Five Reasons Why You Should Ride A Hardtail Mountain Bike

There are a ton of reasons to ride a hardtail mountain bike. In this video, I give my top 5 reasons why I prefer hardtails over full suspension bikes.

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My E-Bike:

#hardtail #mtb

[jamesb]

Ti Hardtail here all day long. All my buddies were pushing me towards a full suspension but could only regurgitate generic reasons when I asked them why. Have fun and go rip! Who cares what it’s on

[Ricky]

Riding with my wife a month or two ago she was on a FS she borrowed from her dad and was just whipping through stuff. At one point on the trail she starts saying "I'm invincible on this bike! I can do no wrong on it!" And that solidified my resolve to stay on a hardtail. If all you want to do is get from A to B as fast and as comfortably as possible then sure, go full suspension. But that's not what I'm after when I hit trails. I'm there for the exercise and to push my skills and to experience the trail, not to glide over it. I don't want the bike to do all the work for me, that's why I'm on a bike instead of a motorcycle. 100% agree with all your points.

[susieuramoto]

I switched to a hard tail after my stump jumper was stolen. I totally agree with you! I find that I'm riding more often because I like the challenge. And I feel my skills have improved greatly (out of necessity). I love it!

[williamwerk]

I have both a hardtail and a full squish. Both are great tools. My full squish gave me a lot of confidence that I don't think I would have ever had with only riding a hardtail and I now ride my hardtail on terrain that I would have never dreamed of because of the confidence I gained from the full squish.

[tossimerlin]

Absolutely.... I really love to ride the cheapest bike I have.... My hardtail.... I use it more often than my fully or my e-bike. I have a Cc-Hardtail and changed some parts to make it more comfortable. Gravel Bikes... don't need it. A Hardtail is just the perfekt Do it all bike. I like the direct feeling, the 1 to 1 Response and propulsion. Hardtails are fantastic!

[mikeleahy]

I did the same thing. When it came time to retire my fully, a very capable Specialized FSR (which fetched an amazing sum even with 8000 miles on it) I went to a hardtail. I'm an older guy and I just don't bash down sick & gnarly trails much any more. I bought a Scott Scale 29er and the thing is a damned rocket. The only time I've ever broken anything was riding in the dark without a light and interacting with some sturdy trail furniture. Rubber side down, brothers and sisters

[markstevens]

When I bought my Rockhopper, almost immediately people and the shops started telling me to go dual suspension. I am so glad i didn’t listen. I love my HT. Now I’ve upgraded the bars to the Moloko bars, it’s a perfect fit! Great video

[masonpassey]

Totally agree with you on #5! I love to push myself on the bike and be on the edge of chaos. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of trails in my area that will make you feel that way with a big enduro bike. But on the hardtail, it makes easier trails make you feel more dangerous and fun!

[bertgroeneveld]

Just love my hardtail. Especially in The Netherlands where the times and places you can use a Fully is limited. After riding HT for many, many years I just bought my first EMTB HT !

[cyclingnerddelux]

I train for and race in mountain bike endurance races. I rode a hardtail my last event and loved it. I really felt light on the climbs. Hello from Austria.

[dirtycommtroop]

I like the simplicity of my hardtail. Not having to lock out the rear shock everytime I had a challenging climb and more bike to service. It makes rides more challenging and fun. With the right tire/pressure combo it's not has bad as people think. I found that most of the time you don't even need a FS. People are riding enduros on flow trails with a few rocks.

[stephenlogan]

I'm totally hearing you. Good points. I guess it's a matter of what you want to get out of your excursion on the trail. One other thing to consider - age. I'm 65. I rode a hard tail for years until I took the plunge with a FS. Man! Do I love it! More comfort, longer riding, overall more satisfaction. Thanks.

[canadianroot]

I honed my "skills" on a hardtail. I'm glad I did. Just as I'm glad that I ride a full-suspension now. I didn't start MTB until I was about 46. I'm 61 now, ride about 2-4 times a week in the forest, with some good twisty and technical up and down sections, and appreciate not having to absorb everything in my bones. Having said that, all 5 points in the video have merit.

[bicyclist]

I have to say, I completely agree. I bought my very first hard tail 2 months ago. I've been riding mountain bikes since 1995. My carbon full suspension bike is completely worn out. It has lateral play in the rear and creeks when I ride it. All the bushings need replacing and I can't get any as they don't make this model any more. I will never go with a 29er or even 27.5 wheels. I'm a die hard 26er for life. Thanks.

[cyphen]

I spent two years on a hard tail, and just recently upgrades to a good FS, and it is awesome. I am never going back to a hard tail. I dont regret it, and I think I did learn a lot, but once you have learned the technique and can afford an FS, go for it!

[MindfulScott]

Also hard tails have an uphill riding advantage, that's a huge bonus.

[RyanVillamonte]

It took me a while to figure out why I've never liked FS bikes, but I think it boils down to the type of riding I do, like you said. I like long, slow, techy dirt singletrack and XC trails, where a full squish gains you nothing and loses you half your pedal power. Maybe I've just never ridden a nice enough bike, but FSs always completely kill my pedal power and make even the tiniest hill an ordeal. I don't like extended techy/intense downhills on hardtails OR full squishes, and even when I do them, my legs do enough work as shocks. I'm young, though, so that's definitely subject to change over the next twenty or thirty years.

[Asthbendriel]

Had an old full sus, changed it for a modern hardtail, and I'm enjoying every second of it to be honest.

Most of the natural trails here don't need the rear suspension that much to be honest, so I'll be enjoying how lively this thing is for many years to come.

[taylorpage_golf]

Hell yea, I sold my Canfield Balance for a Nukeproof Scout last year and I’m having the time of my life on it. Everything feels way more rowdy. Pedaling is super efficient. And the bike is so quiet and solid feeling. I would bring this bike anywhere including bike parks and it would be a blast

[malm]

I feel a lot of people's experiences on a hardtail are cheap xc bikes or big store bikes. while these are good for getting into the sport they don't have very good geometry for trails and jumps and people just assume that all hardtails are like that and buy a full suspension. I was incredibly surprised at just how much better and smoother my proper trail hardtail was compared to my cheap xc one and so far I still prefer my hardtail over a full suspension for the stuff I've ridden.