doc1

I have never bought a mountain bike. I am a roady. Will probably race but I did want to buy something to keep up with my young kids on the road. Maybe I will take it off occassionally. I assume if I get the time to ride I will be on my road bike. I am looking between a yeti arc 05 with fox 80 shock and a yeti sull sus. koko pelli 04 manitou? black front shock. Any help Both will be about the same price. The hardtail is 150 more. And lighter.

Cornish_Rdr_UK

As your a Roadie, i think the hardtail would be the best bet, also, if you start on a hardtail, your riding will improve more and you will flow more when it comes to getting a FS steed if you ever decide you want one..

test both bikes though, see how they feel.

phantomcow2

generally speaking, in a case where two bikes are at the same price, one being hardtrail and one being full suspension, the hardtail will have higher end components because it does not need to factor in a pump and frame design to the cost. But i would go hardtail, they are more efficient, lighter, and you should go hardtail anyways because its your first.

Killer B

You can't be a Roadie all your life.... Try one of these, maybe it'll convert you to be one of us....

doc1

You would think. The real del. is XTR where hardtail is xt. Hardtail did have fluid disc vs FS had cable disc. same evrything else except the fork which was better on the hardtail. Any comments on a lock out front fork which was on the fox fork on hardtail? It was fun going over curbs.

phantomcow2

Lockout is nice, its not always necessary but for climbing up a steep hill, or if youir on the raod, its quite nice to have.

CranxOC

I'm always a proponent of purchasing a FS if you have the coin since you'll likely end up on one eventually anyway. As for the lockout, I used to use it all the time but, once you learn more about how your suspension functions (assuming you purchase a solid suspension system) you'll likely rely on it less and less. It's definitely a good option to have though; especially since you're coming from the road side of the house.

CranxOC

Dude, no offense, but that thing is fugly; what is it???

Maelstrom 

Its a small company out of cali I think. Everything they make is fugly...

Raiyn

Forget the no offense stuff. That thing IS straight up FIZZUGLY

Sebach

Word!

Raiyn

Click me
Word to ya mutha
Click me
One more evil than the other

Maelstrom 

Peace out.

Raiyn

Think I was going to miss a setup like that?

Drunken Chicken

Haha, I agree, it's ugly as hell. Is the company by any chance Bee One Bikes? (the logo kinda looks like it)

Brian

Dude, the B1 will change DH racing the way Honda's bike has. One of my customers over here is really good mates with Bas Debever, and gave me the inside scoop before Hayes got hooked up with them. The bike shown has a derailleur, but their gearbox bikes will be kicking some a$$ soon enough. Wish I had thought of it first.

Quasi

Looks like the person who put on the cranks was on crank.

Sebach

This is the real "word".

skunkty14

I would recommend a HT to a recent convert. It will allow you to hone your MTBing skills while a FS rig will often let you develop bad skills right out of the box. Also, more bang for buck with HT, and fewer parts to worry about maintaining or breaking.

Someone above mentioned lockout features. I have learned from a purchase that should have been better thoughtout that, IMHO, if a FS rig really "needs" lockout then their is a design problem. I still ride the same rig that supposedly need lockout, and while I still love the bike, I curse the bob of the bike especially after spending any time away from it on my roadie.

There have been many threads about HT vs. FS for newbies, try searching around, and welcome to the dark side.

Speedub.Nate

It depends on your terrain, and what you want to do with it, but I'd lean towards full suspension. Especially if you're into longer rides, and if you're ok with a little extra maintenance (mainly checking pivots and checking shock pressure), and don't mind a bit of extra weight.

But I wouldn't look at just one bike, either, especially you being a "fresh" mountainbiker.

I went through a Joshua 'Y' bike phase, which made for a plush ride, but it took a shock change and a lot of fiddling around to make it a climber, and even then it wasn't great. Then I went for the ultra efficient NRS, which does what it claims but was efficient to the point of being no fun. I eventually discovered the Hollowpoint, which has met my needs to a 'T', but it took a long time to get there.

So alls I'ma saying is, if you're up for it, FS could be the right choice, but not just any FS.

Dirtbike

Nothing is a fugly as a MAGNA. Or a SPEC

Raiyn

Fo' Shizzle

willtsmith_nwi

A roadie might be comfortable on a 29er (bigger wheels). Check out Gary Fisher for the X-Caliber, Paragon and Rig (single speed). The benefit of these longer contact patches in the wheels. Such a bike with slicks would probably feel better to a roadie, on the road.

The bonus is that Gary Fisher is now shipping his bikes with SRAM instead of Shimano drivetrains. So there is no need to strip the new components and sell them on ebay before upgrading to SRAM ;-)

https://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes/bik...&bike=Xcaliber
https://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes/bik...s&bike=Paragon
https://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes/bik...nesis&bike=Rig