Do I need a new bike?

[Random84]

About 12 months ago I got my first full suspension MTB and really enjoy riding it, it's the first time I've ridden 29 inch wheels and at first they felt huge but I'm getting used to how they just roll over everything!

I live in North Wales and the Gwydyr trail is fairly local. I really enjoy riding around the trail but recently I've wondered how it would be on a 29er hardtail? I remember taking my old 26inch wheel hardtail Cannondale and remembering it was really hard work and couldn't workout why I was stopping constantly but everyone else was just rolling over all the technical parts (I can now see why having ridden a full suspension 29er!).

Do I really need a hardtail or am I fooling myself that a 29er hardtail is much easier than a 26inch hardtail?

I was looking at something like this:

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/mountain-bikes/trail-...

I've already convinced my self that it would make a good winter bike on the trails as there is less maintenance.

[Greendubber]

You can never have too many bikes.....

.....sorry I'm not helping!

In all seriousness I'm in the kind of opposite scenario to you. Got myself a hardtail after years on a full sus Santa Cruz and I do love the hardtail, it keeps me on my toes and it's a riot but I think I want a full Susser again now.

I'd stick with what you've got unless you're dripping in cash

[Random84]

You can never have too many bikes, I remember getting my first proper mountain bike and thinking I've got the bike and only need one or two extras (pump, puncture repair kit etc.) things have escalated very quickly since then!

Definitely not dripping in cash but you know when you get that itch, start doing a bit of research, looking at eBay and before you know it it's new bike day!

29er hardtail just seemed like a handy addition, especially over the winter.

[GravelBen]

I have no idea what your local trails are like (other side of the world to me!), but I do love a good hardtail and I'm glad I have both hardtail and full sus options in the garage.

I enjoy the direct responsive feel and efficiency of a hardtail, and they are certainly easier to clean mud off than full sus and simpler lower maintenance. Also good for learning/reinforcing better technique which you can then translate to any bike you ride.

Personally I prefer more 'trail' geometry (slacker head tube angle etc) than the Grand Canyon which is leaning closer to XC geo, but that all depends on your trails and riding style etc.

I have a Merida Big Trail 500 (upgraded more like the Big Trail 600 now) and its a great handling and capable bike, I'd ride anything on it that I would on a short travel full sus.

Longer rougher descents and bigger drops etc are where a full sus still has a significant advantage though. Sure a good enough rider can ride almost anything on a hardtail (check out hardtail party youtube channel for reference), but you do get beaten up and fatigued much faster on rough trails.

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 4th July 01:40

[TT1138]

You don’t ‘need’ a hardtail, but they’re a very fine addition to a garage, and obviously the correct number of bikes is one more than you already have…

Climbing, a modern 29er hardtail will be miles better than a 26er. Descending they’re about the same, except you’ll be going about double the speed on the 29er.

The Canyon looks good, but it’s a little too XC hardtail in my opinion (unless that’s what you’re after). A modern trail hardtail (64/65 degree head angle) will let you do everything the Canyon will do, plus a lot more.

I seem to have become an unpaid sales rep for Ragley on here but this would be a very good bet.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/ragley-big-w...

[President Merkin]

Echoing Ben above, firstly hard tails are awesome. They're fast, direct, lighter than your full suss & easier to live with. The boring part is on the geometry. The Canyon you're looking at has 68 degree head angle. That is steep for a bike heading for a life on the trails, where the trend is for slacker angles around 65 degrees.

Stuff like this is partly a compromise on the part of the designer & partly what suits you as a rider - a steep head angle will make the bike a good climber at the expense of downhill handling & vice versa. The best thing is to demo a few with distinct geometries & go for the one that suits your overall riding style.

[GiantCardboardPlato]

Have only read the thread title but i reckon the answer is “probably not”

[bobbo89]

I love having a hardtail, very different thing to ride that transforms your usual trails into something else. No-one really 'needs' any more than one bike unless riding cross discipline but it's nice to have the option of which bike to take. I find it quite a motivator to getting out too, the idea of doing a ride you've only ever done on the fully on the hardtail instead....

I'l echo the comment above though and say you want something a bit slacker with maybe slightly more aggressive geo. That'll be good for climbing but be massively compromised on the downhills.

[Random84]

Thanks for the advice, it's so easy to be blinded by the bling on bikes and forget the basics!

I've never heard of Ragley before (I've been in to road bikes more than mountain bikes), the mmmbop seems like great value but 27.5 wheels and I would prefer 29:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/ragley-mmmbo...

The big Al seems really good as well:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/ragley-big-a...

Edited by Random84 on Tuesday 4th July 11:05

[GravelBen]

The Ragleys do look good, nice geometry and component choices.

The Mmmbop is a 27.5" wheel version, Big Wig and Big Al are 29" - steel frame vs alloy so I imagine the Big Al is a bit lighter and the Big Wig a bit more damped feeling on rough stuff.

Also just something to be aware of if you tend to be in-between bike sizes like me, hardtails feel longer for their geometry measurements than an equivalent full sus (because only the front has suspension to sag under your weight, the front dives away from you a bit in compression while a full sus squats in the middle).

[missing the VR6]

Random84 said:

Thanks for the advice, it's so easy to be blinded by the bling on bikes and forget the basics!

I've never heard of Ragley before (I've been in to road bikes more than mountain bikes), the mmmbop seems like great value but 27.5 wheels and I would prefer 29:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/ragley-mmmbo...

The big Al seems really good as well:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/ragley-big-a...

Edited by Random84 on Tuesday 4th July 11:05

I've got an Mmbop with a fork and brake upgrade and it's an absolute weapon. It's been to Bike park Wales and performed admirably. I've a far more upmarket full sus but unless the day is going to be a big one I generally take the Ragley. I absolutely love it.

[Pablo16v]

I've had three Ragley hardtails over the past 13 years. A Blue Pig, back when 26" wheels were still a thing, and two Bigwigs. My daughter is now riding my current Bigwig so I'm really tempted to try and pick up a cheap second hand Big Al frame to build myself a new fun light long travel hardtail.

[bobbo89]

Ragley make nice frames and spec their full builds well, I'd have one. As for 27.5 over 29, in an ideal world I'd say you need to try them both.

I've had both a 27.5 and 29 hardtail and whilst the 27.5 was more agile and playful you can't get away from how much a 29'er just motors through everything so much faster.

All depends on your height too as at 6'2" I'm much more suited to a 29'er.

[JagYouAre]

Random84 said:

You can never have too many bikes, I remember getting my first proper mountain bike and thinking I've got the bike and only need one or two extras (pump, puncture repair kit etc.) things have escalated very quickly since then!

Definitely not dripping in cash but you know when you get that itch, start doing a bit of research, looking at eBay and before you know it it's new bike day!

29er hardtail just seemed like a handy addition, especially over the winter.

Just remember the correct number of bikes lies somewhere between n+1 and d-1

Where n is the number of bikes you already own, and d is the number of bikes that would trigger divorce proceedings (I think this comes from 'the rules')

I have been in your position many times (mainly road bikes) but generally I try and think about it for a good long while and if the urge goes away it probably means I didn't need one. I now have a full on road bike (my bike pride and joy), plus a gravel bike that is my do it all family ride/off road steed, but I am often considering whether I need a more relaxed road bike for the 200km+ rides I do, or a mountain bike for more off roady stuff.

[Random84]

JagYouAre said:

Random84 said:

You can never have too many bikes, I remember getting my first proper mountain bike and thinking I've got the bike and only need one or two extras (pump, puncture repair kit etc.) things have escalated very quickly since then!

Definitely not dripping in cash but you know when you get that itch, start doing a bit of research, looking at eBay and before you know it it's new bike day!

29er hardtail just seemed like a handy addition, especially over the winter.

Just remember the correct number of bikes lies somewhere between n+1 and d-1

Where n is the number of bikes you already own, and d is the number of bikes that would trigger divorce proceedings (I think this comes from 'the rules')

I have been in your position many times (mainly road bikes) but generally I try and think about it for a good long while and if the urge goes away it probably means I didn't need one. I now have a full on road bike (my bike pride and joy), plus a gravel bike that is my do it all family ride/off road steed, but I am often considering whether I need a more relaxed road bike for the 200km+ rides I do, or a mountain bike for more off roady stuff.

That's very good advice. I've currently got three road bikes, full suspension 29er and and old 26inch MTB.

I said I was going to get rid of the 26inch MTB when I got the 29er full suspension, if I got a white 29er hardtail it could take the place of the 26 inch MTB and she probably wouldn't notice it's a different bike

[bobbo89]

JagYouAre said:

Just remember the correct number of bikes lies somewhere between n+1 and d-1

Where n is the number of bikes you already own, and d is the number of bikes that would trigger divorce proceedings (I think this comes from 'the rules')

"Have you bought another bike?"

"Nah it's just one I've put together out of a load of spare parts I had knocking about"

[JagYouAre]

Random84 said:

That's very good advice. I've currently got three road bikes, full suspension 29er and and old 26inch MTB.

I said I was going to get rid of the 26inch MTB when I got the 29er full suspension, if I got a white 29er hardtail it could take the place of the 26 inch MTB and she probably wouldn't notice it's a different bike

Yeah a one-in-one-out policy at this point is probably the best course of action, but as you've already correctly identified the 'out' bit never seems to happen

[stepaway]

Always buy a 2nd, 3rd, 4th bike the same colour as bike number 1. Much easier to sneak it past without arousing any suspicion.

My shed currently has 24 black bikes in it, god knows what would happen if Mrs Stepaway ever went in there

And the answer to the original question is obviously yes!

[RC1807]

JagYouAre said:

Just remember the correct number of bikes lies somewhere between n+1 and d-1

Where n is the number of bikes you already own, and d is the number of bikes that would trigger divorce proceedings (I think this comes from 'the rules')

//SNIP//

Yep, sounds about right!

[ALawson]

I have just bought my son a Kona Kahuna 2022, reasonably priced. His first MTB, I am now eyeing up my first MTB since a Marin Mount Vision got nicked in 2003 (Bombers full Big Un Hopes).

Well the wife did say I would need to got out with him as only 12. Cycle to work will be used. May get a hard tail but the “type” of full suspensions bikes is baffling. Ideally something for XC and Swinley.

Got a road bike and not convinced getting a gravel bike is a good idea if entertaining some jumps.