Mountain Biking - sugar & sugar+

here's a question: has anyone ridden or bought any of the Gary Fisher sugar or sugar+ bikes? I have read in reviews that the suspension works better, eliminating bounce, making it a more friendly FS bike for those like me who have an affinity for hard tails. any comments on this? and while were at it, what's your preference? Hardtail or Full Suspension?

I have rode sugars before, I hate them. I like the feeling of a bike with a fully active rear suspension system. you ride the sugar and its like riding a hardtail. I prefer FS over hardtail for riding trails.

I definately don't like the bounce you were talking about. I've ridden my NRS for about a year now. A couple months ago I rode my old Mongoose "Y" bike. I couldn't believe how awful it was. If you're looking for a bike with no pedaling induced bounce, you ought to look at Giant's NRS line.
I also looked at the Sugars when I was shopping for a bike, but for the price I got a lot more on the Giant. Just my 2 cents.

took a quick glance at the Giant NRS, seems pretty nice, will take a better look later. I must say, though, that i like the look of the sugar better. ;) Of course, that could just be because almost all the gary fisher bikes are works of art. :)

it depends on exactly what you're looking for - how you ride...

i didn't actually test-ride the the Sugar, but i was looking for a light XC Full-suspension and i narrowed it down to:

Giant NRS
Gary Fischer Sugar
Santa Cruz Superlight
Specialized FSR XC Comp/Pro
Trek Fuel 98/100

last week i bought the Specialized Comp and i'm really happy with it - i've already ridden over 300km - rode 4 days last weekend in the mountains in Italy (Lake Garda) and did 1600-1800m (5000-6000ft) vertical per day (25,000 vertical ft in 4 days!) and it's great climbing and on trails!

my FSR Comp has lockouts for both front (Fox Float RL) and rear shocks (Fox) which makes it even better.

as a racer and avid climber, i was looking for something light that doesn't detract from pedalling efficiency... downhill handling is awesome and uphill i notice little difference w/o the lockout and no difference with the lockouts engaged!

if you haven'T already, take a look at http://www.mtbreview.com/reviews/ lots of good info with personal posts from guys who own and ride...

i would say almost everything in this list is good - it's a question of cost and personal preference (weight, etc.) -- unless you're into freeride and don't care about climbing, don't buy anything but a 4-bar suspension (IMHO)

I really like the Sugars from what little experience I have had with them. I work at a shop and we have a 4+ in now that I have ridden around on a little. I like better then either the Giant NRS or the Trek Fuels that we also have. It has a nice semi-active feel to it. Not as hardtail like as the Giant, but not bouncy either. Right in the middle. I actually prefer the ride in the 4.1" travel position because its a little more active then in the 2.8" position.