Mountain biking is one of the most fun and exciting sports there is if you enjoy being outside in nature, getting some exercise and having a fun ride while doing so. I like to think of mountain biking as a self-directed rollercoaster ride, and the beauty of it is it can be as exciting or as casual as you want it to be. Depending on your riding style, you may wish to ride a hardtail mountain bike, or you may prefer a full suspension mountain bike. This post will get in to the pros and cons of each, and which type of bike may suit you better.
What is a hardtail mountain bike?
A hardtail mountain bike is a bike that typically will have a suspension fork on the front end, but no rear suspension, which is why its referred to as a “hardtail”.
Related: Why Ride a Hardtail Mountain Bike?
What is a full suspension mountain bike?
As the name implies, full suspension bikes have both a suspension fork on the front end, in addition to a rear shock on the back end.
Factors to consider when choosing between a hardtail and full suspension
Some of the things to think about when deciding on whether a hardtail or full squish is right for you are:
- Your riding style
- What trails you are riding
- Types of terrain you ride
- Your experience level
- Your budget
Your riding style
The question of whether you should ride a hardtail mountain bike, or whether you should ride a bike with rear suspension too, comes down partially to your riding style.
If you like to ride hard over obstacles like rocks and roots, a full suspension bike can smooth out the trail for you and allow you to carry more speed over bumps in the trail. It also helps to maintain traction when riding over uneven ground like rocks and roots.
The more aggressively you like to ride, the more likely you are to prefer a full suspension mountain bike.
Some riders are not as aggressive, or they prefer to ride more cross country style trails or even get into cross country racing. This can include a lot of climbs, along with some descents. An advantage that a hardtail mountain bike has versus full suspension bikes is that they tend to be lighter weight, making climbs faster and easier if they are not too technical.
What trails you are riding
One important factor to consider when deciding between a hardtail and full suspension bike is what type of trails you will be riding. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t buy a bike just based on the trails you are riding right now, think about the trails you may ride as you progress in your abilities and your trail preferences change.
Hardtail mountain bikes can be superior to full suspension bikes if you do a lot of trails with climbing and cross country style riding. If you ride trails that tend to have a lot of dirt jumps, aggressive hardtail mountain bikes can be just the ticket, as compressing into the lip of the jump is simplified when you don’t have a rear shock on your bike.
On smooth trails, hardtail bikes can really excel, because they benefit from being lighter weight, while not needing the full suspension because of the lack of bumps on the trail. Even going downhill, if you are riding relatively smooth trails, you should be able to be just as fast on a hardtail as you will be on a full suspension bike.
If the trails you ride are not what you would describe as smooth trails, but more of a bumpy ride, you may wish to consider some full suspension bikes. Having a bike with rear suspension can make all of the difference if the trails you ride result in some big hits or hard impacts.
If your trails are very uneven, with lots of rocks and roots, and include features like rock gardens and drops, a full suspension bike may be more capable at both smoothing out the ride and keeping your tires in contact with the trail allowing for better traction.
Basically, if you are expecting to have a lot of impacts on the trails you ride, a full suspension bike will allow you to ride smoother and faster, and could make your ride more fun.
Types of terrain you ride
Similar to the trails you will be riding, the type of terrain you ride and the terrain you have in your area should be a factor you consider when deciding on a hard tail versus full suspension mountain bike.
If you live in a relatively flat area and have lots of cross country style trails around you, this may make you want to lean towards hardtail mountain bikes.
However, if you’re in a region that is quite hilly and has mountains around, full suspension bikes may be the better choice. Living in a mountainous region likely means you have some serious downhill trails nearby, and you may even have lift access trails you can ride at local ski facilities. For these types of steep descending trails, you are usually going to be better off with full suspension bikes, to handle the impacts that your bike will take on fast descents and drops, and to allow for better traction over rough terrain that you can encounter.
Your experience level
There are a few things to consider with regard to your experience level when deciding on hardtail vs full suspension bikes.
In some ways, full suspension bikes are excellent for newer riders, as it allows them to ride more aggressively over rougher sections of trail, and provides forgiveness if they don’t take the perfect line and end up hitting obstacles and bumps like rocks and roots that they would rather avoid.
A full suspension mountain bike can allow newer riders to go faster, sooner. Having a rear shock definitely will blunt the impact of many mistakes.
With that being said, many riders start on a hardtail bike rather than a full suspension mountain bike, and it often makes sense to do so. For one, while a full suspension mountain bike will allow forgiveness of mistakes due to having a rear shock absorb impacts that otherwise could be a problem, this is actually a reason newer riders may be better off on a hardtail bike.
Learning how to pick the best, smoothest line will become second nature for someone who starts out on a hardtail and doesn’t have the benefit of full suspension on their mountain bike to prevent impacts. Hardtail bikes will also teach newer riders how to use their bodies as natural suspension, by shifting their weight correctly while riding over bumpy or rough terrain, and by manipulating their body position to allow for this.
In the long run, it is likely that all things being equal, the rider who starts out on a hardtail mountain bike will be better and more well rounded than someone who has only ever ridden a full suspension mountain bike.
Your budget
Your budget may be the ultimate deciding factor when choosing between hardtail vs full suspension mountain bikes. Full suspension mountain bikes are more complex and for this reason they normally will be available at higher price points when compared to a hardtail bike.
If you are brand new to the sport of mountain biking, it may not make sense to spend the money it would require to have full suspension on your new mountain bike before getting a taste for how it is to ride out on the trails.
Another thing to keep in mind with full suspension mountain bikes is they will normally require more maintenance due to having more moving parts than a hardtail.
The rear suspension adds another component to your mountain bike that will need to be serviced regularly, and sent for a rebuild every so often. This is something to factor in as far as your mountain bike budget goes.
Conclusion
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of factors you should consider when choosing between hardtail vs full suspension mountain bikes. Keep these things in mind if you are in the market for a new mountain bike and you won’t go wrong.