Should I keep full sus or move to hardtail

[Barreti]

Hello chaps, long time since I've posted in this forum.

Now I've finally qualified for our cycle to work scheme and a new one has just been publicised I'm in the market for a new bike at £1,000 max without kit.

I think I've finally decided I should stick with the MTB as pure road cycling doesn't honestly do it for me.
At 47 I'm probably a bit too old and knackered to go tearing downhills now, but I enjoy trail riding so I'll stick with the MTB.

My current ride is getting on a bit now and a bit of a Heinz47, having an ali frame, shimano deore shifters, hope hydraulic discs, fox shocks front and rear etc. but I'm grabbing the opportunity to have a new bike now I have the chance.

So, as an enthusiastic amateur trail rider only, do I need to have full sus?
It was a hell of a transition to it when I first got it, and I haven't got a hardtail to compare it to now so I don't know if I need to worry about full or half sus when I'm looking or just get something with a great spec.

I'm off to my local bike shop today to see what they have to say but your thoughts are always greatly appreciated.

Oh, one other thing. Clipless pedals or not ?
I ask because I haven't used clipless before - just toeclips - and it would mean buying new shoes if I go that way. Sorry if this is stirring the poo again

Thanks
IanB

[Barreti]

BTW. Looking at the Rockhopper Pro as a possible new bike. Lets see what the bike shop says when I give him that as a starter for 10.

I've always liked the Boardman kit, but Halfords aren't on our scheme unfortunately.

[Rolls]

Do you it for trails - no.
will it make it more fun, comfortable, and easier to do long days on the bike, as well as making you quicker - yes..
The choice is yours.. - IMO if you get a short travel bike you'd love it (so approx 100mm front / rear.. - but that is me - i found long travel bikes in the UK weren't needed...)

As for spds - IMo thats a certain yes..

[Gooby]

For £1k I would go for a hardtail. At this price you can get some pretty rubbish full sus bikes or some brilliant hard tails.
If you can add some funds to about £2k the a full sus would be great, nice and comfy and able to handle the odd chalenge. Go to your LBS and test ride a few bikes that take your fancy.

[Floor Tom]

Gooby said:

For £1k I would go for a hardtail. At this price you can get some pretty rubbish full sus bikes or some brilliant hard tails.
If you can add some funds to about £2k the a full sus would be great, nice and comfy and able to handle the odd chalenge. Go to your LBS and test ride a few bikes that take your fancy.

I would agree with this. 1K used to be the point that decent full sus bikes became avaliable but price increases in the last few years have made the £1000 FS a bit of a dog (IMO) However you can get a nice very light hardtail for that money.
For me SPDs are very worth the price, though you can usually get shoes cheap from chain reaction to try them out without breaking the bank. Your £1000 bike will probably come with them anyway so all you will need are shoes.

[Barreti]

Back from the bike shop local to where I work and the recommendations for me at 6ft 1.1/2 and 14.1/2 stone are

19" Rockhopper SL Expert at £950
19.5" TREK 6500 for £1000
19.5" TREK 6300 for £850

Prices must have gone up a load in the last couple of years. A grand seems to get not a great deal these days and they said I couldn't even consider full sus at that price.

I think I'll find a shop local to where I live who are in the CTW Scheme and see what they recommend.

Oh, on the pedal thing, I have no cruciate ligament on the inside of my right knee, so being clamped in and having to twist out sounds a bit risky as twisting is the thing I have to avoid or I dislocate my knee.

It does make me laugh though that I walked into a shop with what amounts to a grand to spend and the first thing he asked me is if I wanted to add to the CTW Scheme and get something better, and he's still underlined the TREK 6700 at £1200 in the brochure.
Kind of put me off before I'd even started to be honest.

Edited by Barreti on Thursday 14th January 14:37

[Buzzkill]

£1000 will buy you a good hardtail and you can still get a lot for your money, it's just you've virtually missed all the 09-10 sale bikes, the new season being the best time to buy old stock - that's unless there is some new 'can't do without it' type technology on the new seasons bikes.

Edited by Buzzkill on Thursday 14th January 18:02

[Nick_F]

When I was looking - some time ago, I admit - the Cannondale Prophet was a full-sus contender for under a grand. Is that not the case any more?

[Floor Tom]

Nick_F said:

When I was looking - some time ago, I admit - the Cannondale Prophet was a full-sus contender for under a grand. Is that not the case any more?

They discontinued it and replaced it with something not as good. It was more than a grand for the base model in '09 too, £1200 I think.

[ed_crouch]

You'll not go wrong with a Rockhopper. Mine has been superb, although I have blinged it a little. I used the RHer in original spec round Afan, and whilst the 100mm overly-stiff RS Recon SLs gave me arm pump on the rocky descents, it was a total hoot, and round the twisties, it handles very nicely. Maybe want a 70mm stem if you're not doing XC epics on it. I've hit a few jumps and drosp on it too and not broken it (well, apart from when I spanked it at the Jump Gulley in Swinley and stuffed the front wheel, but that was me being a loon rather tan bike inadequacy)

Agree regarding the budget, unless you get a last season deal from, say Pauls Cycles (web shop), you'll struggle to get a decent FSer. That said, I know someone who got a 2008 Giant Cypher from Paul's for just over a grand, and it was top spec.

[BOR]

47 is the same age as me, and even with FS, I can feel the effect on my spine of moderate drops of 1m or less, to the extent that I think a HT would eventually give me back problems !

Find a FS that suits you and then worry about the price. An extra GBP500 will be peanuts when you amortise it over the life of the bike.

[ratbane]

I'm 45. I've used a steel Kona Explosif since 1998, and a Ti Litespeed Obed since 1994.

I put off getting an FS bike, as I had convinced myself that it was all hype. I'd ridden late 90s/early noughties clunkers and was never impressed.

However, I had a foot and back injury about 12 months ago, and the hardtails were killing me at Afan/Margam where I ride.

So I went FS and bought a 'Dale Rize last November.

What a difference. Very little discomfort, and I can stay out longer.

Never too old to blast downhill IMHO.

I still use the hardtails on less gnarly rides, and would not part with either.

Think carefully about going wholly to hardtail unless you are going to ride less aggressively.

[Gooby]

ratbane said:

I'm 45. I've used a steel Kona Explosif since 1998, and a Ti Litespeed Obed since 1994.

I put off getting an FS bike, as I had convinced myself that it was all hype. I'd ridden late 90s/early noughties clunkers and was never impressed.

However, I had a foot and back injury about 12 months ago, and the hardtails were killing me at Afan/Margam where I ride.

So I went FS and bought a 'Dale Rize last November.

What a difference. Very little discomfort, and I can stay out longer.

Never too old to blast downhill IMHO.

I still use the hardtails on less gnarly rides, and would not part with either.

Think carefully about going wholly to hardtail unless you are going to ride less aggressively.

I would totally agree but at the £1k price point you are going to be fishing in the rubbish end of the pond. A rubbish FS is far worse than a great HT. You have to add £500 to £1k to the start price to get FS bike that will be as good as a £1k HT.

[ratbane]

Gooby said:

ratbane said:

I'm 45. I've used a steel Kona Explosif since 1998, and a Ti Litespeed Obed since 1994.

I put off getting an FS bike, as I had convinced myself that it was all hype. I'd ridden late 90s/early noughties clunkers and was never impressed.

However, I had a foot and back injury about 12 months ago, and the hardtails were killing me at Afan/Margam where I ride.

So I went FS and bought a 'Dale Rize last November.

What a difference. Very little discomfort, and I can stay out longer.

Never too old to blast downhill IMHO.

I still use the hardtails on less gnarly rides, and would not part with either.

Think carefully about going wholly to hardtail unless you are going to ride less aggressively.

I would totally agree but at the £1k price point you are going to be fishing in the rubbish end of the pond. A rubbish FS is far worse than a great HT. You have to add £500 to £1k to the start price to get FS bike that will be as good as a £1k HT.

Absolutely. No point getting a sub- £1k FS. May as well ride a concrete matress!

[anonymous-user]

personally i would get a steel frame, i have never got on with ally framed hard tails as they always seem to be too harsh over the rough stuff and getting the power down on the climbs without losing traction appears to be reliant upon good choice of tyre for the conditions.

go for a charge duster and you will be smiling all day long. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Charge_Duster_Mi... £900

have a look at the kenesis maxlight too
i have a friend with a crosslight and the frame is really well put together. he bought his through a cycles scheme so you should be able to find a dealer who will put a bike together for you for the cycle to work scheme. that way you can spec what you want/need in the various areas and get a better value bike.

[Louis.]

Barreti said:

At 47 I'm probably a bit too old and knackered to go tearing downhills now, but I enjoy trail riding so I'll stick with the MTB.

You are never too old to go tearing downhill. Some of the guys I ride with over here in Tuscany are in their mid 40's and they can keep up with the majority of us !! And the least able of them is still fitter than some of the guys in their 20's ! As they say....its what keeps them younger !

[dan1502]

Barreti said:

Back from the bike shop local to where I work and the recommendations for me at 6ft 1.1/2 and 14.1/2 stone are

19" Rockhopper SL Expert at £950
19.5" TREK 6500 for £1000
19.5" TREK 6300 for £850

Prices must have gone up a load in the last couple of years. A grand seems to get not a great deal these days and they said I couldn't even consider full sus at that price.

I think I'll find a shop local to where I live who are in the CTW Scheme and see what they recommend.

Oh, on the pedal thing, I have no cruciate ligament on the inside of my right knee, so being clamped in and having to twist out sounds a bit risky as twisting is the thing I have to avoid or I dislocate my knee.

It does make me laugh though that I walked into a shop with what amounts to a grand to spend and the first thing he asked me is if I wanted to add to the CTW Scheme and get something better, and he's still underlined the TREK 6700 at £1200 in the brochure.
Kind of put me off before I'd even started to be honest.

Edited by Barreti on Thursday 14th January 14:37

Having been looking at bikes myself a lot lately the prices you mention seem pretty high. I don't know the details of the scheme but if you can buy where you like there are a lot of bargains to be had at the moment, especially on 2009 bikes.

[Pablo16v]

If you fancy a FS then the Boardman Team at £999 seems to be getting decent write ups.

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtbfs/fs_team.html

Edit - I should learn to read. I see Halfords aren't available to you.

Edited by Pablo16v on Tuesday 26th January 14:51