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Soft Tail or Thudbuster

3K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  bncrshr77 
#1 ·
New to the 29er scene.....Don't have the money for a good TI frame so will go Aluminum....

Question is......Would I go with something like a Dos Niner soft tail or stick with a hard tail and use a Thudbuster seat post if I feel the need??

Not interested in Full Suspension.

Thanks!!
 
#6 ·
hobiesmith said:
i am still not sold on softails. 1" of travel. a nice big tire with not too stiff of pressure can do one inch. i figure your rear will bounce off the ground while standing with or without 1" of travel. at least a hardtail is lighter and you can add a thudbuster or not
A nice tire, on a softail gives you 2".
 
#11 ·
Another vote for thudbuster/hardtail. When switching back to hardtail after 6 years on a full suspension bike I loved the "connectedness" everywhere except long seated pedals over small roots and rocks. My back would start heating up just a couple miles into it. Now I can pedal through that stuff with no pain but as soon as I put the power down it's all hardtail goodness. Never ridden a softail, though.

Alex
 
#12 ·
I have the long travel (L-T) thudbuster. It ensures that my HT's feel like a HT while pedaling. No wasted energy at all. FWIW I ride ss only. The thud let's me motor through small roots and rocks when spinning. I love it.

And, it goes from bike to bike which a rear shock can't do.
 
#15 ·
moschika said:
question about thudbusters and the like. doesn't it also change your leg extension while pedaling? seems like that would hurt your knees after a while as well as seem "odd" feeling that different pedal strokes wouldn't be consistent.
The Thudbuster moves in an arc, due to the parallelogram linkage. It is supposed to feel less "odd" than the posts that telescope directly towards the bottom bracket.
 
#16 ·
I think the thudbuster is a really cool product, but you would lose all it's benefits as soon as you stood up.

I'd go with the softail. As was said above, that and some low psi high volume tires could give you a lot more traction and a really plush ride.
 
#19 ·
Even though the Dos Niner was one of our most popular products and our first 29er, I personally think that the Thudbuster ST is the best solution to small bump stuff.

Additionally, when combined with a nice light hardtail (like my personal favorite, the El Mariachi Titanium - but I am biased), a Thudbuster can end up lighter than a soft-tail frame and seatpost, as well as be much stiffer torsionally.

Tim
 
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