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Hey All,

I have a specialized rock hopper with just front suspension... Im just wondering if it might be a good idea to get a front and rear suspension bike???

I havent be riding for to long about 2 months so might be a bit soon.... I like the fast and bumpy trails and the jumps to is i can find them. Do also do general trails that can be up hill and i know having rear suspension dont help with that but how much shuodl it effect the choice??

My bike is surving well but most of what I see online of other people all seem to be front and rear.

What you lot think???

Jordan

It all depends on what style of riding you plan to be doing and your budget

what would be the style of riding and budget?

Mate, I'm on a hardtail for absolute simple reason that I'm learning to go fast and controlled properly

By being on a hardtail I'm doing pretty much what a lot of people do on a full susser.

The only times i have ever thought rear suspension would be helpful would be when trying to clear jumps and be worried about landing to flat scruffily.

Stick with the rockhopper (good frame) and save your money.

I expect that in 2 years time I'd have saved enough money to get whatever I want and have the skills to make full use of the bike.

Dont get drawn in by MBUK banging on with their cute pics of some sweet rides and seeing some hot looking bikes at the trails

If you're proper into biking- you'll appreciate the experience you'll develop and be burning when you get your dream bike.

You also get the good feeling when you find that sometimes youre faster than some guy on a £3k susser down the bike park

Hey,

Cheers for the advice guys! To be fair im still fairly new and havent really been on much of a mix of trails so still trying to find out what i prefer. Was just think coz see so many double suspension bikes that it was much better...

But DMRdan that sounds good.... prob stick with what I got and get better for now and find out what kind of trail I like. Suppose should be chacking different locations at the mo.

Again cheers for the advice

I rode a rockhopper for nearly 5 years before geting more bounce, though I wouldnt recommend leaving it that long

Learn the skills on a the HT and get fit then upgrade.

hth

Got overtaken on the Mega today by a guy on a hardtail

Full sus let's you get away with more so you can make a mistake and get away with it. But as you can ride faster if you haven't honed the basics on a hard tail the offs can be bigger when it does go wrong. This is with dh or freeride style in mind, hard tails are best for dirt jumps, 4x, and I'd say xc but this is more debateable... Ligher better spec of the hard tail vs a bit more comfortable ride.

Just ride yer bike, enjoy your time, experience different types of riding and sometime in the future you will have a clearer idea of what you want a bike to do. We all ride for different reasons so make sure the choice is made by yourself.

Riding a hardtail fast takes skill and will only make you a better rider.

How about a stiff full susser with full lock-outs front and rear? I can fully recommend something like mine, i ride a Gary fisher HiFi pro, it gives me almost the best of both worlds, it climbs like a true mountain goat and can handle far more that i'll ever be able to throw at it. and an armchair ride it is not, and often punishes me when i get it wrong! They are not too common, in fact i've not seen another., but there must be some secondhand ones out there somewhere.
J.A.T

Some great feed back here! thanks all.

Got mixed opinions.... im thinking that the full sus is a good bike and something that I will be getting at some point for sure! but right now going to do some tweeking to mine and stick with the hardtail to whats sounds like from the feed back.. a good way to improve skill.

But as i might aswel start having a look around for good deals and stuff then any sugestions on what is a good, reasonable price full sus would be great!!

Cheers all

Agree with Ninj

In my view your best bet is to ride the trials that are on this site (especially, Epping, Danbury, Chicksands and Aston hill red run)- do them all a few times and decide which ones (and therfore type of riding) you enjoy the most - once you know that then the best weapon of choice will become obvious.

Nigel