FS vs HT is always a good debate. Mountain Bike Action did a pretty good article on it 4 years ago or so, and came up with essentially the conclusion that you need more than one mtb (yay!!). On a rocky bumpy trail, a FS is faster because the suspension absorbs the bumps and conserves your momentum. But on a well beaten trail, the HT is faster because it is more efficient at converting power into forward motion. But this is not a conclusion at all really, because what is well beaten to one rider is rocky to another. MBA did say however, that in alot of cases the FS was the faster choice, but most riders felt slower on a FS (whether or not they were really going slower).
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Booyah!!