worldtraveller

Do most people who race XC in MTB, either in pro or local races use Full suspension nowadays.

I still use hard tail and it works for me. just wondering if i need to get with the times

LesterOfPuppets

Nope. Some will choose double boinger for some courses.

dunno

Here's some video if you want to count the dual sus bikes in a WC XCO race from this year.
https://freecaster.tv/mountainbike/10...lby-forest-gbr

LesterOfPuppets

A lot of serious racers will choose HT for some tracks and full suspension for others, though.

electrik

HT is hard on your back and knees...

sscyco

If you have a Pansie's back and knees...

ed 

ColinL

HT is a lot cheaper and many folks don't like the power loss of using rear suspension-- although really expensive rear shocks are not bad. I couldn't afford that, so I would personally stay away from full suspension.

Firefighter1291

How about a FS that turns into a hardtail....I know I know Im biased but im spoiled now. I cant go back. I dont get any pedal bob that other FS users get when climbing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyOw3lFixl4

electrik

Hahaha... you keep ignoring them till they explode.. see how that works out for ya!

kevrider

i think he's right. a hurting back might indicate a laziness issue (get off the saddle). hurting knees might indicate a technique issue (maybe that gear is too big). i have a HT and a FS, my back and knees don't know the difference.

electrik

Irregardless of poor technique, it's just a fact of life that over time the extra dampening will help out your knees and back.

sscyco

Yea - I don't buy it - FS are faster over all when you are spending a ton. A 23lb (or less) fs bike with a proven design will probably be faster over all (everything else being equal), give you more control, and less fatigue - but going to FS only because of knees and back, there are other issues causing that - fit, form, style etc.

I still like my ht for XC, because I can build a pretty light, fast and incredibly reliable bike, compared to a fs. If overall reliability was not an issue - I'd probably still have a FS xc race bike.

electrik

Why is it so hard to accept that putting a dampening device reduces stress on your knee and back? You certainly aren't arguing for removing the suspension fork also, are you?

All the old farts I talk to won't go back to HT after switching to FS. Maybe they'll do a race on the HT, but for day in and out they're taking the FS. There is probably something to that - In old farts I trust!

sscyco

Ok - I will agree with you - if someone has crappy bike handling skills that cause back and knee pain, a FS may relive some of that.

electrik

Thanks... now for some hover bikes.

kevrider

going back to the OP, this is probably the answer for most racers. for $x, an HT will be much nicer (lighter better better bits) than a FS. if you are a pro with access to stupid light CF FS bike, then you probably have an even lighter HT for the fast tracks.

catonec 

I sold my 94 gt rts because of the crazy about of bob on the uphills. the downhill however was heavenly, I miss it sometimes. if you have back issues and you need some sorts of relief id say buy the hardtail and a suspension seat post like the thudbuster.

scrublover

Weeeeeell things have moved on quite a bit since then. Suspension isn't just about back and knee relief, far from it.

scyclops

I'm a middle-aged guy and have maintained a high level of fitness my entire life (and all my bikes are HTs). That said, I feel the need to point out to some of you "youngsters" that as you age things start to deteriorate regardless of the best fitness and nutrition regimen. You can slow it down and minimize it, but if you're over 50 and think that back and knee pain are merely the result of poor "technique", then trust me, you are a statistical anomaly.

dminor 

. . . But getting back to the OP's original question - - which, by the way, has NOTHING to do with full suspension in terms of pain relief - - it really comes down to performance. It has been well-documented by now that the same rider on the same day on the exact same course will cut faster lap times on a full suspension - - no matter how much "faster" or more "efficient" he/she might feel they are on the hardtail. Period.

But you still see a lot of hardtails, especially in the elite XC racing ranks because people - - especially elite-level cyclists - - have a hard time letting go of preconceived notions and truisms.

On the more local level, at least out here in the West, you'll see a lot more full suspension at XC races . . . except for certain venues with relatively tame terrain. The only reasons to not be on full suspension any more are if you a) can't spend the money for the level of bike you want in FS; or b) you just don't want to. There is nothing tangible to be gained by sticking with that hardtail.




LET THE FLAME BEGIN.

scyclops

I guess the answer to that is... only if you want to.

ColinL

That's me. I'm quite convinced by modern mid/high-end full suspension bikes. I simply cannot justify the purchase of one.

Papa Wheelie

If this is all true, why do even the upper-end FS bikes have a lock-out?

If it is faster to be suspended, why waste time, money and weight on that feature?

dminor 

That's a valid question and I'll answer by reiterating a statement I made previously:

People get so hung up on 'pedal bob' or their perceptions of it that they fear is robbing pedalling energy, that manufacturers still include lockout shocks so the uninformed don't freak out. If you read the test of the Pivot Firebird (well, unless it was the BMC Trailfox - - don't have the issue in front of me) in the latest Mountain Bike Action, you'd note that, even though the Fox shock has ProPedal (which isn't even a lockout but a pedaling platform), they left it switched off for the duration of the test because the dw-link suspension was so efficient that the Propedal was not only redundant but actually detracted some from the dw-link's action.

Papa Wheelie

I have that issue, and I will re-read it again tonight. (It was about the BMC Trailfox, btw.)
I just did a quick internet search on "ht vs. fs", and EVERY SINGLE article that I could find would list the positive and negative attributes of each, and they ALL said that FS had a weight and efficiency detriment, compared to HT. I do agree that propedal platforms are getting becoming more efficient though, so that gap has to be closing.