What I Learned Riding a Hardtail For 30 Days

For the past 30 days, Tom Bradshaw has brought it back to the basics aboard his Commencal Meta HT. He wanted to see what lessons he could learn and if he could get faster on his hardtail after riding it for 30 days straight.

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[solobellimino]

Before i read any comments or watch, I am going to tell you hardtails are fun AF

[brianricketts]

Every time I watch Tom ride, I am sure he is having more fun that anyone else. Love how he laughs no matter if he is stoked or scared. Thank you Tom for being so fun to watch.

[isaacpatz]

Pinkbike: what I learned from riding a hardtail for 30 days.
Me: what I learned from riding an entry level hardtail for 2 years.

[johnnydoe]

I have ridden mtn bikes for almost 30 yrs, owned several full suspension bikes, but I somehow always end up back on a hardtail. The Plus Hardtail was perfect for my style of riding....

[bassheart]

I started mountbiking in the pre-suspension era. Then went directly to full suspension exclusively for the next 40 years. I finally bought my first hardtail at age 65. Love the simplicity and power transfer to the rear wheel when climbing, light weight, and line challenge when descending. No plans to go back to full squish.

[wrench_n_ride]

My hard tail is a single speed. Absolutely love the bike and it teaches you to learn the track. I also have a full suspension trail bike and it is faster and a lot easier on my body but I will be rocking the single speed for several more years. (I will be 59 in August)

[dirtycommtroop]

I've converted to hardtails. Not only does the trail feel more alive but i find the 2.6 width tires at the right psi provide all the shock absorption i need. Without a rear shock nearly all your power is transferred to the rear wheel and overall less maintenance. No settings to adjust. No flipping of a switch to lock out on climbs. It just works. They are also far less expensive!

[thinkup]

After 20+ years of FS bikes, it was a welcomed eye-opener when I got a SC Chameleon last year. The pedaling efficiency and immediate feedback you get from a hardtail is awesome! I love riding that bike, and it's usually a tuff decision on which one to choose when going out for a ride.

[NorthDesigns]

Tom is one of the best additions to the team so far, love that he’s just always having fun and smiling

[camefluch]

It would have been interresting to see if riding the hardtail also improved your time on the FS

[happytravels]

After 15 years on a FS...I switched to a SC Chameleon 27.5 hard tail last year. Haven’t had this much fun since I was a kid. Good FS bikes are just so darn expensive these days. Added maintenance, weight, and rear shocks that go out of date within a couple of years have pushed me back to HT.

[hardtailparty]

Cheers Tom, fantastic riding. Pinkbike is lucky to have you, you bring a lot to the company. Hopefully we can ride hardrails together one day...

[thebeardedman-drenaline]

I got rid of my enduro and only ride a hardtail now, my riding has improved tremendously and I ride the same trails I would on my enduro, feels a little sketchy at times but nothing beats the feeling I get when I'm riding in sink with the trail and my bike🤙

[pojepoje]

hardtail + flats make the most skillful rider XD

[tomaszpetrus]

25 years ago I did things on the Hartail that I would not dare today on my Enduro. Great material. It's fantastic to watch a man who derives genuine joy from everyone everyone has. by bike and on any terrain.

[boxednerd]

I have a pretty decent full squish but I always keep going back to my hardtail. I love hardtails!!!

[sufyanm]

You convinced me to hop on my old diamondback hardtail again. Even though the no-name shimano brakes are nothing compared to my hope e4’s on my trail bike, it was probably the most fun i’d had on my local trail in a while, it was like a brand new experience

[hardtailgang]

I always love seeing some hardtail love! As an exclusively Hardtail rider, I was gifted an old 90s huffy mountain bike recently, which I'm keeping full rigid and turning into a single speed with some cockpit modernization. I'm actually really excited about about having a full rigid bike with 90s geometry. To me, running a "less capable" bike is like turning "assists" off in a racing game, and turns the focus of the ride more on you and less on your bike. Riding the same trails will definitely be slower and rougher, but it will be fun in a whole new way.

[IoStation]

Great video! I'm 49 years old, been been mountain biking off and on for ages, starting with my first Rockhopper Comp in the 90's. I'm mostly trail riding and now doing some XC racing. Never have owned a full suspension bike. I have a Santa Cruz Chameleon on order, supposed to be here in a week or two. I'll get around to a full suspension eventually :D

[dewindoethdwl]

I can’t stop going back to riding my HT. Something raw and edgy, just feels good.