I started on a hardtail loved that bike but the day I got a full suspension I never looked back I feel you get more control as it’s not just the tyres eating up everything
not being funny but straight away you can tell the person on the specialized (no offence), is a beginner/intermediate. yes hardtails are faster but not always if its really rough and rooty then full suspension bikes will easily out pace hardtails due to the suspension being plyable enough to just roll over whereas the hardtails will bump and bounce a lot.
So, full suspension is not faster. It is literally slower. Speed is a function of power generated through your legs. A full suspension bike takes some of the generated power and puts it into the slack of the bike. So, all things equal, a hardtail is faster than a full suspension. Want proof? Watch the UCI XCO events and see what the riders are using. You'll see they default to hardtail unless there is a specific reason they need rear suspension. That said, you trade off generated power for ground contact with rear suspension. Going over bumps, a hardtail will leave the ground where rear suspension will push the rear tire into the ground. This gives you a lot more control. Which, could translate to faster if the trails are technical enough. Remember, even more so than motocross, the amount of suspension travel is much more significant from your legs than the actual bike suspension. Rear suspension is a quality of life gain, not really a performance gain. For this trail, full suspension is not going to help all that much for speed. It will give you a more comfortable ride, but you will be slower. More important, GET A DROPPER SEAT! That will generate more speed, give you comfort, and make you a LOT safer on the trail. You can pick one up for under a $100. Get it installed for $50, if you don't want to do it yourself. Even more important: Rule of Cool! We ride because it is fun. Showing off expensive, full suspension, carbon frames is a lot of fun. And bouncing down a trail, loading and unloading your full suspension bike is a lot of fun. For performance, what you have is perfect for what you are riding. For fun, you should rent a $10k Scott Spark and go nuts.
Coming from motocross I rather have a fs all day. Get a carbon bike. But hard tails are cool and good for your first bike. I got a bad back too so I could use plushness. I believe bought my 22 Marin riftzone one for 1600. You don’t have to spend much, I rode it 1200 miles this year with no major issues. Getting an intense primer tomorrow. Can’t wait
![Mountain Biking Near DC | Wakefield Park [2023]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nrvd5P447T4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Mountain Biking Near DC | Wakefield Park [2023]](/img/tr.png)
![Fairfax County Mountain Biking | Wakefield Park [2023]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/01yFNHEGiA8/mqdefault.jpg)
I started on a hardtail loved that bike but the day I got a full suspension I never looked back I feel you get more control as it’s not just the tyres eating up everything
not being funny but straight away you can tell the person on the specialized (no offence), is a beginner/intermediate. yes hardtails are faster but not always if its really rough and rooty then full suspension bikes will easily out pace hardtails due to the suspension being plyable enough to just roll over whereas the hardtails will bump and bounce a lot.
So, full suspension is not faster. It is literally slower. Speed is a function of power generated through your legs. A full suspension bike takes some of the generated power and puts it into the slack of the bike. So, all things equal, a hardtail is faster than a full suspension. Want proof? Watch the UCI XCO events and see what the riders are using. You'll see they default to hardtail unless there is a specific reason they need rear suspension.
That said, you trade off generated power for ground contact with rear suspension. Going over bumps, a hardtail will leave the ground where rear suspension will push the rear tire into the ground. This gives you a lot more control. Which, could translate to faster if the trails are technical enough. Remember, even more so than motocross, the amount of suspension travel is much more significant from your legs than the actual bike suspension. Rear suspension is a quality of life gain, not really a performance gain.
For this trail, full suspension is not going to help all that much for speed. It will give you a more comfortable ride, but you will be slower. More important, GET A DROPPER SEAT! That will generate more speed, give you comfort, and make you a LOT safer on the trail. You can pick one up for under a $100. Get it installed for $50, if you don't want to do it yourself.
Even more important: Rule of Cool! We ride because it is fun. Showing off expensive, full suspension, carbon frames is a lot of fun. And bouncing down a trail, loading and unloading your full suspension bike is a lot of fun. For performance, what you have is perfect for what you are riding. For fun, you should rent a $10k Scott Spark and go nuts.
Coming from motocross I rather have a fs all day. Get a carbon bike. But hard tails are cool and good for your first bike. I got a bad back too so I could use plushness. I believe bought my 22 Marin riftzone one for 1600. You don’t have to spend much, I rode it 1200 miles this year with no major issues. Getting an intense primer tomorrow. Can’t wait
Right on, completely agree. Still riding motocross though so most of the budget is still going there forsure haha