Originally Posted by Dr1v3n

Tl;Dr - I just don't understand why there is so much advice like "don't use a fs unless you absolutely have to", or "hardtails are more fun" because from my perspective, after riding road, gravel (with NO "suspension" at all), and now fs, this is the most fun I've had on trails and it tends to also be easier on my back and knees.


Background:

This may seem like a strange question, but my background is that I got into road cycling as an adult almost a year ago (rode a lot of bikes as a kid so not totally new), loved it and rode 1,000 miles. I also am not a huge fan of riding with cars and almost got hit 6 times while doing so, despite always staying in my lane, being predictable as possible, running lights and fluorescent colors, etc... I lived in an extremely busy area of California. There are lots of trails around here. So I bought a gravel bike and rode probably 50% trails, 50% road still, but also learned to take sidestreets and such on the way to trails. I ride for fun and exercise, not for any future competition or speed. I rode another 1,000 miles on that gravel bike in 4 months.

I don't often ride with anyone else, so I don't have many biases or "education" from others - most of my discoveries are just based off of my own experience. I would often wander into what i now understand are mtb trails basically, with my gravel (Giant Revolt Advanced). As I became more and more proficient technique/skill wise, and learned how to distribute my weight at various speeds and terrains, I've been able to get through a surprisingly large amount of rough stuff relatively unscathed on the gravel. In fact, I've been on trails probably 5-6 times where I saw someone on a hardtail or full suspension bike completely eat it right in front of me, on my gravel bike.

Throughout this time, I thought about getting a mountain bike more and more, then I moved to an area with even rougher trails now where I could ride on gravel bike, but I would *have* to limit my speed and often would have difficulty stopping going downhill because rocks and obstacles would literally be lifting my tires off the ground, forcing me to lose traction. I was also getting knee and back pain from such trails.

So I decided that since biking is here to stay, and everyone else on some of the trails I was riding was using a FS bike and seemed to be having a better time, I'd get one (Giant Trance).

Wow, the thing has made a HUGE difference. Essentially I can just glide right over almost anything aside from large rocks and boulders... It was surprising to me to just be able to float right up a curb slamming into it at speed. But I also notice that in general, it makes even the less technical stuff feel more smooth like a road, and I end up travelling much faster, riding longer, getting a better workout, etc... Basically it's all great in my view. Another key point is that a little weight and resistance is okay because in my view, it helps keep me working harder which boosts my heart rate and calorie expenditure over any given amount of time - and exercise is a large goal for me.

However, some of my friends and other acquaintances have basically mentioned "not needing a full suspension" unless I am doing jumps or super high speed downhill, etc... That hardtails are more fun, etc... I don't understand the argument because I can just lockout my front and rear shocks when I want that type of experience too... And the bike doesn't feel heavy to me, climbing is a breeze. I guess I just don't understand why there is so much "don't use a fs unless you absolutely have to", because from my perspective, after riding road, gravel (with NO "suspension" at all), and now fs, this is the most fun I've had on trails and it tends to also be easier on my back and knees.

Thoughts?