Originally Posted by
Pahana
First I want to apologize to everyone for taking up your time.
No need to apologize. You haven't taken up any time that we haven't been willing to give.
Originally Posted by
Pahana
Thank you all for your replies. I took out my Felt 3 niner off road after a year and now remember why I stopped riding it. It rode like a tank even with a Thudbuster ST seatpost Maxxis 2.5 Minions up from and 2.35 Icons in back. I dropped the pressures down to 15 lbs on the tires and started bobbing around . I'm going with my late great Titus Racer X for winter riding . There seems like a better choice of tires in 559mm rims anyway . Why that is I'm not sure. I was going to order snow tires from Modern Bike but if anyone knows of a better place to order snow tires let me know . I've bought from them before and have been satisfied.
I'm not sure why the Felt rides like you describe. I ride hard, soft and dual suspension and, frankly, can't tell the difference. I suspect your problem may be more related to
how you ride than
what you ride. Mountain bikes in general, and hardtails specifically, require a lot more dynamic riding style than most people realized. It sounds like you are riding too heavy in the saddle. Try to hover more over the saddle and let your arms and legs take the hits rather than the sensitive dangly bits that are in contact with the saddle.
When I ride...off- or on-road, rigid or dually...I barely touch the saddle at all times. I'm not standing but I'm also not "sitting" on the saddle. The saddle provides support but it isn't a "seat". That will take a lot of the harshness out of the ride.