Ok ok ok ... I get it now...

[hondafanatic]

I have seen the light! I now know what the fuss is all about...

I picked up a Trek Fuel EX 9 on Friday. Previously, I've only ever owned hard tails (albiet high end ones), and it took me long enough to come over from fully rigid, and it was a long time before I got into hydraulic disc brakes...I'm a bit old school in my thinking.

However, a full sus is the biggest revelation to my riding for a long time. I would never have thought I'd be a convert, but I am. It works nearly as well on the uphill as my hardtails, but on the downhill, fk me it's quick.

Seriously, if anyone is thinking about the move to full sus, then I'd recommend them to give it a go...I'm so pleased with my new found lease of fun the new bike gives me. For the first few downhill sections I was bracing myself and taking my usual lines, but everytime I was thinking 'I can take that a lot quicker'.

Anyway, this is just an exciting ramble of a 30something year old who feels like a big kid again.

[Chris71]

I rode rigid for a long time, then went to a very modest hardtail and then a fairly high-spec full susser and each step was as big as the last! I have to say though, I think sticking with more basic bikes for longer than many of my friends did helped develop my riding (it'd be even worse if I'd been flattered by a decent bike from day one ).

[tricky69]

see thats where i am at the minute... have a great hard tail bike... cost me a lot at the time ! But now want a full sus and just can't bring myself to pull the trigger

[hondafanatic]

Chris71 said:

I rode rigid for a long time, then went to a very modest hardtail and then a fairly high-spec full susser and each step was as big as the last! I have to say though, I think sticking with more basic bikes for longer than many of my friends did helped develop my riding (it'd be even worse if I'd been flattered by a decent bike from day one ).

I agree about developing skills on rigid/HTs first. I does allow much more room for error and I was aware of this, to the point that I started to think about a bit more protection than my skid lid and a t-shirt. I figured that if I come off, it'll be at a higher speed...

[hondafanatic]

tricky69 said:

see thats where i am at the minute... have a great hard tail bike... cost me a lot at the time ! But now want a full sus and just can't bring myself to pull the trigger

I actually had ordered a new hard tail, got my list of extras sorted, but was then told there was a delay on the bike.

I asked what they could get hold of quickly and that's how I ended up with my full susser. Probably the worst way to buy a bike, but somehow, it's worked out well...

Seriously, I got more excited about this bike than any of my previous ones as it was adding an extra dimension to my riding...

I'd be surprised if you didn't feel the same once you hit the trails...and this is me, the chap who spews the virtues of HTs all day to his riding buddies that a few of them didn't even believe I bought a full susser until I plasted past them on the way down... (I was runnning a bit late)...

[Gooby]

A cheap full sus will be inferior to a hardtail of he same money but a good full suspension bike is just superb.

I spent the first few hours feeling bogged down but when I realised that it is because the rear wheel is actually staying in contact with the ground instead of bouncing over it, I was ready to adopt a different style of riding.

I have turned many hard core hard tail riders to the dark side of full sus simply by having a fat old bloke tear past them on a downhill.