Going back to a hardtail from a dualie?
- Thread starter Coopz
- Start date
On my stanton sherpa I tested a 100mm, a 120mm and a 130mm. Like the 120mm the most. The change in geometry on a hardtail with a fork longer than about 130mm feels too extreme for me. I suppose you'd get use to it and anticipate it.
Hardtails are feckin sweet though. Make boring trails fast and fun, big gravel adventures (in proper mountains where gravel bikes are useless), commuting, messing about. I could probably get by with just my sherpa if I had to.
Ultra Lord
Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
Forks got better. No more open bath divey POS.
I ride my hard tail about half my rides. It is really fun when I am switched on and having a good day. I tend to do longer rides on it from home rather then driving to the trails so these are more mellow rides. I don’t think I am ready to give up the full suspension as there are things that it is more capable and fun on.
Mr Crudley
Glock in your sock
I am a fan of being double sprung but just enough it take the edge off bumps. Just to keep fatigue away for a bit longer helps a lot IMHO. No need for big travel for me anyhow.
Still love HTs but haven't ridden a new school geo one yet. Can't picture a HT with big travel but must be a hoot.
Having wound the clock back with Justin the punisher fully rigid and enjoy that it is more like riding a horse than just pedalling and letting the suspension do the cush work. It makes you more careful to pick better lines. Jockey the HT where you are the suspension and little obstacles are more fun.
Never would have thunk that after all the MTB evolution and $$$ spent that I enjoy riding something rigid and primitive again.
Still love HTs but haven't ridden a new school geo one yet. Can't picture a HT with big travel but must be a hoot.
Having wound the clock back with Justin the punisher fully rigid and enjoy that it is more like riding a horse than just pedalling and letting the suspension do the cush work. It makes you more careful to pick better lines. Jockey the HT where you are the suspension and little obstacles are more fun.
Never would have thunk that after all the MTB evolution and $$$ spent that I enjoy riding something rigid and primitive again.
mark22
Likes Dirt
Just sold my hardtail and purchased a 29" 130mm/120mm trail bike to replace it (other bike is 27.5 enduro) 3 months ago.
I found I wasn't riding the HT as it was becoming uncomfortable.
Great decision should have done it sooner, I've yet to find a down side on the swap.
Maybe extra maintenance along the track but it will be well worth it as I'm riding more and enjoying the trails again I used to ride on the HT, but I'm old.
I found I wasn't riding the HT as it was becoming uncomfortable.
Great decision should have done it sooner, I've yet to find a down side on the swap.
Maybe extra maintenance along the track but it will be well worth it as I'm riding more and enjoying the trails again I used to ride on the HT, but I'm old.
Plankosaurus
Spongeplank Dalepantski
This is it for me too. Trails that get a little bland on an all singing all dancing dually are suddenly more fun because you have to work for it. Not sure it would be the weapon of choice for somewhere with a lot of chop and big kilometers, but its a blast heading out for a cruisy ride on easier trails and playing around like a kid.
Chriso_29er
Likes Bikes and Dirt
I still ride both and love the speed and efficiency of the hardtail for climbing and flatter trails.
Did learn my lesson though, will one day be getting a more modern geo and 130mm+ fork for anything more than xc trails lol
Did learn my lesson though, will one day be getting a more modern geo and 130mm+ fork for anything more than xc trails lol
It depends on the bikes I reckon. I bought an HT (Paradox) when my dually was a shit climber and loved it for the direct and engaging ride.
Now I have a better dually which climbs really well and now HT sits in the wine cellar hopefully getting better with age. Slower and less comfortable, I always think of taking it and then slap myself and take the Bird.
Now I have a better dually which climbs really well and now HT sits in the wine cellar hopefully getting better with age. Slower and less comfortable, I always think of taking it and then slap myself and take the Bird.
Litenbror
Eats Squid
Sounds like you and I are on a similar journey @komdotkom. Looking forward to getting the Aether 9 on some dirt to see if it climbs as well as the carbon version.
PJO
in me vL comy
Sales pitch needs a bit of work
Litenbror
Eats Squid
I ride both and will ride the hardtail on basically every trail I ride the dually, sections of DH tracks can be a bit sketch and are sometimes walked which isn’t exactly surprising.
I find the most uncomfortable riding on the hardtail is when it is a fast seated section that is a bit bumpy. Too fast and long to get out of the saddle but you really get beaten up while seated. Descending requires some more specific line choice and there is less room for error when things get rough but definitely makes the usual trails much more interesting, plus keeping with with duallys on a hardtail at enduro events is great fun.
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I find the most uncomfortable riding on the hardtail is when it is a fast seated section that is a bit bumpy. Too fast and long to get out of the saddle but you really get beaten up while seated. Descending requires some more specific line choice and there is less room for error when things get rough but definitely makes the usual trails much more interesting, plus keeping with with duallys on a hardtail at enduro events is great fun.
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It's probably more a comment about me than the bike. Old and time poor, I just want it to be as enjoyable as possible. When I have more spare time and get to ride more often, perhaps a different experience will appeal to me but at the moment I'm struggling to get 1 ride per month so it won't be on a hard tail. I even considered getting an e-bike, but then I punched myself in the face and got back to reality.
PJO
in me vL comy
Don't take it personally I was just having bit of fun. I know two local Paradox V3 owners and both of them highly rate the bike, for one it is his only mtb.
Being time poor for riding sucks big ones, hope you can find more time.
No one can fix being old, just have to make do with what you got.
I don't need much/any time to readjust switching between the Paradox and FS bikes. I think it's a mix of things; stout build, trail bike angles and whatever magic those stays work on the rear end keeping the trail buzz down. I happily ride it on the same trails.
More XC focused hardtail are different, and takes a while for that 'on-edge' sensation to fade when you hop on after some FS rides.
Solution for the OP is of course, if possible, to have both. HT is also helpful to have if it's a little wet and you don't want to gunk up linkages and bearings.
More XC focused hardtail are different, and takes a while for that 'on-edge' sensation to fade when you hop on after some FS rides.
Solution for the OP is of course, if possible, to have both. HT is also helpful to have if it's a little wet and you don't want to gunk up linkages and bearings.
cammas
Seamstress
I’m in the opposite boat with only hard tails both definitely old skool geometry, one full rigid with about a 72 degree head angle, the other only has 80mm and a slack 69 degree HA. I have had full suspensions come and go but will not part with hard tails, they keep your skills on point and not every trail requires 140 to 160mm of travel, I will be getting another dually as I’ve got a few years on you with quite a few injuries over the years but the hard tails will still stay in rotation.
Why not get up some funds to grab a second hand one to see if you want to commit or run both, keep the T8 for the days where your feeling a little beat up or your going somewhere where don’t know what your in for and get something like an XTC or the like for a quick rip out on mellower trails. Now a hardtail will not be a picnic even on your regular trails it will feel different, you find every lump, bump and hole that you didn’t know were there but it will also get you out of the saddle and working harder.
Now if you really want to change it up grab yourself something like a Kona Unit, full rigid single speed and then you can punish yourself.
Why not get up some funds to grab a second hand one to see if you want to commit or run both, keep the T8 for the days where your feeling a little beat up or your going somewhere where don’t know what your in for and get something like an XTC or the like for a quick rip out on mellower trails. Now a hardtail will not be a picnic even on your regular trails it will feel different, you find every lump, bump and hole that you didn’t know were there but it will also get you out of the saddle and working harder.
Now if you really want to change it up grab yourself something like a Kona Unit, full rigid single speed and then you can punish yourself.
Coopz
Likes Dirt
I think I'm leaning towards that notion. Briefly considered a dedicated drop bar gravel bike but then common sense kicked in. If I sold my dualie I would have gotten a carbon fibre HT with good components but I think a basic alloy model around 1k will be ok for what I want it for.