Skuda25

I am sure this questions has been asked many times. Can you please humor me anew? I am new to MTN racing. Exclusive of cost - why do I need a dual suspension bike? For a Sport catagory, is their any need for anything other than a hard tail? What % of sports have dual suspension? Thanks,

LowCel 

About 75% of the sports around here have full suspensions, I know I do. I rode both for a while but eventually sold my hardtail and bought a second dualy. I can just maintain momentum much better on the full suspension than I can on the hardtail, even on climbs. Not only that my dually is not much heavier than most hardtails since it only weighs 22 pounds so that is not really an issue. I get a lot less fatigue racing the dually as well, to me that really comes into play on the longer, rougher races.

Some people still love their hardtails. Heck, I love riding a hardtail, just not for racing.

Oh yeah, keep in mind I'm an old man (31) racing in WV. We don't have too many smooth races around here.

salsa

I feel like a hardtail is fast climbing and going downhill they're about the same. I have raced both for many years. I would look at salsa - they make good light bikes hardtails and full suspension www.salsacycles.com . but I am only 15 so the rocks and roots dont bother me like some people, lowcel

LowCel 

Hey, I admit I'm a wuss. I have no problems with that. Plus, we both know how I ride downhill, good thing I'm stubborn and can climb.

salsa

yeah i wish i could climb as good as a can descend i would be pro. im one of the better climbers in my class so thats good. i should have a good season if i dont get any more flats.

good race

LowCel 

Thanks. You are riding awesome this year, that's for sure. Now just quit tearing stuff up!

ZeCanon

hardtail vs FS depends on terrain and riding style. I ride both, but prefer my FS (Yeti ASR) for 95% of all races I do in New England. I'm at school in Colorado, and I kind of wish I had my hardtail out here, but the FS does fine.
You may find that as you go up in category, you see more people on hardtails. Faster guys generally care less about comfort and more about speed, and many feel that a hardtail makes them faster. I race semi-pro and except on very techinical courses FS's are usually in the minority, whereas back when I raced sport it seemed that everyone was on full suspension. This also has a lot to do with skill level - more skills = less need for FS.
I've done quite a few tests on my hardtail and FS, and even on what may seem to be non-techincal courses I always got better times on the full sus. That was enough to convince me

But anyway, there really isn't an answer to your question. A hardtail will probably be fine for you, not to mention a lot cheaper. But if you can swing for a GOOD, efficient FS then go for it.

Duane

In support of everyone else's comments, it depends a lot on where/what you ride and how big your budget is. If you are on silky smooth trails, go with the HT. Rocks & Roots, go FS. There is also the weight weenie factor. Low weight FS is quite a bit more than low weight HT.

ZeCanon

Yes, forgot to mention this. If you're on a budget, you can get a much nicer hardtail than you can FS for the same price. My 22lb FS would cost someone who bought things at retail over $5k. My old 22lb hardtail was built with spare parts in my basement that could be had on ebay or a total less than $1.5k