I’ve only ridden hardtails with super short chainstays (Chromags and Konas) but it hasn’t felt weird to me. Could it be that, because the rear wheel doesn’t move vertically relative to the rest of the frame under load and pumping like a full suspension, a shorter rear end on a hardtail will give a similar sense of balance? I could see long chainstays on a hardtail making it potentially quite difficult to get the front end up, and might be a bit overwhelming when the rear end goes over a square hit, which is translated directly to pitching you forward. Just my theory...
I’d be interested to hear from people with experience with both short and long rear ends on hardtails.
Sept. 23, 2020, 11:37 p.m. - DMVancouver
I’ve only ridden hardtails with super short chainstays (Chromags and Konas) but it hasn’t felt weird to me. Could it be that, because the rear wheel doesn’t move vertically relative to the rest of the frame under load and pumping like a full suspension, a shorter rear end on a hardtail will give a similar sense of balance? I could see long chainstays on a hardtail making it potentially quite difficult to get the front end up, and might be a bit overwhelming when the rear end goes over a square hit, which is translated directly to pitching you forward. Just my theory... I’d be interested to hear from people with experience with both short and long rear ends on hardtails.