# Hardtail Freeriding...why



## PingGolf91 (May 23, 2007)

I'm thinkin about getting a freeride bike but i dont do alot of big drops just 4-5 feet. Alot of people are telling me to get a hardtail and I can't figure out why. Is there anyone that actually freerides on a hardtail. Is it just because you dont have to use a shuttle to get to the top of the mountain or why is it that you would rather have no suspension when coming of drops and jumps...i cant figure it out?


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## mtnbiker662 (Jun 22, 2004)

Seriously, get a hardtail. It makes you a much smoother/better rider. Full suspension bikes give you a lot of room for error and you'll develop bad habits and get sloppy. Learn on a hardtail and then after a couple seasons upgrade to full suspension and you will be a much better rider.

Plus, hardtails are hella fun and I couldn't stand being without one until I finally picked up a used Kona Scrap over the winter to mess around on.


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## boogenman (Sep 22, 2006)

I hate my hardtail, they're gaayy and no fun for most riding. 
I would never use my hardtail for freeriding, seems silly to me.


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## darkest_fugue (Sep 25, 2007)

when i was a kid i was able to jump a rigid bmx off anything 3, 4, 5 foot ramps, it didnt matter i just seemed to be able to do it i didnt have to learn anything, nowadays i cant seem to jump a full suss bike, i may need more practice and i know i certainly dont have the right bike for it, but with a suspension i seem to have to time the jump better, sometimes the back end gets catapulted up, or i nose dive towards the ground etc, i dont know, a hardtail makes perfect sense to me


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## blender (Oct 28, 2005)

nothing wrong with doing some light freeride on a hardtail. They're really fun to ride, teach you to be a better rider and are a bit cheaper to own/maintain. 

However, if i had a choice, when it comes to freeride and DH lines, I will always pick a fully over a hardtail. When it comes to trail riding, street riding and hitting DJ's, I will always pick a hardtail. 

Nobody says you can't pound in a nail with a screwdriver, or take a screw out with a hammer, both are possible.. but, different tools for different jobs.


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## Rover Nick (Jul 13, 2006)

Blender's got it right.

It comes down to where you ride and how you ride. If is smooth, I'll hit a hardtail all day long. If its rough, hardtails aren't very much fun, IMO. That being said I ride in a pretty rough place(even the xc trails around here beat me up on an HT). And yes, I do own a hardtail and it has made me a bit of a better rider, but its still not that much fun *in the wrong conditions*


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## kenbentit (Jan 2, 2003)

Hardtails keep you honest. It's pretty tough to fly through a rough section on one so you really have to know what you're doing. They are a lot of fun though and will definitely make you faster on the suspension bike. I don't know if I'd want to only have the HT, but if money is tight they're a good option other than getting a cheap suspension ride.


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## kuksul08 (Oct 8, 2006)

A portion of my 'freeriding' includes jumping 4 or 5 feet of stairs to flat which bottoms out my 8 inch travel bike. You don't really want to do that on a hardtail. What would your freeriding consist of?


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## mtnbiker662 (Jun 22, 2004)

kuksul08 said:


> A portion of my 'freeriding' includes jumping 4 or 5 feet of stairs to flat which bottoms out my 8 inch travel bike. You don't really want to do that on a hardtail. What would your freeriding consist of?


I hit stairs like that on my hardtail all the time when doing some urban riding around campus. I've also done it on my Coiler (only 6" travel) and have never bottomed out.


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## balling (Feb 17, 2008)

yeah i do liek 4 foot drops on a hardtail with a revelation fork....no probs at all


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## MTB_prodigy (Jun 16, 2007)




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## rustyskills (Dec 23, 2007)

if you get one check out the evil hard tails and the banshee ones if i find a good deal on one i'd pic one up


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

you can get a much nicer quality hardtail than sus bike for the same $$$ get a ht with a nicer front fork so you have one good piece of sus instead of 2 crappy sus bits.


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## kuksul08 (Oct 8, 2006)

mtnbiker662 said:


> I hit stairs like that on my hardtail all the time when doing some urban riding around campus. I've also done it on my Coiler (only 6" travel) and have never bottomed out.


maybe we're thinking of different stairs because a hardtail would probably break on these  Unless of course you are using trials skills where you go slow and soak up everything with your legs?


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

kuksul08 said:


> Unless of course you are using trials skills where you go slow and soak up everything with your legs?


No wonder you are bottoming out your 8" bike if you are not allowing your legs do any of the work.


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## suicidebomber (Feb 10, 2007)

why not? Its fun.


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## 08nwsula (Oct 19, 2005)

this is the freeride bike everyone should have:


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

i have a 135mm travel hardtail.. and it sure didnt teach me to ride smoother or pick better lines. i like plowing over whatevers in front of me.. or even swerving towards obstacles and bumps to plow over them too 

i would have liked a fs heckler, but i only had ht chameleon money.. so i ended up with the cham  its a great bike, but my riding style is really the same. 

if you're into dropping off stuff and beating the bike up, a fs would probably be a more comfortable ride. 

unless you're racing, get whatevers more fun for you. id rather go out and have as much fun as possible on the bike i like most than nail that perfect line.


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## lelebebbel (Jan 31, 2005)

tomsmoto said:


> i have a 135mm travel hardtail.. and it sure didnt teach me to ride smoother or pick better lines. i like plowing over whatevers in front of me.. or even swerving towards obstacles and bumps to plow over them too


If you don't want to learn, of course you won't. But try going fast on that hardtail, or keeping up with fast people. You'll have no other choice but to learn to be smooth, otherwise you'll just get bucked.


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## BWVDubya (Nov 19, 2007)

I rock my Yeti DJ with a Pike 426 for FR and it seems to be doin just fine. Get a strong fork, wheelset and make sure your frame is strong. 
As rustyskills said, look at Evil and Banshee frames or the TBC Vagrant, even my Yeti is holdin up like a champ

Hardtails are badass


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## carbuncle (Dec 9, 2005)

I have a 6x6 trail bike and a 8x7 freeride bike and my next bike is going to be a Transition Vagrant! Why? Because freeriding on an HT is fun! It forces you to pick better lines and learn (or relearn) better bike handling skills, and it totally changes the way you approach trails. I had an IH Yakuza ht for a while and it was really run to bomb on downhill fall lines and local jump trails!


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## Jim311 (Feb 7, 2006)

kuksul08 said:


> maybe we're thinking of different stairs because a hardtail would probably break on these  Unless of course you are using trials skills where you go slow and soak up everything with your legs?


Dude I've ridden 4-5 foot stair drops on hardtail XC bikes before.... and if you think you can break a freeride hardtail frame you should check out some of the indestructable options from Banshee, Evil, 243, etc.


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## boogenman (Sep 22, 2006)

You can hit huge stair gaps and drops on a hardtail, it just sucks. 
I have done 6' drops to flat on my hardtail no problem, same goes for small stair gaps(4'-5' down 8' out)
A buddy of mine has done a HUGE stair gap on his hardtail many times, it is about 8'-10' down and 12'-15' out. I have done this on my DH bike many times but would never attempt it on a hardtail.


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## zahgurim (Aug 12, 2005)

DH hardails are fun. Like already said, they keep you honest and flowy.

I like to mix it up. 
Sometimes I play on the squishy, sometimes the hardtail. Both equally capable doing the same things, HT you just feel it more...


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## Huck Banzai (May 8, 2005)

FR HT is the shtuf.

Fun fun fun.

reduced margin of error - sure, but unless you're riding massive rock gardens, an HT can tear up anything with the right pilot and attitude.


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## skinnyhippy (Jun 29, 2004)

hardtails are no better or worse than full susser's, just different. 

Speed: a skilled pilot will kick ANYBODY's butt in any terrain on any bike while riding a hardtail.

Comfort: a skilled pilot will nail any drop/jump/stunt in comfort because they are smooth and have command of the bike.

Cost: a well built hardtail can easily be more expensive or less expensive than comparable fs.

Maintenance: all bikes require it. Hardtails give you a slightly larger lazy margin.

Looks: I think FR hardtails are eyecandy for sure.

Motivation: owning a FS & HT will make the "same old trails" fun (if you're sorta bored you know?).

Attitude: HT haters are morons. Grow up and graduate already.

If you've got the dough, buy what you want. If you don't have the dough, buy what you can afford and get dirty. For many, this means buying a hardtail instead of the latest BS susser, no biggee, the most important thing is that the cleanest your bike will ever be is the day you buy it.


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## BWVDubya (Nov 19, 2007)

skinnyhippy said:


> hardtails are no better or worse than full susser's, just different.
> 
> Speed: a skilled pilot will kick ANYBODY's butt in any terrain on any bike while riding a hardtail.
> 
> ...


Great post, very well put


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## RYAN E (Jan 11, 2006)

I do 10-15 foot drops on my 4 inch travel hardtail all the time.


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## BWVDubya (Nov 19, 2007)

RYAN E said:


> I do 10-15 foot drops on my 4 inch travel hardtail all the time.


Dude that photo is sick. I wish we had stuff like that out here in Korea, one more reason I cant wait to get back to Tucson


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## blender (Oct 28, 2005)

RYAN E said:


> I do 10-15 foot drops on my 4 inch travel hardtail all the time.


ryan, not everyone possesses your command of the bicycle :skep:


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## Mad Kobayashi (Nov 29, 2006)

skinnyhippy said:


> a skilled pilot will kick ANYBODY's butt in any terrain on any bike while riding a hardtail.


Word.

jeff


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## neverwalk (May 14, 2005)

Why even bother with a hardtail?

Try this. Talk about going big. Remember, every one of these landings is on concrete.






Oh, yeah, i forgot. No pads or even a helmet either.

It's a question of the desire of the "style" you want to exude while riding. Are hardtails "cooler" or more "Rad"? only the owner/rider can decide, and it should only matter to them.

If not, if you really care about what anyone else thinks, then yer just a poser.


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

Ride whatever you can. Rigid bikes will build your skills faster. Squishy bikes will make some stuff a lot easier. Crying about how lame the bikes you don't have or can't ride well, is weaksauce.


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## =ChrisB= (Aug 8, 2006)

**** you all. just ride what feels right. the only thing that makes any bike better then another is whos havin more fun on it.


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## Djponee (Dec 20, 2006)

hell yea, what ChrisB said, unless you are pro or racing, biking is all about having fun. It doesn't matter what bike you ride, even XC. As long as you ride on dirt, you're god in my book.


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## tibug (Dec 5, 2006)

This thread...why?

Tim


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## tacubaya (Jan 27, 2006)

Hardtail builds up your skills and teaches you how to grab the best lines.
Full suspension is the next step, allows you progress even more and you get less beaten up at the end up the day.

I used a freeride hardtail for year and a half and it built my skill amazingly, now I bought a full suspension and I still think starting with a hardtail was an awesome idea.


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## kenbentit (Jan 2, 2003)

neverwalk: Remember, Ruben isn't human. He's some kind of super being from another planet here to show all the rest of us how much we suk :devil:


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## balling (Feb 17, 2008)

all i gotta say, is i was hitti trails faster today on my hardrock, than the other guys with FS bikes i went with.

IM no expert, but i had a hell of alot more fun, and learn new stuff every day, about bike handling that the FS guys dont have to.

not only does that make me a better rider at the end of the trail for learning something, but i have a huge **** eating grin


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## alexit (Oct 17, 2006)

I can only think of a couple situations where the fully has an -absolute- advantage over the hardtail:

-All else aside, going over really bumpy stuff (rockgardens, etc) is going to be faster on a fully. But that doesn't mean either way is less fun. blasting over roots/rocks is hella fun(can be scary) on a hartail. More of a workout definitely.

-Big air with flat/otherwise sketchy drops. If you ever watch stuff like big air BMX you can see its possible to go huge on a fully rigid bike provided there's a good transfer. 

-MAYBE on skinnies the rear travel eats up a little of the twitchiness

The rest is in your head , fullies can help with confidence in the progression. The feel is going to be different between the two due to the way they ride, but bottom line is neither is going to be any less fun. If you're out riding your bike and having a good time, why even bother to approach the question?


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## Dropdeath (Mar 19, 2008)

My allround bike used for (german)DH, Drops or just have. The Fork got 7 and the frame 6.5 inch.
I ride and jump everything with it but sometimes I wished to have a hardtail because there is a better feeling for the trail.

If I could change times I would buy a 6inch-fork hardtail and just do everthing with it.


Sorry for my english


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## freerider33 (Nov 14, 2005)

neverwalk said:


> Talk about going big. Remember, every one of these landings is on concrete.


 That guy is sicck !!!:thumbsup:

I just built up my Banshee Scratch & the chromoly rides nice.Great geo too.. It was great at the dirtjumps & feels quicker on the 4x compared to my Bullit with the same parts.
For DH it would be fun too.But courses & trails are pretty rough these days.


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## gop427 (Jan 16, 2006)

FR HTs are where it's at. If you are only hitting 4-5 drops you should just use a trailbike ht. No need for fr geometry. HT's will make you smoother, they take to the air better and are relatively more manueverable when airborne compared to a dualie. Here is my FR HT, but it is way to burly for five foot drops. And to the nipplehead bottoming out his 8 inch dualie, learn to LAND. I am including a pic of me yesterday doing a 5 footer on my MKIII and the o-ring never made it to bottom-out on the shock. 

The pic with the copperish colored bike is a Fisher GED, you should look into a GF biggin's frame, or maybe a Specialized P-all mountain, Jamis Komodo, the list goes on. You do NOT need a FR bike for 4-5 foot drops. Go to the AM forum, all of those HT's will do 6-8 foot to flats with aplomb.


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## aznguy (Mar 15, 2007)

kuksul08 said:


> A portion of my 'freeriding' includes jumping 4 or 5 feet of stairs to flat which bottoms out my 8 inch travel bike. You don't really want to do that on a hardtail. What would your freeriding consist of?


ummmm... i.ve done that kind of stair gap on a bmx, let alone a hardtail. It's just all about soaking up the landing properly. 
A hardtail is just a bit more flickable i reckon, it's easier to sort of correct stuff mid air on a hardtail, but that being said, some people will say its more fun on a DS cause it take a lot of the edge off some of the crazier stuff.
If money allows, go with whatever one you think you'd have more fun on. But if money's tight, go with a hardtail cause its better to have a decent hardtail than a cheap DS.


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

You will get beaten to death on a hardtail at some of the bike parks. The brake bumps are bad enough on a fully, a hardtail would not be as fun at all on that stuff. Your bike takes a good beating too.


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## MBMSfreerider (Jul 2, 2007)

i started out with a hardtail xc bike .the fork moved about 1 inch.I did 10-15 oot jumps on it and loved it but needed something better so now i have a full suspension.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

sittingduck said:


> You will get beaten to death on a hardtail at some of the bike parks.


Sounds challenging and fun


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## GiantGeoff (Jun 22, 2007)

I have never ridden DH or FR on a full sus bike. Had a carpark spin on an FS XC bike once. I am a hack.


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## anti-spandex (Feb 6, 2004)

Just keep in mind that this is all about personal preference. This debate could go on forever. I love my FS because there are lots of rough, rocky trails here and it helps me control my landings on some light freeride. I miss my hardtail so much for urban and jumps and more hardpacked trails and plan on getting one soon.
Take your time and maybe ride a friend's bike to see what you like about both. This is a great place to look for advice but in the end you are the only who can decide what's best for you.


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## Windowlicker (Oct 22, 2007)

why wouldnt you want something like this?


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

tibug said:


> This thread...why?
> 
> Tim


MVP right here.

i'll be his wingman.

www.pinkbike.com


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## EVIL E (Feb 28, 2005)

i take my atomlab trailking off the 15' cliff at falls city all the time i hate my full squish up there. all it has is a 06 marzocchi dj 2 smooth as can b.. i rode all of whistler on my p3 even goats gully captian safety all of it. i think a hardtail makes you a smoother rider cause you have to b..i call my demo 8 my 8" of artifical skills bike, dont get me wrong i love that bike on gnarly rooty rocky stuff but it is sweet to do a stunt on a hartail that 4 guys on big bikes won't do...and look at you like you are crazy...plus you can ride street,park and dj it's more all purpose


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

perttime said:


> Sounds challenging and fun


For sure. Along with painful and tiring.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

sittingduck said:


> For sure. Along with painful and tiring.


Ahhhh, even better. Anything that doesn't kill me will make me stronger.


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## spzero (Jan 15, 2008)

08nwsula said:


> this is the freeride bike everyone should have:


Damn that takes the biscuit... lol


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

How come nobody has yet mentioned Knolly's Free Radical (that still is not in production yet). I hope DWF does not mind me quoting him here:



DWF said:


> To be fair to the Knolly, there ain't no HT in the world that won't beat the crap out you on a DH course taken at speed. Angel Fire was hell, after all the practice and race runs I felt like I'd picked a fight with Chuck Norris and held on just long enough to get a good ass kicking. Snowmass and its mogul sized braking bumps made it really hard to hold onto a line and the pedals. Crested Butte and Crankworks were perfect for it. The bike is held back by a lack of skill on my part and I still haven't done a run where I felt the bike was the limiting factor. Making it a little harder, yes, but still my limits and not the bikes. I can't wait to see how it works at Telluride. I have a Knolly V-Tach as a backup for the DH...just in case...but I promised myself I wouldn't DH a dually until I podiumed on the HT. Just one podium is all I ask for...please...


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## danyiluska (Sep 20, 2006)

Riding on a norco sasquatch (37lbs),
i can tell you HARDTAILS ROCK.
Capable of all, but you don't have the
"comfy chair" effect of the fullys.
There are much more ppl riding freeride
hardtails, than you think, and many switching
from FS, like myself.


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## [email protected] (May 9, 2007)

buy both if you have the $

learn on a hardtail

get a full suspension once you have your stuff ready






I rode a ht for almost a year before I got my bighit


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## slothoncanvas (Mar 6, 2007)

perttime said:


> Ahhhh, even better. Anything that doesn't kill me will make me stronger.


or beat your ankles and wrists until they're nearly completely unusable in the later parts of your life...

Hardtails are awesome. I love them. But there's nothing like a good couple of gnarr core shuttles on your fully.


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## dirtydownhill (Aug 11, 2006)

zahgurim said:


> DH hardails are fun. Like already said, they keep you honest and flowy.
> 
> I like to mix it up.
> Sometimes I play on the squishy, sometimes the hardtail. Both equally capable doing the same things, HT you just feel it more...


They are just two different animals and you need them both. I CAN ride steep rocky terrain on my rigid. Is it as much fun? Absolutely not. For quick, jumpy type stuff a big fully just isnt as much fun. Not to mention the same stunt yields a greater sense of satisfaction done on a hardtail.
Oh and zahgurim - I started to get worried when the link for 'small' was an Imperial with a Shiver. Holy [email protected] thats a nice crop there, man!


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## dwnhlldav (Feb 2, 2006)

PingGolf91 said:


> I'm thinkin about getting a freeride bike but i dont do alot of big drops just 4-5 feet. Alot of people are telling me to get a hardtail and I can't figure out why. Is there anyone that actually freerides on a hardtail. Is it just because you dont have to use a shuttle to get to the top of the mountain or why is it that you would rather have no suspension when coming of drops and jumps...i cant figure it out?


Whats your budget? A decent hardtail is a far better option then a cheap FS bike.


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## dpspac3 (Oct 4, 2007)

I ride a sasquatch on the buffer sections of local FR trails I usually use my 7 point on. that bike loves the air, and everyone knows hardtails (still) rule. Don't you worship Earthed 7? Hell, a true test of bike skills is if you can kill it at the DJs. Hardtails?


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## JFoster (Apr 6, 2005)

neverwalk said:


> Why even bother with a hardtail?
> 
> Try this. Talk about going big. Remember, every one of these landings is on concrete.


Wow, are those scenes from a DVD I can get?


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## kenbentit (Jan 2, 2003)

Check here, I'm pretty sure Etnies has that DVD...

http://zinsoo.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/etnies-grounded-ruben-alcantara-part/


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## skiz (Mar 27, 2007)

Yeah dude, get a hardtail, the banshee scratch is a good choice. I used to have a boxxer on mine and it was fun...Now I've set up a rocky mountain flow DJ and with its short chain stay it really fun in the trees. super snappy. but.... I fyour going to be riding somewhere with lift access alll the time, you might as well get a fully.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

lift acess is sooo worth it to have the fully. but dont get me wrong, the fastests 2 guys up at bigsky this year were 2 kids rolling on morphines SS and they killed everyone.

to each his own, but i like to be able to do something after a day of liftriding, not just go home and ice/hot tub till i pass out


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## MTN MAN (Feb 6, 2008)

im about to take the plunge and buy a banshee scirocco after owning 3 full sus bikes( some xc and some all mtn/FR). I wanted to get some of your opinions about if you think i could break it. i know im going to attempt larger jumps and hit extreemly rough terrain at speeds. and does the fact that i weigh 120 w/o armor mean that its unlikley it will break? im olny talking about the frame.


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## saturnine (Mar 28, 2007)

BWVDubya said:


> I rock my Yeti DJ with a Pike 426 for FR and it seems to be doin just fine. Get a strong fork, wheelset and make sure your frame is strong.
> As rustyskills said, look at Evil and Banshee frames or the TBC Vagrant, even my Yeti is holdin up like a champ
> 
> Hardtails are badass


same setup here. right on.


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## EDizzleVR6 (Oct 4, 2007)

saw a guy in santa cruz with a old school hard tail and a dual crown jr. t fork on it, he was mobbin, looked like fun to mess around on


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## antny (Apr 18, 2006)

WTF! monsters on that!?


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## Hesh to Steel (Oct 2, 2007)

I think in this most vital of debates you also have to consider your priorities. I'm probably never going to own a hardtail. Why? Because my priority isn't to become a better rider, and I don't care about DJs. I get to ride twice a month right now, and I only ride at a lift access park. 

Right now my goal is just to be able to ride more difficult trails and at this point that has more to do with developing the necessary testicular fortitude than with skill. 

Bottom line: I'm too out of shape, I don't have enough time, and I don't care enough about having "siqq skillz" to subject myself to a hardtail. 

Its admirable to have a goal like the one mentioned in this thread about not racing dh on an FS bike until getting on the podium with a hardtail. You must get to ride a lot more than I do. my goal is simply to use my brakes less and less each time I ride.

I think its funny that everyone places emphasis on having fun on a bike, but almost every argument for a hardtail has to do with forcing you to become a better rider. You don't HAVE to be constantly trying to get better to have fun. I'm past the point in my life where I need to be constantly trying to improve my performance in my hobbies. I ride bikes for enjoyment, and apply that other attitude to other parts of my life.


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## Jim311 (Feb 7, 2006)

Siqq skillz brah.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

Hesh to Steel said:


> I think its funny that everyone places emphasis on having fun on a bike, but almost every argument for a hardtail has to do with forcing you to become a better rider. ...
> 
> I ride bikes for enjoyment, ....


And you find it incomprehensible that some ride HTs because they enjoy it? You are not alone. I guess that is why nobody puts that forward as an argument any more.

Why argue anyway? After work, I'll go and enjoy my HT... or my FS bike ... haven't decided yet.

I don't care what bike you are riding.


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

Hesh to Steel said:


> I think in this most vital of debates you also have to consider your priorities. I'm probably never going to own a hardtail. Why? Because my priority isn't to become a better rider, and I don't care about DJs. I get to ride twice a month right now, and I only ride at a lift access park.
> 
> Right now my goal is just to be able to ride more difficult trails and at this point that has more to do with developing the necessary testicular fortitude than with skill.
> 
> ...


great post. I disagree of course, but that post sums up alot of things very well.

I rode hardtail for a long while. I got better as a rider, but there was more to it then that. I wasn't worrying about how my suspension was setup, I wasn't worry about x y and z, I was just out having a good time. It was a little harsher on my ankles (and I eventually had to stop because it was too harsh) but I had a way more fantastic time and much less worry while I was riding. It was good times. The experience of the ride is more fun with a FS for me, but the experiences I gain from the ride are much better with the HT. I donno if that makes sense, but theres definitely something worthwhile to riding a HT DH. When I can afford one again, I will get one


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## Hesh to Steel (Oct 2, 2007)

I don't think having fun using an HT for dh is incomprehensible. It just seems like everytime anyone in this forum mentions "hardtail" and "DH" in the same sentence there are immediately fifteen replies, basically all saying "better flow, pick better lines, make you a better rider". Which is all great if you actually want to become a better rider. 

My thing is, if I switch to a hardtail now, I'll immediately have to ride slower, and it'll limit the number of trails at the park that I can ride. Then once I get used to it and up my skill level, I'll have to go through a readjustment period trying to get used to suspension again. If my goal was to become a better rider, then sure, its worth it, but if not, it was just a waste of valuable riding days going through all that adjusting and readjusting.

I feel like continuing to ride my dh bike will allow me to get faster quicker, and will allow me to ride harder trails sooner. So if there's anyone else out there in my position, switching to a hardtail from an FS bike is sort of useless.


I don't know if any of that made sense. Probably not.


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## Gruntled (Jul 7, 2008)

08nwsula said:


> this is the freeride bike everyone should have:


Cranium extraction from posterior required.....


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