"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
mPer Hober:
How important is a full-suspension? The guy at the bike shop said that
full-suspension was six of one, and a half-dozen of another.

The guy at the bike shop has years and years of experience and used to
ride and even race and downhill on bikes with no suspension at all.
Let's face it, a pro on a totally non-suspended bike would certainly be a
lot better than me on the fanciest bike on the planet.

I'll be doing trail riding, some gravel roads, certainly around town,
maybe very occasionally take a chair lift ride up and coast down.

I don't think I'll be needing 6" or more of front suspension.

The idea of a hard tail appeals to me in terms of a little less weight
and less mechanical stuff to go wrong. If I had some money and was going
to buy a new hard tail today, I'd probably be looking at something like a
Felt Q720.

Any comments or suggestions? Thank you.

I've got all 3: FS, hard tail, and rigid.

FS is the one I ride the most by a wide margin.

Periodically I go on a hard-tail kick knowing that, for some
unknown reason, I'm supposed to wean myself away from an FS that
I don't, by any stretch of the imagination, need.

But I keep coming back to the FS as my favored ride.

I also have a FS and HT. The FS is an older XC model with 4" travel at
each end. I got the FS when I was starting to ride more aggressive trails,
although as you say, skill makes the most difference. I also had a chronic
bad lower back, and the cushy ride helped me get more time in the saddle.
Even with the extra weight, it can spoil you, even make you a somewhat
lazier rider.

The HT was a good high end ride in it's day. Very light, 80mm fork, V
brakes, quite minimalist. With grippy tires I can't believe how easy it is
to climb. There is probably 6 lbs difference in the bikes, but sometimes it
feels like much more.

Both bikes were bought used, and some components swapped out for their
intended purpose. The FS is a dedicated trailbike, the HT has been
converted to a townie, but doubles for off-road use on more relaxed rides or
big climbers. I have a second wheelset with knobbies for this purpose.

It doesn't sound like you'd need much suspension from the type of riding you
describe. If I were in your shoes and had to select between my bikes (with
their associated price tags), I would opt for the HT and a second wheel set.
If this doesn't work out for your trail riding needs, you will likely want
it for a city bike regardless. The added advantage is that you could buy a
pretty decent HT used for a reasonable cost, certainly less than a FS of
equal quality.