So last night, a garage break-in resulted in my second full-suspension bike stolen in the past year. This was a Giant Trance 2 that I only bought 6 months ago after my previous bike (a much loved Gary Fisher HiFi Pro) was stolen with a pair of bolt cutters off the roof of my car. <sigh>
So aside from the issue that I'm going to treat bike security like Fort Knox from now on (and basically keep my bikes in my bedroom at every minute except when I'm riding them)...I'm evaluating my finances and, at the moment, feeling very reluctant to drop another $2K+ on a full-suspension 29er.
Which has me considering a hardtail (just for the cost savings). My first mountain bike was a full-suspension bike and I've never ridden a hardtail in my life (other than my road bike).
My question for the group (which I know could raise some dust) is: would I hate riding a hardtail after only riding FS bikes? Would it be like night-and-day in terms of comfort?
Or is there a chance I'd find a hardtail light, responsive, and liberating?
I do recognize much depends on the kind of riding I do, which is easy to describe: I ride almost entirely XC trails-relatively smooth, not-too-technical trails (I live in Oregon) over rolling terrain (as much climbing as descending) and sometimes ride unpaved forest roads.
I don't ride Xtreme technical stuff, don't get big air, never jump, don't ride gnarly DH runs at ski resorts-don't do any of that stuff. (I don't race either.) I'm 57 years old, and while I'm a solid advanced rider, I ride for relaxation and fitness-not to push my limits.
And I'd say on a typical ride I probably spend as much time on the seat as standing.
Finally, I'd add all of this assumes I could spend $1000-1200 and get a nice hardtail bike with a 1x11 or 1x12 drivetrain (which I absolutely want). I haven't even checked prices or reviews yet...so if, in reality, the cost difference between a good hardtail and a low-end FS bike has become negligible, then maybe this is all moot and I should just go buy another FS bike? (My point is to save money!)
And sure, I'm open to a 2nd-hand FS bike as well...but it's gotta have the 1x11/12 drivetrain (so can't be too old).
Scott
PS - Yeah, I know there are plenty of folks here who think spending $2k on a bike is peanuts. Let's just say you are in an entirely different financial world than I'm in now!
So aside from the issue that I'm going to treat bike security like Fort Knox from now on (and basically keep my bikes in my bedroom at every minute except when I'm riding them)...I'm evaluating my finances and, at the moment, feeling very reluctant to drop another $2K+ on a full-suspension 29er.
Which has me considering a hardtail (just for the cost savings). My first mountain bike was a full-suspension bike and I've never ridden a hardtail in my life (other than my road bike).
My question for the group (which I know could raise some dust) is: would I hate riding a hardtail after only riding FS bikes? Would it be like night-and-day in terms of comfort?
Or is there a chance I'd find a hardtail light, responsive, and liberating?
I do recognize much depends on the kind of riding I do, which is easy to describe: I ride almost entirely XC trails-relatively smooth, not-too-technical trails (I live in Oregon) over rolling terrain (as much climbing as descending) and sometimes ride unpaved forest roads.
I don't ride Xtreme technical stuff, don't get big air, never jump, don't ride gnarly DH runs at ski resorts-don't do any of that stuff. (I don't race either.) I'm 57 years old, and while I'm a solid advanced rider, I ride for relaxation and fitness-not to push my limits.
And I'd say on a typical ride I probably spend as much time on the seat as standing.
Finally, I'd add all of this assumes I could spend $1000-1200 and get a nice hardtail bike with a 1x11 or 1x12 drivetrain (which I absolutely want). I haven't even checked prices or reviews yet...so if, in reality, the cost difference between a good hardtail and a low-end FS bike has become negligible, then maybe this is all moot and I should just go buy another FS bike? (My point is to save money!)
And sure, I'm open to a 2nd-hand FS bike as well...but it's gotta have the 1x11/12 drivetrain (so can't be too old).
Scott
PS - Yeah, I know there are plenty of folks here who think spending $2k on a bike is peanuts. Let's just say you are in an entirely different financial world than I'm in now!