csuperbike

My thoughts.

full squish = Heavy SUV
Hardtail = Light Sportscar

Amt0571

I ride a "light sportscar" 13.8kg hardtail

Jokes aside: what do you expect from the bike? where and how are you going to ride? who will do the bike maintenance? answering that questions may help you make a decision.

I ride a hardtail because:
1) I don't do big drops.
2) I prefer a bike that I can climb with more effectively.
3) I don't want to do (or pay for) maintenance on a rear shock and pivot points.

csuperbike

Perfect explanation of why I also like hardtails. For me the full squish bikes are like dump trucks. I prefer the lighter machines.

Steve B.

I ride a lighter sportscar, a Specialized Chisel HT at 26.2 lbs. I'd have to pay many thousands to get a full suspension carbon to that weight. I prefer the feel of an HT for where I ride, dirt single track that's twisty, no or few rocks, mostly easy rolling hills, some roots. If I was riding an area that had many more rocks, technical features and/or had a lot of technical downhill runs, I'd use a FS, which offers better control thru the technical terrain.

Paul Barnard

My thoughts are that calling a full suspension mountain bike a "full squish" is weird.

Darth Lefty 

I've had both and my analogy would be different, but probably pretty close. The SUV part is probably pretty apt, but average hard tails are more in the compact car mold than the sports car mold. There are nice ones and decent ones and crap, while on the SUV side there's sort of a minimum level that's good enough. It's not a given, there are some very nice hard tails, some of them have a nice frame but most of them don't come with a very great build. The "sports car" analogy can run parallel to this. There are very small simple and very large complex sports cars, but they are all premium.

gsa103

If you want a sports car, get a road bike.

Hard tail = dirt track racer.
Full suspension = Baja truck.

In my area, there are a lot of washboard fire-roads that are connectors between trails. Riding a gradual washboard at 15 mph, just beats you up, it's not fun and it's not really avoidable. Modern full suspension bikes can climb really well, and don't beat you up on downhills.

csuperbike

maybe true but a light full squish bike is going to cost you $$$$

csuperbike

They do feel awful squishy when you first start riding them (until your brain gets re situated to what it’s suppose to feel like)

Kapusta

Well seeing as this is the MTB board... which one would you rather ride off-road? Sports car or SUV?

csuperbike

hmm

I’d settle for the rally car.

grubetown

Hard tail I ride on the trail
Full suspension I ride in the trail

My fully rigid Timberjack is definitely not a sports car.

Kapusta

Good luck with that.

You seem to have “dirt road” and “off road” confused.

For dirt roads I too would take a rally car... and the hard tail.

For trail riding.... I think you need to try a FS that is not 20 years old or from walmart. Plenty of FS bikes in XC racing in the 21st century.

c_m_shooter

The trails here have mostly gotten smoother over the last 20 years. Why would I need suspension?

Kapusta

You are changing the subject. We never NEEDED suspension, front or rear.

Enjoy your rigid bike. I find it a good change of pace.

Kapusta

Folks, ride whatver you like. No need to justify it. I enjoy full suspension, hard tails, and rigid bikes.

But this notion that FS bikes are sluggish and are like driving a dump truck is based purely on lack of experience with different kinds of FS bikes. A modern day FS XC bike is very fast (as shown in XC racing) and many FS bikes are extraordinarily playful and poppy as well.

If you find a HT more fun or you just can’t justify the extra cost of FS, there is nothing to explain.... but at least know what you are talking about when you try to characterize a type of bike that includes everything from XC rockets, to whippet-like trail bikes, to Enduro sleds, to DH bikes.

prj71

^^^^What he said.

Light and squishy...
https://spotbikes.com/products/ryve-...31913352724514

I just bought one of these. Around 28 lbs but fun as hell.

Riveting

If you can only have one mtb, then full squish is the way to go, since it can go to more unknown trails/terrain without you getting caught being under-biked. I'd rather have full-sus and not need it, than need it and not have it.

csuperbike

nice bicycle 👍

csuperbike

I may be bias because I ride dirt bikes as well (as in engine powered dirt bikes). Full Squish seems like a wanna be dirt bike without the fun part (engine).

Riveting

Redlining MY full squish engine IS the fun part

csuperbike

the downhill engine? 😂

noodle soup

That's similar to what I ride. I don't see too many hardtails out on the trails in my area. Those that I do see, are staying on the smoother/rolling trails, or hating life on the steeper/rockier trails.

bikeme

Not all full-sus are SUVs--only the heavier, gravity-focused models. My carbon 100mm travel full-sus is nimble in tight stuff and climbs fast and light. I've ridden both HTs and FSs and I like full suspension, even just 100mm, as it takes the rough edge off.

DMC707 

Full squish = faster and more comfortable under most actual MTB situations regardless of the extra 1.5-2 pounds (if the build kits are equivalent )