I’m planning to get back into XC racing, and I’m considering building up a hardtail.
For context, I’ve been mountain biking since 1994 and apart from a couple of years of racing DH in the late 90s was 100% hardtail until 2020. I built trail and enduro bikes, and have been mostly happy with winch-and-plummet style riding in the rocky and technical mountains of New Mexico.
We’re having to move to Texas to take over caring for my 98 year old mom, and I feel like either of my current bikes will be way too much for the trails that I will likely be riding.
Anyone care to share their builds on current geo hardtails, and lessons learned/ experiences you’d like to share? @Greenswim , I’m looking at you…
What part of TX? The hill country has some proper chunky and rough terrain. I raced the TMBRA series several years ago on a hardtail, no issues with it, but a full sus would have been more fun.
The modern XC full sus are so good and efficient I can’t see much of any place for a hardtail. I would strongly suggest looking into a full suspension particularly for XCM. Just as efficient, probably more so depending on the terrain, and beats you up much less.
The general consensus these days is that in almost all situations a fully will be faster than a hardtail. For long events, the increased comfort is also a big plus. If you want to go race and money is not an issue, I’d really lean strongly towards fullys.
However, there are other reasons why you’d want to go without suspension in the rear, e. g. because they are more fun and you like the way they feel. I went back from an XC fully to an XC hardtail, and I just prefer the ride. It feels faster (≠ being faster), because among other things, it weighs 9.6 kg without a saddle bag. I don’t have anything challenging in terms of terrain where I live, so the bike is plenty.
I’ll be the devil’s advocate. For years I raced XC on a HT that I built up in the high 19lb range. Rigid post, Lauf, everything chosen to be as light as possible down to the last Ti bolt. I podiumed on it twice (age group) at Sea Otter and some other similar races with longish climbs and single track descents. The strat is of course pass them on the climbs, block them on the single track, pick lines very carefully.
Having said all that, I have a Supercaliber now and wouldn’t go back despite the weight penalty. It’s BARELY a FS bike though.
Assuming the riding does not require a full suspension to execute safely, I’d argue it comes down to personal preference on what you like to “feel” while riding. I have a Scott Scale and Spark and love them both. But as incredible of a bike that the current Spark’s are, having grown up in the Midwest, my heart is always with the sharp response and constant “information” from the ground that a hardtail gives you.
Get a full sus, flat rock ranch is amazing riding and a full sus will make it a lot more fun. Even the trails in San Antonio can be rough enough to make a full sus more fun.
my build is Santa Cruz Highball w XX1 build and currently w Hunt XC hoops which are fine. Full hardtail - easy to work on, no extra pivots and shock to work on. I do believe that cushy 2.4’s and low pressures add a lot to the ride quality. Everytime I consider FS I end up behind someone on the trail or on a group ride bouncing around and wonder how much they are loosing
The bike companies want you to buy their $15k top end bike. Apparently the bike industry is in massive struggles, we should be able to get a decent deal on something.
Last time I rode Flat Rock was probably 2012. I did race Miles of Discomfort on a rigid fixed gear back in 2008. The chunky limestone of Central Texas would probably be faster on fs, but I remember still being fun on a rigid!
2012 would have been around the last time I rode there as well. I would love to go back and ride my new full sus rig there. I can’t imagine how much more fun it would be.
I did an “enduro” they hosted around then. It was the day before the TMBRA race. Climb to the top of pipeline, then bomb the gravel roads and a couple single track sections to the bottom. I won my category and got a season pass out of it. I burned a lot of gas driving from pleasanton to comfort every weekend sometimes twice, but I knew those trails really well.
While im primarily a road cyclist, I enjoy getting on a mountain bike once a week, especially now that the days are getting longer and warmer. In the spring of 2023, I purchased a Scott Scale 940 HT to get off-road more. I thought that the direct power transfer from the bike would enhance my riding experience and force me improve my skills/line choices.
After just one summer of mountain biking here in Austin TX, I realized why everyone on my Tuesday rides was on (FS). The terrain, despite being relatively flat, is incredibly technical, with rock gardens around every turn. As a relatively fit and skilled 44-year-old cyclist, I was surprised by how much smoother/faster other people on FS bikes were. I was putting in massive effort just trying to keep up.
I still enjoy riding HT bikes, they feel a bit nostalgic to me. However, if I had to do it all over again, I would choose a proper XC FS MTB.
