North Bristol Mountain Bike Club

no not really mate I am all pro full suss just speaking specifically on the hard tail question by Paul as you could go on all day about pros and cons. It was my view on that specific.

If cash was king then a small travel full suss would be the way to go every time

But if Paul is not luck enough to sleep on a bed of cash such as yourself then a good compromise could be the hardtail.

This is going to turn in to the Hardtail Vs Fullsus debate !

For me a small trail Fullsus bike is the better choice for the new type of trails ( Ashton court, FOD ) ie, smooth hard pact gravel/rock. Now ok the prices is a big (ok biggest) factor.

Hard tails are great fun and make you understand just what a full sus is doing on the trails as it is easy to forget just how much they can smooth things out.

So are we going to have a brake away hard tail group it will be V brakes and bar ends next. ( to be honest I use to like my bar ends )

Will have to blow the dust off my cannondale F3000' though still have V brakes on mine so will learn to have to start braking 2 minutes before I need to stop !

well I have to disagree with there harpers a bit. I found my hardtail ok up there a few weeks ago and it was not the bike being sluggish but more my fitness!! With a decent set of forks I intend to use mine a bit more especially in the winter.

If you get a real cheap hardtail then I agree with all you say but anything 500 quid plus is going to be decent. If paul is looking to go second hand for 400 quid then he could be looking at picking up a bike that was possibly double that when new and therefore a worthy stead.

Paul it may pay you to speak to Paul at zero G and see what they got on offer at the mo as you may be able to pick up a 500-600 pound hardtail for around 400 for new, thats how I got mine. You can then always upgrade more important bits as you go ie as you improve your full suss use these components as upgrades on the hardtail.

You must be liking the smooth trails then Paul , as the hard tail is a dieing breed then I am sure you will be able to pick one up for not a lot of money. The only down side of a cheap bike is the weight, a cheap hardball can still be 30lbs and also the wheels can be made of cheese and fold and the first sigh of a bump

I am sure eBay is your best place to start. Both myself and Glyn have hard tails and even though then get to see the light of day a few times a year they are also slow and hard work on anything other than the smoothest of trails

Good luck with your search and let us know what you get.

Cheers
Lee

Been out on my full suss around AC and wondered what it would be like on a light weight / cheap hardtail and or a rigid.

So, anyone have something suitable or able to suggest something? I am looking to pay no-more than £400 (made up of paypal and cash) as it wont be used very much....

Appreciate your help