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Hardtail Vs. Softtail

1K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Craig T 
#1 ·
I race mountain bikes XC. I started in 2003 on specialized fsr, and still race on an fsr. I am going to buy a new frame. Either an epic, kona king, or a HARDTAIL kula primo. I've never ridden a hardtail, and I want some feedback. I would save about 2 pounds going to a hardtail. I feel that the time you mkae up going uphill far exceeds the time you save going downhill with rear suspension. Help!
 
#2 ·
what about your back?

Your back will not thank you if you go back to a hardtail. Also, the deeper you get into a race the more you benefit from full suspension. For the first half hour to an hour you might actually be faster on a hardtail, but then your gonna start to feel the pain as that two hour mark comes around. That's assuming that your doing two hour races.

I found the FSR to be too active for racing. This may be tainting your opinions about the efficiency of full suspension for racing. But there are full suspension designs out there that are much more appropriate for racing. Epic, NRS, Fuel, etc. are designs that give their riders definite advantages over hardtail riders.

I have an NRS that weighs about 24 pounds and I don't even notice the difference in weight from when I rode a 22 pound hardtail. I'm still keeping up on the climbs just fine. So I would say avoid using a hardtail as your primary racing bike, but be sure you pick an efficient full suspension frame that will actually give you an advantage over hardtails.
 
#3 ·
By softail are you referring to full suspension? Because there's a difference between a softail and a full suspension bike-although both offer rear travel.

Castellano Designs makes a really nice softail bike, believe it's called the Fango. Offers 1.25" of rear travel. Frame weight is listed at 4.3 or 4.4 lbs for an 18".

I think good softails are great for racing and most types of XC riding. Lighter weight, less maintenance, no pedal bob, while offering many of the benefits of full suspension.

Craig T
 
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