How To Ride A Hardtail MTB In Technical Terrain

Here at GMBN, we love a good hardtail, but there's no denying that riding a hardtail MTB can be more challenging on certain terrain compared to its full suspension counterpart! Neil Donoghue is no stranger to this, so he's spent the afternoon highlighting some key factors to consider when riding technical terrain on your hardtail, which will help you to go even faster than before!

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Do you like riding your hardtail on technical rocky terrain? Let us know down below! 👇

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Do you like riding your hardtail on technical rocky terrain? Let us know down below! 👇

[LuckyJack]

As a life long hard tail rider - always love the hard tail content !!! Big thing that’s made a difference over the years is a dropper post imo !

[zemog]

Riding a hardtail fast on chunky terrain is like riding a unicycle, keep the front planted and let the rear float wherever. Take full advantage of the quick handling in the precision and responsiveness that hardtails have over suspension bikes. It's definitely not for everybody.

[SparkleDonkey]

Great video! I bought my first mtb, a hardtail, in April for my 54th birthday. I love it for it's versatility and it will ride anything I want to do, including a 500km bike packing trip over the Rockies. On trails, I usually follow along behind more experienced riders than me on their full-sus bikes and have learned tons by following their line, but there are times when I need to find a smoother line or risk a crash. It's really accelerated the learning curve for me. I may upgrade a few parts that are wearing out but I don't have any intention to go full sus at this point since the hardtail is just so much fun. Gotta say though, the dropper post is literally the best thing ever invented. How did anyone ride mtb before droppers!!??

[VictorElGreco]

It also depends on how much uphill vs downhill you expect to ride. You can’t beat the direct, immediate transfer of power while climbing on a hardtail. 💪🏻Going downhill is rough, indeed.

[KabirDhupelia]

My first bike (current bike) is a hard tail and I haven’t found terrain I wouldn’t try yet. I’m sure full sus unlocks a whole new world but I love the direct feel on a hard tail! I switched to clipless recently and that’s made me feel a whole lot more stable on the bike over techy stuff

[ryanmontreal]

👍👍 for hardtails..they don't get enough love✌

[Tonsil]

Riding a hard tail on technical terrain makes you feel like a true mtb rider!

[nikolaibohachevsky]

Thanks Neil, really appreciate this content. I am strictly a hard tail rider, have been forever and just relish the extra challenges. Yea maybe you can’t go as fast but hey it hurts less when you get bucked. The payoff off is the creativity required in finding alternate lines and using the terrain in different ways to smooth your ride; as you point out so well. It feels fast AF so it is fast AF…to me! Only point of yours where I differ is that I run a heavy casing rear tyre(someone else also mentioned beefier tyre use in the comments above) with an insert and do run as low a pressure as possible. With a harder tyre its just too harsh and the grip is even more critical on a HT, soft tyres grip so well! I will adjust the pressure according to terrain; the steeper the softer for sure. Thanks again!

[theo]

I raced on national dh races with my hardtail on flats and inner tubes, it's still amazing and crazy riding one among full suspensions, full adrenaline :))

[charliegarrison]

When I saw the title of this video, I would have bet money it would have been hardtail loving Blake in it. Well done Neil.

[stujm]

Gotta love a hardtail… I ride a lot of techie stuff on my hardtail and love it. I do keep my tyres quite high too. 29 in the back and front, because I’m heavy and it just feels better. The point about trail tyres is something I’ve been thinking about, should I put enduro tyres on? The weight doesn’t bother me too much as I like the workout I get from a heavier bike.
Forgot to mention I ride clipless, makes it so much easier, just set them on the loosest setting you can, just in case…

[Jacksonmontyart]

I was seriously looking for a video just like this last night !

[pochito_javiercito]

More hardtail content please... and no, I'm not being sarcastic.

[paddlefaster]

I still have my Wicked Fat Chance hardtail. I love that bike although there are times that rear suspension would make me feel a lot safer.

[ibanez]

I ride nothing but hardtails - got a bunch of 'em. They're light, easy to throw in a vehicle, and require little maintenance. I set em up firm and slow and huck off everything!

[sampetryszak]

I took my hard tail to mountain creek bike park last weekend and had a blast! My thighs are still burning but I managed really well.

[deedontworry]

Hardtail helped me to become a better rider. But now on enduro bike for the gnalier features like bigger JUMPS and STAIRS! 😈🤘

[fredetricko]

hardtail are soo amazing!!! definitely my fit, go wild anywhere all ride long!

[anitalandkroon]

Great video 😃 I like to ride technical rocky terrain with my fully ❤