Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
Right...
I bought a full suspension mountain thinking full suspension was inherently "better" around 10 years ago for $1,500. Was a bit shocked at how much power I was clearly losing when riding on flat ground with the shock on vs shock locked out. In a ride with other people I was biking as hard as I could and couldn't keep up with them without them slowing down for me.I remembered I could lock the shock out, and suddenly I had no problem keeping up with them without even trying very hard. It was that big of a difference.
You bring up up good points in your post, but -
I don't spend much time on racing so I googled it:
https://www.active.com/running/artic...ull-suspension
"...
One thing is for certain: More than a decade after full-suspension bikes started popping up in World Cup cross-country competition—think Henrik Djernis and his BMW-Proflex team of the mid '90 - they're (full suspension) still the exception at the highest levels of cross-country racing."
They may have improved rear suspension but it sounds like hard tail is still usually a hair faster even on super expensive bikes with pro riders, for the most part.
For casual riding just pick whichever would make riding more enjoyable for you. But for me I wish I had gone with a hard tail, it would be less hassle when I go riding as I find needing to top off the air shock every time a bit annoying (needs an extra shock pump), and I prefer the more connected-to-the-ground feeling of a hard tail. Also hard tails are much cheaper to buy.
That article is either out of date or just plain wrong about what pros use. Anyone who knows anything about xc racing knows that short travel FS bikes are very common in pro level xc racing. Take a look at these bike check-ins from 2017 and 2018:
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/5-cros...tter-2018.html
https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/racing-xc-mountain-bikes
https://bikerumor.com/2017/05/25/pro...oke-prototype/
Of course, this will be course dependent. Some courses are rougher than others. back in the 2000's I remember pro XC racing getting a bad rap for many of the courses being too smooth and non-technical. This really came to a head when people started riding competitively in some XC races on CX bikes. My understanding is that the pro circuits have gotten more technical to more accurately reflect what mountain bikers typically encounter on real world singletrack. Every local XC race I have entered or volunteered for has been WAY more technical than what I used to see the pros often racing on.
As far as your own experience: There is a lot that is off, there.
For one, any decent modern air shock (since the early 2000s) from the major manufacturers (e.g., Fox, Rock Shox) do NOT need to be filled every ride. Unless you have a bad seal, they really don't lose air at all. I've been running air forks and shocks since 1997. A few of the forks from the 90s (Mag 21, Z2 Superfly) did lose air, but nothing put out since 2000 has. Once I have my pressures set, I check them maybe every 5-10 rides, and I cannot remember EVER losing pressure. Even over a long winter my shocks are right where I left them, or pretty darn close. As someone else mentioned, when you hook up the air shock pump, the pressure drops as the air fills the pump. That may have been what you were seeing. Otherwise, you just has a very faulty (or unmaintained) shock.
As far as going from not being able to keep up to hanging with ease? Unless you are talking about riding on pavement or really smooth trail AND a really crappy suspension design and/or blown shock damper, Something ain't right, there. You did not mention what bike and shock you had.
Yes, full suspension does require more maintenance. Shocks need servicing every so often (I lube the air cans about once every year) and pivots do wear out and need bearings replaced.... some faster than others. Some go many, many years, some notoriously bad designs go out in a season.