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FS VS Hardtail ( potential flamebait? )
Hello,
I know parts of this is a matter of personal taste( and maybe this post is a invitation for heated discussions... ). I'm going to get a new mountain bike this autumn ( lots of discounts late in season ). I want a bike that is better in rough terrain than my current hardtail with a 70mm manitou magnum-r fork/avid v-brakes. A friend of mine has a Jamis Komodo wich I have tried and is tempted to buy. What is the main drawbacks with a full suspension bike? I'm not so far from one when it comes to price compared to the komodo and is wondering if I should add a little more cash and gett a fs bike. After a lot of web browsing I have this impression of fs bikes: - a bit heavier - looses pedaling power uphill ( suspension "bounches" ) - more complicated design - less reliable? / harder to clean? I guess I will be satisfied with a hardtail in the Jamis komodo range, but well.. if I can get a fs bike for just a little more cash.. hmm I want to ride both uphill/downhill and it should be possible to ride 10-20 km on regular road to/from the tracks. Any advice is appreciated! Erling -- rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/ Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt |
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#2
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FS VS Hardtail ( potential flamebait? )
Erling Ringen Elvsrud wrote:
Hello, I know parts of this is a matter of personal taste( and maybe this post is a invitation for heated discussions... ). I'm going to get a new mountain bike this autumn ( lots of discounts late in season ). I want a bike that is better in rough terrain than my current hardtail with a 70mm manitou magnum-r fork/avid v-brakes. A friend of mine has a Jamis Komodo wich I have tried and is tempted to buy. What is the main drawbacks with a full suspension bike? I'm not so far from one when it comes to price compared to the komodo and is wondering if I should add a little more cash and gett a fs bike. After a lot of web browsing I have this impression of fs bikes: - a bit heavier - looses pedaling power uphill ( suspension "bounches" ) - more complicated design - less reliable? / harder to clean? I guess I will be satisfied with a hardtail in the Jamis komodo range, but well.. if I can get a fs bike for just a little more cash.. hmm I want to ride both uphill/downhill and it should be possible to ride 10-20 km on regular road to/from the tracks. Any advice is appreciated! Erling I went from rigid to hard tail to full suspension. The hard tail was a Cannondale F1000; the FS is a Cannondale Jekyll (the rigid isn't worth mentioning ). The biggest thing that I miss about the hard tail is that it had more precise stearing and better control climbing. Not just some lost power, but when you dig for power -- you also change the steering geometry and weight balance as you compress the rear hard. For me, the front doing this was easy to adjust to; the back isn't. I've learned to have better power / pedal control and timing, and I keep the rear suspension set pretty hard. The thing I DON'T miss is being pounded on rocky trails. Even a seat post supension -- which helped alot -- doesn't compare. All-in-all, I like my FS. Yes, it's a little heavier. Yes, it's a little more complicated. Yes, it takes a little more knowledge/care -- you need to occasionally lube the pivots / 3 more places to check for BB creak -- the pivot and the shock mounts No, it's not less reliable. You do have a couple of more components that can wear out -- for me, the Fox rear shock has been back to Fox 2x for a rebuild -- one was my fault, one was thiers. To be fair, I've put over 14k miles on it . And, it hasn't failed critically. The only cleaning complication is disc brakes and has nothing to do with the suspension -- you need to be really careful not spray from the chain towards the discs -- oil contamination is the kiss of death (squeel city). I also made a cover for them when I clean my chain on the bike. I ride to and from all my trails -- sometimes in excess of 30 miles each way. I've also done centuries on it (yea, mostly dirt and back roads, but still roads sigh). For a while last summer, I did a 110 - 130+ mile ride every Saturday for about 2 months. David -- rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/ Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt |
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