Mountain Biking - Hard tail anyone?

Why does it seem that i am the only person in the world who would pass on a duel and go with a hard tail?

I've got two hardtails. My XC bike is a Cannondale F2000SX and my play bike is a Specialized P.3.

O.k. I guess I've got a few more hardtails. My road bike (not really considered a hardtail, but one none-the-less) and my BMX Cruiser. There is also my old Schwinn Tandemn.

L8R

Hey a2psyklnut, how long have you been riding mtb's?

I was trying to remember exactly, I think I bought my first "official" mt. bike back in the Summer of '92. Before that, I had a Univega Rover Ten, it was a mt. bike, but not much of one! I bought that thing in '86 or '85, I can't remember exactly. You rode more upright and it was more of a commuter when I was in college. I rode some trails on it, but mostly back and forth to classes and around town. I also took an old road bike and put some knobby hybrid type tires on it and was doing what would be consider "cyclecross". A couple of us did this and would play "tag" on these things through some local trails. Oh yeah, we would do this drunk and at night! I wouldn't suggest it. I still have the scars!

Before that I was into BMX, raced, did freestyle, rode quarter pipes and half-pipes back, jumped off of docks into the water. That was when Eddie Fiola and Bob Haro, and others were "The Poop".

So, I guess mt. bikes about 16-17 years. Other bikes, since I can remember. I will say my first job was working at a bike shop, doing nothing but rebuilding coaster brakes hubs on the beach cruisers used in the rental fleet! Those rental bikes were so abused!!!!!

L8R:D

Damn thats a long time. lol im only 16 now and all!!! hehe i've been riding road (really riding) sence i was 10!!

lol funny as it is, my first and only job is now at a bike shop. they have on the floor selling them (all they sell is road and order MTs for people) :(

Jared

You're not the only one w/ a hardtail.I just bought myself a new one yeterday!! Bought a gary fisher big sur.It's a great riding bike.Also have a gt agressor,and a c'dale tandem(mtb).

I was actually wondering about that as well....why all the annoying whoop-la over dual suspension. I think the bike really dictates where you ride. When I used to ride out east, no one did, and to my knowledge not many people do ride duals....Out west people do, but the bikes call for the dual suspension more because of the rugged terrain. Also, dual suspension has gotten cheaper, so more people buy it. My problem with dual suspension is that when your pedaling up a hill the rear tire sags, and you loose your strength in your spinning. Now you can always get a shock that locks...but I've heard that to have the shock locked for extended periods while going up hills is bad for the frame. i've heard its bad for the frame because the frame was designed to flex at that focal point, and when you lock that point it makes the frame flex in areas where its not designed to flex and it cracks the frame eventually....many runon sentences in this reply, but its friday and I don't care !!!!

Seth

Yeah i prefer hard tails over dual i just 2100gsd but it's great for the price

HEhe nice to see im not the only one! :)

I sold my XC FS bike so I could build up a hardtail and I have no regrets.

Hardtails are the way to go. You can do alot more on a hardtail and you pick up skills that you wouldn't riding a dualy. You can set up a hardtail that can be ridden on trails, freeriding, trials, urban assult and more....all on one bike!:beer:

Frequent forum readers know that I ride a 1988 Tange CrMo Schwinn hard-tail (and "hard-fork," for that matter!). If I ever have to replace it, I would not hesitate to buy another hard-tail.

HEHEHE i thought that my dad's old trek was old. lol good to know, good to know.

Originally posted by JaredMcDonley
Why does it seem that i am the only person in the world who would pass on a duel and go with a hard tail?
Not me. In fact, this is my MTB ride:

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?s=&postid=63485

I don't much like duals [or FS, or whatever]. Seems like over-engineering to me. But then, I'm basically a roadie most of the time.

Originally posted by velocipedio

Not me. In fact, this is my MTB ride:

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?s=&postid=63485


I have those exact cranks on my bike. When I bought them (used), they were spray-painted yellow - yuck! I always wondered if they were Specialized's in-house cranks - now I know!

It's a really nice crank; light and stiff as, well stif as something really, really stiff. Specialized had two similar cranks, the Strongarm and Son of Strongarm. The Son of Strongarm was a good piece of hardware, but slightly heavier, specced on upper-end Rockhopper and lower-end Stumpjumper bikes. It had a stenciled "S" logo. The cranks on my bike are the Strongarm cranks; they have an engraved "S" logo. So... if the logo was painted over, they're probably the Son of Strongarm cranks.

I prefer a hardtail for XC. I also ride a Fisher Big Sur that I got recently and love it. I would like a long travel dual sus. bike for freeriding and stuff, but for XC and general use I really like my hardtail.

I prefer a hardtail over dual. CAn anyone find me something you can do with a dual that someone else can't do with a hardtail?

Originally posted by urbanking
CAn anyone find me something you can do with a dual that someone else can't do with a hardtail?

I'm not going to comment on that. And should this thread be titled "the hardtail lovers" or something? I'm sure there are some of us out there that prefer a squishy over a hardtail! I prefer a squishy over a hardtail for xc. And for freeriding.....I love my P.3....sort of, but a full suspension bike sometimes gives a rider more confidence to do bigger stuff. I know a few people that have full suspension bikes that wouldent try some of the stuff they do on a hardtail.

My current bike (Novara Ponderosa) is a hard tail. So was my last bike. I guess it's what I'm used to. At my age, I don't ride aggresively nor do I compete but I live out west (Idaho) and most of our terrain is pretty rugged. Anyway, works for me but I'm not adverse to FS bikes; I just don't own one.

I think Klein is right. If you are used to riding with a squishy, then you have more confidence, and much more skill on that. But those of us who use hardtails have much more skill and confidence on the hardtails. I hope that hardtails never phase out, becuase they are cheaper, and just as good to some of us. Unless of caurse you are riding downhill over rocks and stuff, then it seems obvious why the squish is better.

I agree with Klien too. My first FR bike was a Kona Stinky. Its what got me into this whole FR mess. I rode the bike for about a year and ended up selling the frame eventually. I felt that it was too much bike for me. SO with the money from the frame I bought my Cove Stiffee and now couldn't happier then a pig in...well you get the idea.

I'd heard the opinion that a HT could make me smoother too. I relied a lot on the suspension to "correct" my mistakes. Now the HT makes me more aware of how I ride and land. I'm still learning and have a long way to go.

Now for XC. I want to get a FS frame. Don't ask me why but for long XC rides a FS bike won't be as hard on my body and I'll be able to ride longer.

I WAS a die-hard hardtail fan. As an east coast 40+ XC racer I argued for efficiency and light weight, the main attributes of the HT. Then. . .

I bought a Giant NRS. My world changed. I descend faster than ever, I'm much more comfortable during the ride, I spend more time in the saddle reducing fatigue, and I pedal over bumps, rather than coasting over them. Interesting, but I feel slower even though I'm faster.

FS is not just about comfort, but about time in the saddle and control. Also, today's 4-bar suspensions are efficient and as light as HTs were only a few years ago.

Hardtail lovers - go for it. If you are happy and fast and it is the bike you own, don't worry, be happy. Be content that your ride is durable and efficient. Console yourself that some of the world's best XC racers still run hardtails (and v-brakes). And, performance hardtails are amazing bargains these days.

My first bike was a Diamond Back Curaco 1987! Then, a Specialized Rockhopper Comp 1989! I rode that thing (fully rigid) until 3 years ago when I got a Specialized S-works Hardtail!

Now, I have an FSR too, and a rode bike, but there is nothing, and I mean nothing like a 23 mile decent over mad terrain on a hardtail... It takes finess to get down the mountain, and it takes energy and skill to exude finess, and if you can earn a few style points on your hardtailed journey...you're golden!:eek:

I ride a Kona Roast right now. Nice hard tail but to be honest with all the downhill out here I am considering moving to a dually next year due to my knees. I just seems to be having problems on steep rocky descents where at the end of every ride my knees ache.

Hard tails rock but sometimes I think a dually is needed. :)

One is not better than the other. I personally have two HT's. Out here where I live there is no need in a FS rig. Now if I was going to do DH only or DH most of the time I would consider it. The two types have their place their positives and negatives.
There are those who prefer and ride HT's only andvice versa. To each his/her own.

One hardtail, a rigid Cannondale, my first bike and my last, cheers :beer:

Btw, good to see you back Hunter!

Originally posted by toolfreak
One hardtail, a rigid Cannondale, my first bike and my last, cheers :beer:

Btw, good to see you back Hunter!

Hey thanka man! Good to see you are still around!

I ride a hard-tail. Basically when I bought it, I went hardtail because I was getting much better componets for my budget. I definetly love it over the rest of my family's FSes. I definetly notice the diffrence when it comes time to climb. I blow my dad away and he's in much better shape than I am. I just come out of my saddle a bit on the really rough sections an my poor butt doesn't feel TOO bad after the ride :rolleyes:

However, I have been looking into some sort of seat post suspension for the few strictly downhill trips we do. Was going to try the Cane Creek Thud Buster, but got clipless pedals instead... next paycheck maybe.

I've gone back to a fully rigid bike after three years, and it feels great! :)

Ride on dudes!

Rich

I ride a hardtail, a Specialized Stumpjumper M4 to be exact! I can keep up with my full-suspension riding buddies easily. I like the feel of my hardtail.

the only reason why everyone like duals is because they all think it gives them an advantage over other bikes, bikes dont do the work,you do, i can kick anyones ass in my town that has a dual, so there, heres a pick of my ride. hardtails all the way!!

My old duel was way too heavy, so I got a hardtail. Sometimes I think that extra suspension at the rear is a burden. It adds on to the bike's weight and I don't find it that important once you are used to hardtail. So what if the vibration gets annoying? I mean how much time do you spend with your butt right on the saddle across a rough terrain?

I enjoyed the duel but I think it took away some fun from MTBing.

tru dat

when im racing in the bush i cant sit on my seat. one, i'll be in pain from all the bouncing. and two, i lose control that way. part of XC racing is being off the saddle lol.

Originally posted by bike_man_15
. . . i can kick anyones ass in my town that has a dual, so there. . .

All that says is that you are in better shape than your buddies.

I podiumed last year in 8 of 10 XC races on a $300 Raleigh hardtail I bought off eBay. I beat lots of $2,000, high-end hardtails and plenty FS rigs. Does this mean that you only need to spend $300 on a race bike? Of course not. After half the season the components and wheels were beat to death and had to be replaced.

My new ride is a Giant NRS. I'm faster on it (comparing my time on a test loop) and more comfortable. It weighs 1 lb. less than my old Raleigh hardtail, 25 lbs. with pedals, if you care. In my last XC race I finished 2nd out of 17 riding over 30 miles of dirt road (not even technical singletrack) with over 2,000 ft. of climbing. The guy that beat me was on a hardtail. So what? He beat me by over 4 minutes. His bike had nothing to do with it. He probably would have beat me with a tricycle. The fifteen people behind me were mostly hardtails, too. My FS didn't hurt me and I blew by people on the long, dirt road descents, pedaling in the saddle while their butts were off the saddle and they were coasting.

The hardtail won't die, because it will always have legitimate uses (commuting, bike paths, etc.), but it is obsolete for singletrack XC racing here in the east.

Originally posted by WoodyUpstate

but it is obsolete for singletrack XC racing here in the east.

Hi Woody

It's pretty interesting how far bike design and XC trends have come in the last 5 years...you may be right about FS rigs becoming more popular, but I find it hard to believe Hardtails are becoming obsolete for XC racing...maybe it's different in the States to the UK?

Rich

I think that the point of being to pedal during downhill is a valid point. I would counter that refining your line and sticking closer to the fall line while coasting is just as fast if not faster. I feel that FS allows riders to "get away" with more, while the hardtail has a smaller margin for error, and fully rigid less still. So while the pack of XC racers all scramble to the FS to make up for deficiencies in their riding style the hardtail riders will always be in the lead due to simply better bike handling skills.

Also to really maximize your hardtail experience a person needs to look deeper for frames. Voodoo, Gunnar, and Vanilla all make stellar hardtale frames all steel also.

hardtail blah, bike yackety schmackety.

why is this thread being brought up after like 5 years?

Really.