Hardtails - How many people still race / ride them...

i still dont understand why people ride FS. i've had a few and i hated them. seemed like it was unefficient and heavy, and also took away my feel for the trail. i'd get one if my priary objective was going down hil or for leisurely rides, but that it isnt. and i'd still venture to say that i'd be faster anywhere on the HT anyways, unless i was on a pretty extreme DH course with 8+ inches of travel.

 

Full rigid on all my bikes. Never liked squish in the front and never tried a full squishy so I'm ignorant.

 

i actually recently demo'd a 09 stumpie and realized that I actually dont like FS either. It was too soft overall and i felt separated from the trail. It was a point and shoot type ride. I think it would be great to ride on for "recon" (trying out a new trail for the first time) but i wouldn't want to ride one all the time. I think i'm hardtail for life now... maybe...

 

Two 29er HTs here. Love them! :bang:

P.S. I see them on the trails all the time.

 

I love my 29" hardtail. I haven't seen the need for a FS. Not that I could afford one anyway.

 

maybe for you, but i'm certainly not hucking my hardtail! hell, even going off a curb jars my body. both my hardtail & f/s weigh in about the same, so weight isn't an issue for my bikes (both around 26lbs). and my f/s only has 5" travel. plenty for someone my size & trail preferences...

 

I have a geared 26 carbon HT and ride it all the time, Also full rigid 69er SS, thats my fav bike as of now, most of my buddies ride FS so I got one for the SSDH rides.

 

I ride HT, because i dont have any other option.

 

yea, didnt mean to put down fs, i know they have their uses, but i just ment they arent for me. 26lbs is pretty decent for a 5" travel bike, but i'm used to about 18-19lbs so it feels sooo slow if i ride anything else. I'm not much of a hucker, the most extreme stuff i'll do is Noble, Joplin, ect.., but i can usually clear it all at a decent clip no problem with the HT.
The HT has made me a much better rider, IMHO.

I also think my biggest issue with them is that i'm a masher, not a spinner, so i get pedal bob regardless of what shock/linkage i have. I know they have lockouts, but it's just more crap to have to deal with. The singlespeed has made me lazy when it comes to dealing with mechanical gizmos while riding.

 

Yes, people do still ride hardtails.

 

If im goin up its HT all the way..... its not as fun goin down but on the up its alot better and you can ride longer then if you ride a fs....im my opinion....
i also have a big bike for the shutle days.....
going fast down is so much fun but you need big travel
to really have a good time....and i'm not riding that bike up hill that fast or for to long....its a blast but it dont burn calories....

you have to have both....

 

Sometimes I think I'll never know, but I still love my hardtail. Even though I bought it in 2000, and always wanted to get a FS. I still love it really. I might never know about disc brakes either. Still I love my bike.

 

I just picked up my first HT about 2.5 weeks ago. It's a fun bike and a nice change from my squish. Lets me know where i have gained some sloppiness in riding ability from riding a squish bike. Hopefully it corrects these areas as well over time. I enjoy riding the HT, but I wouldn't give up my other bike to ride a HT full time.

 

What is up with those tires on that purple/pink bike?

 

quite a few people still race on HTs. From this weekend's racers and chasers race.

 

Ya I also like my Univega. I need to start riding it again.

 

Nice stable of steel and Ti rides; how does the Aluminum bike ride compared to the others? I can't feel much difference between high-end aluminum and steel.

 

It's a Surly Pugsley! I want one, but they're EXPENSIVE (for me at least...).

 

They are 26x4.0 tires that are made for Surly by Innova. The frame is made specifically to take them. The bike was designed to be able to ride across snow and soft sand.

 

That one's a beauty.