who rides hard tail?

Why do I ride a hardtail?

Well, at the moment it's because I'm waiting for parts on my FS bike, but usually when I do it's because I want to.

It's for none of the reasons suggested above. My hardtail weighs more than my Nomad. I hate riding it on long rides, and I don't like riding smooth trails ever, unless they have big jumps on them, are called Aline and I'm on my way down from Garbo. And I don't really see it as being simplistic (certainly not when you're trying to pick a line).

The number one reason I ride a hardtail in places like Garbo zone is because it takes exactly 3 roots before I'm switched on and fired up. None of this 2 lap warm up wake up shit on a DH bike. Nothing like getting the sense knocked into you 3 seconds into your first run and then you're ready to rip.

Number 2. It makes familiar trails new again and it makes easier trails harder. I like to ride it sometimes when I ride with my wife. It's supposed to slow me down, but it usually just makes me act sillier.

Number 3. It does wonders for your 'beatdown fitness'. Want to get good at taking abuse from bulk DH laps? A couple of days on the hardtail here and there will make riding top to bottom non stop laps on a DH bike feel much easier.

Number 4. I don't give a shit what anyone else thinks, but I feel like a rockstar in my own head when I destroy a high speed rough section, especially when I'm tailing someone on a DH bike and they can't drop me. Sometimes you can hold them, and sometimes you can't. It's the challenge in trying that makes it fun.

Number 5. RDS (and others like it) is just awesome to do once in a while on a bike that makes everything harder.

Not all the time; not even most of the time, but once in a while it is just plain fun to make myself hurt and struggle, with both my body and my mind, as I try and ride my Stylus down some gnarly rough shit as fast as I possibly can. Good clean fun.

But after 3 months of waiting for parts to build my Nomad, I'm admittedly over it. I see a HT as a 2nd or 3rd bike and never an only bike for me.

Bloody masochist!

But yeah that's the only way I get them. The masochistic aspect. Not for me but Fair play.

One last comment by me on this …

how many bike thieves have you met/caught? my personal count is at seven. none of them were pulling a shopping cart or wearing a garbage bag

Read my original post again. My point (which in hindsight could have been worded better) is that there is NO stereotype or socioeconomic class of someone who "is or is not a bike thief".

Also, please understand that people are fee to accept my advice or not. It is based on my personal experiences over 3+ decades as an adult bicyclist and urban commuter. If you wish to correct any fallacies in my post, by all means do so with facts of your own (I have tried to use checkable/verifiable facts in my post). But I find your tack argumentative and condescending, and not conducive to a helpful discussion, which is what we are trying to achieve here.

Number 3. It does wonders for your 'beatdown fitness'. Want to get good at taking abuse from bulk DH laps? A couple of days on the hardtail here and there will make riding top to bottom non stop laps on a DH bike feel much easier.

I took the HT out in the WBP this afternoon and hit Funshine Rollidrops, Smoke and Mirrors, Afternoon Delight, Technoir to Monkey Hands. Super fun to hit that as fast as I could. Had two more laps and the last was Schleyer to Lower Whistler DH. I can't imagine someone not thinking that's fun.

Makes riding the big bike seem like cheating.

I still remember the terror of riding Upper and Lower Joyride on my XCish hardtail in 2007. I was close to filling my Troy Lee Cammo shorts riding down the steep dirt chute to right hander and I think I may have said a rude word.

I expect this would be the same experience I would have.

Well if you're always riding downhill, I could see why lol.

Why do I ride a hardtail?

Well, at the moment it's because I'm waiting for parts on my FS bike, but usually when I do it's because I want to.

It's for none of the reasons suggested above. My hardtail weighs more than my Nomad. I hate riding it on long rides, and I don't like riding smooth trails ever, unless they have big jumps on them, are called Aline and I'm on my way down from Garbo. And I don't really see it as being simplistic (certainly not when you're trying to pick a line).

The number one reason I ride a hardtail in places like Garbo zone is because it takes exactly 3 roots before I'm switched on and fired up. None of this 2 lap warm up wake up shit on a DH bike. Nothing like getting the sense knocked into you 3 seconds into your first run and then you're ready to rip.

Number 2. It makes familiar trails new again and it makes easier trails harder. I like to ride it sometimes when I ride with my wife. It's supposed to slow me down, but it usually just makes me act sillier.

Number 3. It does wonders for your 'beatdown fitness'. Want to get good at taking abuse from bulk DH laps? A couple of days on the hardtail here and there will make riding top to bottom non stop laps on a DH bike feel much easier.

Number 4. I don't give a shit what anyone else thinks, but I feel like a rockstar in my own head when I destroy a high speed rough section, especially when I'm tailing someone on a DH bike and they can't drop me. Sometimes you can hold them, and sometimes you can't. It's the challenge in trying that makes it fun.

Number 5. RDS (and others like it) is just awesome to do once in a while on a bike that makes everything harder.

Not all the time; not even most of the time, but once in a while it is just plain fun to make myself hurt and struggle, with both my body and my mind, as I try and ride my Stylus down some gnarly rough shit as fast as I possibly can. Good clean fun.

But after 3 months of waiting for parts to build my Nomad, I'm admittedly over it. I see a HT as a 2nd or 3rd bike and never an only bike for me.

I think this guy nails it. I'd add Number 6 - less maintenance cost/time [HTML_REMOVED] shock fiddle.
If being fast on rough descents or hucks are important to you [HTML_REMOVED] you're over 35 (ie not Jinya), I think you should look elsewhere before choosing HT. Of course, when you old guys come off the bike at those speeds, you'll need to budget for PT. The HT guys are the only ones with creaky bones…

I took the HT out in the WBP this afternoon and hit Funshine Rollidrops, Smoke and Mirrors, Afternoon Delight, Technoir to Monkey Hands. Super fun to hit that as fast as I could. Had two more laps and the last was Schleyer to Lower Whistler DH. I can't imagine someone not thinking that's fun.

Makes riding the big bike seem like cheating.

Was that you on the On-one? I saw a HT going on the hook yesterday and felt warm and fuzzy inside :)

If being fast on rough descents or hucks are important to you [HTML_REMOVED] you're over 35 (ie not Jinya), I think you should look elsewhere before choosing HT. Of course, when you old guys come off the bike at those speeds, you'll need to budget for PT. The HT guys are the only ones with creaky bones…

Yes, at 41 I spend all of my annual benefits on PT and RMT, and then some more. I'm sure not the only one with creaky bones though!

Was that you on the On-one? I saw a HT going on the hook yesterday and felt warm and fuzzy inside :)

That was indeed me! In full XC regalia no less, including bib shorts!

The number one reason I ride a hardtail in places like Garbo zone is because it takes exactly 3 roots before I'm switched on and fired up. None of this 2 lap warm up wake up shit on a DH bike. Nothing like getting the sense knocked into you 3 seconds into your first run and then you're ready to rip.

That's nuts. I could use the lame excuse that the reason I wouldn't ride a hardtail like that is because I'd probably break the frame (which I have - a Cove Stiffee XC, rear triangle on Bby Mtn). But the real reason is I'm probably too terrified of the idea of riding the Garbo and Canadian Open on a hardtail.

I think this guy nails it. I'd add Number 6 - less maintenance cost/time [HTML_REMOVED] shock fiddle.
If being fast on rough descents or hucks are important to you [HTML_REMOVED] you're over 35 (ie not Jinya), I think you should look elsewhere before choosing HT. Of course, when you old guys come off the bike at those speeds, you'll need to budget for PT. The HT guys are the only ones with creaky bones…

We should probably add something about reduced margin for error. When I make a mistake at speed on my suspension bike I know there's a range of forgiveness built in. On a hardtail that leeway is much much narrower. Which is part of the fun! You need to be precise and you need to be committed.

shocking, a hardtail thread with JCL bitching about them…LOL :) love my hardtail in the loam, the rocks, the slabs, and everything in between…and it hauls all kinds of ass

I generally switch over to my Stylus every winter. Forces me to play around with line choosing, and less moving parts for all the muck to get into. Granted, I'm usually just using it on lower Seymour trails in off-season. Unless of course we get hero conditions like we did this year. Hardtails are lots of fun, always like to have one as a backup in the stable.

I should add, I'm 25, this is not my first bike (been biking my whole life, currently ride a single speed hard tail I built worth about 2600$, I just am not sure what's available trail-wise around. I get the dh stuff i s fast and fun, but thats not the type of riding I'm talking about buying a bike for… I ride 100km a week on my current hard tail, but thats all city riding - its single speed and lacks a front brake, so I'm looking more into trail bikes…not park bikes, not Dh rigs. A good, single track bike.

all local trail riding is pretty much uphill and then downhill. there's virtually no rolling singletrack hereabouts. if you want to get a trail bike to ride trails, you might consider renting a bike for a day or two (endless bikes rents bikes - they also organize tours) and checking out the local trails before you decide what kind of bike would suit you/them