Originally Posted by
Salamandrine
Thanks. Actually I appreciate the perspective, and find it encouraging that you are still looking ahead rather than stuck in the past.
...Certainly full suspension modern MTBs are faster for barrelling down hill off road. I'm more of a tourist, so am willing to sacrifice some performance in that area to have something a little simpler that is better for long rides with many uphill parts over mixed terrain.
If you ride much on surfaces that are steeper and bumpier than gravel roads you owe it to yourself to try a modern full suspension MTB on rough uphill terrain. You may be surprised how much of an advantage the rear suspension is when climbing, especially on those steep rocky or rooted ascents where you are moving so slowly that you are finessing your position on the bike to both avoid losing traction at the rear wheel and to keep the front wheel weighted enough to maintain steering. The ability of the rear suspension to maintain traction on rough terrain is pretty impressive.
Brent