"rocketman58" wrote in message
om...
Last year I sold my old hardtail frame and went full suspesion. I
found a new 16" Giant DS-1 frame at the LBS for a couple of hundred $.
Very plush, very sturdy. It's great off road, but a slug on the street
- it weighs a lot more than my old HT did, and bobs when I pedal.
Since I ride about 50% on road, it's staring to bug me.

hmmm... Did you tell your LBS that you do 50% of your riding on pavement?
A URT single pivot full suspension bike is the worst possible choice for
road riding (I'd sooner ride a BMX - and they only have one -low- speed with
20" wheels)
If you split your time evenly between road and off road, your best bet is to
keep your fs bike for the trails, and get a piece of crap beater - maybe a
used "ugly" bike with base components, NO FRONT SUSPENSION, and narrow 27"
or 700C wheels for the road (my off road bike is a Rocky Mountain Flow and
my commuter is a '82 Sears special with 27" wheels, no derailleurs, and no
suspension.

I'm still on a budget. I want to replace the frame. I have older XT
stuff and a Manatou Black Comp 100/120 fork.

Can I go back to a hardtail, or does the fork have too much travel?

There is no such thing as too much front suspension. My Flow has a 130mm
Z-1 FR QR-20 and if all goes according to plan, I'm going to get a Balfa
Minuteman for next season sporting a 170mm Jr.-T double crown - triple clamp
fork. Granted, you might not like 7" in front, just because you don't need
to ride with a chopper-like 67deg head tube angle (not going down vertical
chutes, not doing crazy north-shore style trails, not dropping 7 ft on a
hard tail on a daily basis)

If I stick with a dual suspension frame, what frame is cheap, doesn't
bob a lot, and has a low stand-over height?

Your options are very limited, I'd try to find something by Jamis (if at all
possible, get one from last year, when Jamis still used a Horst link) or
maybe a very entry-level Specialized (rockhopper FSR with coil-over spring)
but even those frames will probably set you back about $500.00 CDN (fill in
your currency here)

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Hope this helps

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