hardtail or dually mt. bikes which one do you prefer/expla

[noleman11]

I perfer a hardtail because of it's singletract handeling,and climbing ability,and light weight.A hardtail last alot longer too.For xc it's the best way to go.

everytime you go up steep terain a dually sinks down in the rear.that gives you drag. :rockon:

[Sombeech]

I don't climb.

Dual suspension all the time, problem solved.

[blueeyes]

I have a hardtail and a dual suspension.

Love the dual just lock out the back when I climb and unlock coming down. Best of both worlds.

[greyhair biker]

If you HAD to go with one bike for all riding - cross country/XC/trailriding then I'd go with a full suspension with a lockout on both the front AND the rear. RockShox has several that fit in this category:
http://www.sram.com/taxonomy/term/20/brand/rockshox/src/rt
- another one of my favorites - Fox suspension fork
http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/10/forks/32_F29

As for a rear shock you can hardly beat a Fox Shock:

http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/10/shocks/FLOAT/RP23

You can find these on many bike models and should look around at several bikeshops to test them out.

[TreeHugger]

Ditto what GHB said... IF you only had to have one.

However, having said that, I find that I ride my hardtail almost exclusively now... primarily because it climbs like the dickens. If you live in UT, ya gotta climb. It's a 29er so it soaks up a lot of the rough stuff that a full suspension bike takes. I even rode it at 24 hours of Moab, but on my third lap, I switched to the full sus because my back was getting sore and fatigued, but other than that, my hardtail is pretty much all I ride now - I havent found too many trails that really NEED a full suspension other than some stuff in Moab.

[greyhair biker]

Ditto what GHB said... IF you only had to have one.

However, having said that, I find that I ride my hardtail almost exclusively now... primarily because it climbs like the dickens. If you live in UT, ya gotta climb. It's a 29er so it soaks up a lot of the rough stuff that a full suspension bike takes. I even rode it at 24 hours of Moab, but on my third lap, I switched to the full sus because my back was getting sore and fatigued, but other than that, my hardtail is pretty much all I ride now - I havent found too many trails that really NEED a full suspension other than some stuff in Moab.
I prefer a Surly Karate Monkey for a hardtail 29'r - such a SWEET bike!
I have an AtomLabs TrailPimp2 for my hardtail right now but it's primary use is a jump park bike - single speed, Marzocchi Bomber Dirt Jumper fork - you would'nt want to use it for an all out trail bike but for jumps and the pump park...wow! It's just too HARD for me to settle on just one bike! :haha: :popcorn: ------I just rebuilt my Rocky Mountain RM9 downhill monster....put 26" KORE DH wheels front and rear, new Maxxis Mobsters 2.7 FR & RR, and rebuilt the Marzocchi Shiver 200mm fork. Aiieeecarammmba! :cool2:

[TreeHugger]

Ditto what GHB said... IF you only had to have one.

However, having said that, I find that I ride my hardtail almost exclusively now... primarily because it climbs like the dickens. If you live in UT, ya gotta climb. It's a 29er so it soaks up a lot of the rough stuff that a full suspension bike takes. I even rode it at 24 hours of Moab, but on my third lap, I switched to the full sus because my back was getting sore and fatigued, but other than that, my hardtail is pretty much all I ride now - I havent found too many trails that really NEED a full suspension other than some stuff in Moab.
I prefer a Surly Karate Monkey for a hardtail 29'r - such a SWEET bike!
I have an AtomLabs TrailPimp2 for my hardtail right now but it's primary use is a jump park bike - single speed, Marzocchi Bomber Dirt Jumper fork - you would'nt want to use it for an all out trail bike but for jumps and the pump park...wow! It's just too HARD for me to settle on just one bike! :haha: :popcorn: ------I just rebuilt my Rocky Mountain RM9 downhill monster....put 26" KORE DH wheels front and rear, new Maxxis Mobsters 2.7 FR & RR, and rebuilt the Marzocchi Shiver 200mm fork. Aiieeecarammmba! :cool2:

My husband has a Karate Monkey and LOVES it!! Mine is a SuperFly.

[accadacca]

I don't climb.

= You walk. :lol8:

[nd11nc]

I rode a hard tail for six years and finally got my full suspension, I love the ability to climb with it and enjoy bombing down hills in luxury.

[KanyonKris]

My mountain bike history: fully rigid, front suspension, full suspension, hard tail 29er. Full suspension 29er is next (just need to build it up).

The hard tail 29er has been a fun throw-back. I love it for short rides. But it worked me over on long, rough rides.

The full suspension 26" bike is more fun - the suspension works for you so you can focus on riding.

I'm hoping the full suspension 29er will be the best of both worlds.

I've had lock-outs, tried them for a while, found they didn't make that much difference in my recreational riding and stopped using them - full squish all the time. I loose a little energy in the suspension, but pretty much all suspensions these days are efficient enough for my taste and I prefer to have it always on.

[REDFOX]

I prefer the full suspension bikes, I don't mind stretching, I mean walking my bike once in a while. The downhill sections are smooth sailing. I sat on a downhill bike back in 1998 and was determined to own a plush bike someday. That first bike was a karpiel that belonged to Kris Baughman. I started with 2.5 " of rearwheel travel then 4", 5", 6", 7",8", and I am now riding a 9" travel bike. My next bike will probably be a 5" or 6" travel freeride bike. Downhill racing doesn't seem to be in my future plans anymore. Todays models have evolved significantly, you would be happy with any name brand bike.