chis51hd

I know that most bikes/frames nowadays were designed and built up according to a specific type of riding it will be used for, e.g. xc racing bikes put the rider in a stretched out, aggressive position, full-suspension trailbikes however seem to have a more relaxed position. My question is: how do you determine the appropriate geometry of a hardtail bike that would approximate that of a full-suspension trailbike? How much fork travel, stem length/rise, handlebar type, etc. Thanks.

TwinCam

Bah.

I still don't buy all that classification stuff.

This is my bike:



Is it XC? Trail Bike? All Mountain? It's all that stuff becaseu that's what I use it for. If I knew how to jump, it'd be e jump bike, too. Well, it would while it lasted.

It's a mountain bike.

But if pressed I'd say a hardtail trailbike has all the attributes of an fs trailbike: Centered position and large gearspread for good climbing, slackish head angle for stability, weight compromises skewed towards reliability and tire selection skewing towards traction.

The Selector

i would get something with a 130mm fork, oversized riser bars, and 2.3 or 2.1 tires and disc brakes, and medium stem

never

Most Kona hardtails have fairly relaxed geometry yet still maintain a decent top tube length.

You can get full suspension bikes with aggressive geometry and you can get hardtails with relaxed geometry, it's not as uncommon as you make it sound.

If you have found a fs bike with the geometry you like, just start hunting around on manufacturer's websites and find a hardtail with similar geometry (head tube angle, seat tube angle, top tube length, chainstay length, etc...).

Drunken Chicken

That sounds about right to me, maybe some 2.5/2.35 or 2.4/2.2 tires, 8" front rotor and 6" rear rotor for the brakes.