Who writes this bullshit...

[BHB 10.6.6]

Here are some more reasons for owning a hardtail:

• Cheaper than an equivalent quality full-suss
• You simply like to be ‘different’
• Make boring trails exciting
• You enjoy punishment so full-suspension is out of the question
• You can ride ‘on the edge’ at lower speed, with lower consequence
• Because your mates are all rubbish, you’re a riding god and you need to be brought down to nearer their speed so they can watch and learn
• You want a sensation of speed, even if your trails/abilities don’t necessarily provide it
  
  
  

[James McKnight]

I do! Thanks for your input.

[_Dirty Karlos_]

LOL!

sOME EXTRA characters

[serge the seal of death]

BHB its horse for course, plus a generational change.
there are now a significant number of riders who may never have been on a Hardtail.
There are a large number of riders who can not read a map and have only riden DH and trail centre style trails, some of them you can argue are lucky to live close by to trails which really encourage FS use, ie wales. others are people who just always go to such places and would never think of setting our from the front door, or parking at a trail head and going off in to the hills.

But yes some of them i hope are more tongue in cheek.

Is riding a hardtail the new alternative? In which case yagh i am ahead of the fashion curve, screw you singletrack! BM sets a trend first!!

[Stephanos Wephanos]

This is almost Dylanesque...

[serge the seal of death]

how very dare you!

[Stephanos Wephanos]

how very dare you!

Not you... the whole thread

[serge the seal of death]

ohh ok, home time

[James McKnight]

Thanks Serge, you're right about the generational change. And yep, there was meant to be just a little teeny weeny hint of tongue in cheek. Obviously not with the bit about having to be brought down a level, everyone needs a bit of that sometimes (get it?).

You'd be amazed how many of the trail riders around here seem to have forgotten how a hardtail rides, why anyone would ride one and how they have a place in year 2013 mountain biking.

[Stan]

Thanks Serge, you're right about the generational change. And yep, there was meant to be just a little teeny weeny hint of tongue in cheek. Obviously not with the bit about having to be brought down a level, everyone needs a bit of that sometimes (get it?).

You'd be amazed how many of the trail riders around here seem to have forgotten how a hardtail rides, why anyone would ride one and how they have a place in year 2013 mountain biking.

Hardtails rule! FACT!

[Lord Greenville]

Hardtails rule! FACT!

Nooo! 69ers rule! FACT!!! +10.

[BHB 10.6.6]

Hardtails rule! FACT!

They do indeed. All I seem to do round the trails down here is overtake people who seem to ride Full Sussers and seem to find it fashionable to wear Skateboarding Pads, Surfing Shorts and Skiing goggles whilst mountain biking.

Reminds me of an article in one of the magazines, over any given distance over any given terrain the hardtail is always the fastest. (averaging it out going both up and down)

[Jen J]

But what if it's not about speed? What if it's about enjoying the ride? Full suss rules - FACT.

[Stan]

Reminds me of an article in one of the magazines, over any given distance over any given terrain the hardtail is always the fastest. (averaging it out going both up and down)

I've read something a whole go that explains this by stating that FS owners get lazy and ride the lumps not the faster smoother lines, AND the minutea discovered that the don't set up the lsc properly so when they do hit a bump, the bike slows as the force against the back wheel impact negating the mechanical advantage.

The trick (apparently) is to ride a FS like an ht which will allow the same lines to be ridden with the increase in mechanical grip making you faster in some limited situations.

Could have been marketing bs though....

[Neil Helks]

They do indeed. All I seem to do round the trails down here is overtake people who seem to ride Full Sussers and seem to find it fashionable to wear Skateboarding Pads, Surfing Shorts and Skiing goggles whilst mountain biking.

Reminds me of an article in one of the magazines, over any given distance over any given terrain the hardtail is always the fastest. (averaging it out going both up and down)

Amazing then that Kulhavey won olympic gold and the world championship riding a Specialized Epic full sus 29 then , he must be even more awesome than I thought .

[Nobby]

Amazing then that Kulhavey won olympic gold and the world championship riding a Specialized Epic full sus 29 then , he must be even more awesome than I thought .

But would HE have been faster on a HT?

IIRC, he wrote off the normal season to concentrate on those two races too.

[Nobby]

FWIW I notice very little difference in speed between my FS & HT on local trails but the HT tends to leave me a tad beaten up. Mind you, the HT is a good 4/5 pound heavier :-/

[Stan]

Amazing then that Kulhavey won olympic gold and the world championship riding a Specialized Epic full sus 29 then , he must be even more awesome than I thought .

Perhaps the answer lies in what I posted.

[Demonix]

Speed is largely down to the skill and fitness of the rider or the unfit helped by gravity on the way back down , FS bikes offer more comfort and may well flatter the lack of skill in many, HT for many is the affordable option that offers an entry point into into the joys of MTB and is not just the carbon, flat barred preserve of the xc racing weight weenies. Not everybody is a racer or super fit, some can afford to have an fs that costs more than the average teenagers 1st car or a stable of bikes. As long as BM covers a fair mixture of affordable bikes be they ht or fs as well as the expensive dream machines all will be well.

[oldnick]

My lower back won't let me ride a hardtail these days, so I'll stick to the full sus ta.