Many mountain bikers learn to ride on a hardtail, though that’s mostly driven by budget rather than intention. Still, some argue key bike handling skills are gained through the rough and tumble of a rigid rear end.
Bonus question for the comments: Was your first mountain bike a hardtail or full suspension? Do you wish you started out riding something else?
22 Comments
Oct 10, 2021
But lets suppose money is no object. Back at Uni I had friends, new to the sport, go out and buy full-sus and and manage to keep up with me on my hardtail. I was really surprised how much full sus lowered the technical ability required to ride the same trail.
As a coach I don't often care what people are riding, as long as they are happy and confident on their bike. But there are times when I would recommend one over the other.
*think what is is like moving an e-bike, which is a third (ish) of your body weight, with the battery off, and then imagine a 5 year old moving a bike which is more than half their weight; its hard work and not fun.
Hardtails, and even rigid bikes, are great for learning line choice, body position and flow because you get more feedback at lower speeds so the consequences are lower when it goes wrong. If the situation allows, swapping bikes can really open peoples eyes.
But we all now the real answer: you really should have at least one hard tail and one full sus in your shed!
Oct 15, 2021
Oct 12, 2021
I started mountain biking in 1985 and owned 5 mountain bikes before Rockshox introduced the RS-1, so all of my learning was on rigid bikes. I finally tried a suspension fork in 1995 and got my first full suspension bike in 2008. I've had multiple FS bikes since, but sold my last one in 2017 and I'm back to hard tails now.
Oct 10, 2021
Oct 10, 2021
Oct 11, 2021
Oct 10, 2021
Making a ride last 1 hr is an achievement for a beginner on an HT. They can still pedal, but other parts of them like their ass, back, and wrists start to ache.
Oct 10, 2021
Starting out with a lack of brakes (and susp) will prevent you from even trying a lot of stuff due to self-preservation. People act like this is a good thing, as if it's better to have people stick to beginner stuff for a long time, forcing someone to muster the courage and perhaps shed some blood when moving up, rather than have equipment give the courage to ride higher level stuff sooner and reduce the risk of shedding blood.
I'd mainly consider riding an HT if I were wanting to stuff a quick ride in, and wanted it to be stressful enough to feel fulfilling, and perhaps get a bit wild for some thrills. Another reason to go HT would be if I wanted to handicap myself for a group ride with less advanced riders, which would allow me to feel some suffering alongside them.
Oct 10, 2021
Oct 11, 2021
Oct 16, 2021
Oct 15, 2021
Oct 15, 2021
My first mountain bike was a "12 speed, curly-bar road bike." When I broke the fork, I bought a Giant Talon - 3x9 and no suspension.
I "graduated" to a hardtail, and now I like the "comfort" of my full sus.
Oct 10, 2021
Oct 12, 2021
This question means something totally different now. After years road-riding only because my back couldn't take the punishment, my only modern MTB is a Hightower I bought in 2019, and it's a revelation. Maybe I could climb a little faster on a modern hardtail, but... I'd be a lot more inclined to try a modern short-travel FS bike.
I don't race, and I'm usually not the slowest rider in a group, so I can't imagine why I would try to introduce the "thrill" of underbiking to my MTBing. Why would I expect an inexperienced rider to enjoy struggling more from the start?
Of course, the question is also terrain-dependent. There is a very popular and flowy trail system within an hour's drive where people do ride FS but I'd think a decent gravel bike might be more fun...
Oct 10, 2021
Oct 15, 2021
Oct 16, 2021
Oct 18, 2021
If riding green trails occasionally is all you aspire to, then starting with a full squish and a puffy saddle is great. No worries about line choice, bike positioning, etc. I learned to ride blue and black trails on a Huffy fully back in the day, and I'm really glad I did. Arms and legs were great suspension. Floating over gnar on a 160mm bike is great fun, but doesn't teach riding skills.
Oct 15, 2021
Oct 15, 2021
Oct 15, 2021
the reason it even exists is that it was an easy addon to unsuspended bikes.
it works reasonably well to soften up vibrations on gravel roads and the like, but in gnarly terrain a softtail is better. and a better learner.