FS-What am i missing?

[capnsavem]

I ride a Marin Hawk Hill hardtail. the only FS i've ever ridden was my bro-in-law's Ironhorse sumthin-or-other. i think it was a lower model. it was alot heavier than my bike, and tough to climb with compared to my hardtail.

what is it that im missing out on? just the extra cush on rugged terrain?

-the newb

[Amon Amarth]

Your missing out on the fun time you have pushing it up hills.....

[capnsavem]

haha

[Collette]

You're lower back will love you if you switch to Full Suspension. You won't bounce around as much, as the rear wheel will track a lot better than a hardtail would over rocky terrain.

[OldDogDan]

I was surprised to discover that I could climb many hills easier with my dual suspension than my hardtail, because the rear tire tracked the bumps and maintained traction better (but then I went from an ancient HT to a new XC bike). And no comparison going downhill.

[g-dub]

The "extra cush", plus improved traction/control. It makes a difference on the longer rides. But it does take a some extra $ to keep the weight down. I rode hardtails for 15+ years, went full suspension last year. I'm happy with my decision.

[capnsavem]

oh ok... i can see the improved climbing with extra traction deal. it also makes sence about traction improvement on long rough rides.

here's another issue with me... i'm not very good.

if i go FS at this point i'd feel like a poseur. i mean, i've only been riding for about a year, and only on the weekends about 4-6 times a month if i'm lucky.

would it be wise to keep trying to improve on the HT before i go FS?

[Wrecker]

I got a FS and was surprised at how quickly I grew into it, my confidence soared (a bit too much, as you can tell by some pics), and did better on climbs. However, I was like Dan, went from a really heavy old hardtail to the FS.

Try one out for size. The only poseurs are the ones that show up with clean bikes Seriously, if you're really trying and truly love the sport, you are not a poseur; anyone who doesn't get that, doesn't understand and is, themselves, a poseur

[jonathan_sykes81]

I personally, among many others out there, believe that you should start out on and hone your skills on a HT. You will learn many things on a HT faster than on a FS. Therefore making yourself a better rider who will be even more capable of taking full advantage of the benefits of a FS. Also when you really do start to improve and getting faster, you can take great satisfaction in keeping up with or being faster than your friends on FS bikes.

[g-dub]

More than just honing skills, you could ride for a while, and consider how you ride and how you aspire to ride. And even then you still might not really know..., but you'll at least know that whatever the bike, you'll ride it a lot and have fun.

[92se-r]

Buy my frame and swap over the parts from your hardtail. It'd be a cheap way to get into a full suspension bike that climbs great. I'd be willing to bet your buddy's full suspension Ironhorse was a non DW-Link bike.

[mechmann]

FS equals more speed and better control.

HT is more efficient.

I really want a FS bike for general purpose riding. I get kinda beat up on my HT after 5 or 6 hrs.

I keep drooling over the Lenz LunchBox...

[nappyt]

Originally Posted by capnsavem

I ride a Marin Hawk Hill hardtail. the only FS i've ever ridden was my bro-in-law's Ironhorse sumthin-or-other. i think it was a lower model. it was alot heavier than my bike, and tough to climb with compared to my hardtail.

what is it that im missing out on? just the extra cush on rugged terrain?

-the newb

Same reason we have shocks on cars. It smooths out the ride. The longer and rougher the ride the more you appreciate the comfort. Since most of the stuff in socal is hard packed and rocky FS can be nice to have. I see lots of people rolling HT's all over SoCal and with the single speed fad going the last few years I don't think that will change. If the bike you have now gets you out on the trail then I would say your good. When you start to get more technical in your riding you'll start to see where a FS might be useful.

Also keep in mind its the rider not the ride that makes the difference.

[cjwally]

Originally Posted by mechmann;

I keep drooling over the Lenz LunchBox...

I may end up getting it before you..... That or the Milk Money....

Did you ride the MM?

[Jman]

I used to think HT or FS only not both but now that I have a decent FS and a decent HT I like them both. I'd have to say that I do rie my FS way more often than the HT but the HT changes up the trail just enough that the same ol' trail turns into a whole new adventure which can be nice when you're stuck riding the same loops all the time. I'm not sure I'd be happy if the HT was my main ride but then I love bikes and must have one for each style/discipline. but then again I'm an out of the closet gear whore!

[osmarandsara]

I completely agree that its the rider and not the ride that matters......one day I was out thinking I was badass going down a rock garden on my full suspension bike and then some dude flies by me on a fully rigid single speed and I'm thinking what the f__k ?

[cjwally]

Originally Posted by capnsavem

I ride a Marin Hawk Hill hardtail. the only FS i've ever ridden was my bro-in-law's Ironhorse sumthin-or-other. i think it was a lower model. it was alot heavier than my bike, and tough to climb with compared to my hardtail.

what is it that im missing out on? just the extra cush on rugged terrain?

-the newb

-the newb ,

I started on a hardtail. It was a GT Avalanche with a RS Duke Race fork, front avid bb7's and rear V-brakes. I really sucked. Not only was I slow uphill, I really blew on the dh. That was '02ish. I didn't start riding full time till June of '06. At that time, I had the same bike that I had in 2002 and hadn't really progressed much at all. In July of '07, I bought a FS Mongoose Teocali (5.5" Rear and Front). This bike definitely made me a better rider, but in March of '07, a friend made/convinced me buy a 29er SS HT due to my poor choices in lines and an excessive amount of flats.

Since that time, I have progressed so far by really having to focus on: Which line to pick, Body English, Weighting of the bike, Etc.

Bla bla bla....The point is I would definitely get yourself a HT. I would really recommend a 29er though... You will progress a lot further by doing so. When you hop on a FS in the future, you will laugh.

See ya on the trails.

[SAR_boats]

Originally Posted by capnsavem

what is it that im missing out on?

-the newb

Higher credit card bills, chronic up-grade-itis, spouse-launched-projectile-frying-pans.

Other than that, not much

[dutch]

two things I've noticed from riding the two (only really a few brief rides on a hardtail):

1. ankles and knees feel a lot more jarred after riding a HT. braking bumps and other rutted out sections not only messed with my already messed up knees but felt a bit sketchier traction wise.

2. climbing on a 25 lb. hardtail is not a whole heap better than it is on my 6" travel, 31lb. AM bike. I guess I'm more used to positioning on my FS bike, and i felt like I was just spinning a lower gear on the hardtail without noticing the lightness.

[J_Sims]

Originally Posted by mechmann

FS equals more speed and better control.

HT is more efficient.

I really want a FS bike for general purpose riding. I get kinda beat up on my HT after 5 or 6 hrs.

I keep drooling over the Lenz LunchBox...

MMMMMMMMMMM he said Lunchbox...