now. Something with a little more travel and something that is made for a little air, if I catch some, but light and pedal efficient for all the up hills.

Thanks again, everyone!

J
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Feb 14, 2011 at 8:12 Quote
cts-B-group wrote:
Ok guys...great advice! and, hahaha, a lot of personal opinion (glad I started this thread).

I think the best info I gathered from this is

a) test out on demo days
b) either bike would do, just be careful with false feeling of being in control on a full suspension rig

I currently ride a stock Norco Kokanee (hardtail) so, anything would be better than that. This is my reasoning for the post. I bought the bike because of price point and to see if I'd use it. Now I know (after one season) what kind of use my bike will get, I just need something more specific for the rides I do now. Something with a little more travel and something that is made for a little air, if I catch some, but light and pedal efficient for all the up hills.

Thanks again, everyone!

J

Give it a little more time on your current rig,then go full sus as you are already on a hard tail.
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