dual suspension and hardtail?

Question

what's the difference between dual suspension mountain bike and a hardtail?
which one is better?

Answer 1

Hi Ivan.

The obvious difference is that the full suspension has both front suspension (fork) and a rear suspension (shock), while the hardtail only has a fork.

Both are very good (or can be very bad). For some kind of riding, a hardtail is better, like XC racing, riding on smooth terrain (bike path, or not heavy riding), and dirt jumps. Since there is no bobbing at the rear wheel, the energy from peddaling is transfered better to the rear wheel, while on most full suspension part of that energy is absorved by the suspension.

For riding on looser terrain, or with rocks and such, a full suspension is a lot better. It won't beat you down with all the bumps, and you have better traction on your rear wheel, even on climbs. While mostly a hardtail is better at climbing than a full suspension, if it is really steep or the terrain is loose, a full suspension will beat a hardtail.

The deal about full suspension is that while there are a lot of very good and efficient full suspension bikes, most cheap full suspension really don't have a good design and shock, and will just weight a lot and don't provide almost any benefits. So, a cheap full suspension bike will likely be worse than a good hardtail.

The answer as to which is better it depends on what type of riding you want to do, and how much money you want to spend.

A good (but nothing fancy) hardtail new might go from 300 to 700 bucks, while the basic good entry level full suspension starts over 1,000. I probably wouldn't bother with a cheap full suspension.

Answer 2

I hope you are ready for a long answer.

A hardtail bike is one which has no rear suspension, while a full (dual) suspension has suspension front and rear.

Suspension on a bike is there for the same reason there is suspension on a car... not necessarily for comfort, but to keep the wheels planted on the ground for better handling. But thats just part of the story...

Both cars and bikes have a powerplant, cars have an engine, bikes have you. When cars are designed, an engine is put in to achieve the performance end which INCLUDES overcoming the energy lost as the suspension flexes. Luxury cars tend to have tons of horsepower and a lot of that power goes to the plushness of the ride. Conversely, a Jeep type vehicle is high torque and not really very powerful in part because the suspension is so stiff the car doesn't need it.

Looking at a bike and it's powerplant, the typical person only puts out between 1/4 and 1/2 horsepower. Every time you pedal a full suspension bike the frame flexes and some of your energy is lost.

If you aren't going to be racing downhill or picking your way across boulder fields, would you want to waste part of your 1/4 horsepower on full suspension?

Answer 3

The difference is that one has a suspended (with a dampening system) front wheel (hardtail), and the dual suspension has both wheels suspended.

Which is better will be based on individual preference, riding terrain, and system design. People can sit back and tell you which they think is better, but the determining factor should be you.

Answer 4

Dual suspension bikes have a coil spring and swing arm that acts something like a car, so the rear wheel can move up and down. The front fork then has shock absorbers in it to take up some shock.
I am not a believer in dual susp bikes. Adds too much weight.

Answer 5

The epic is a huge motorbike. that is while you evaluate it quite is an entire suspension motorbike that just about acts as a hardtail. One significant issue with a super form of finished suspension is bouncing once you climb. some rear shocks declare to get rid of that, besides the undeniable fact that that is incredibly not ordinary. The epic comes with very extreme end aspects so which you will get a marvel it quite is approximately as solid because it gets for XC using. it could additionally be mild in assessment to many different finished suspension motorcycles. The hardtail removes some aspects (coping with the rear suspension) so it is going to for sure have an inclination to be lighter. yet another difficulty to evaluate is the size of the races you're doing. in the journey that your using in staying power races (i.e. 12 hr or 24 hr) then a solid finished suspension could be completely incredibly incredibly worth the cons. in case you're doing shorter races i could advise a sturdy hardtail. you may get a lighter motorbike with extra advantageous aspects for a lot much less funds. something else to think of roughly...much less shifting aspects = fewer problems.

Answer 6

Hi Ivan, the difference is, just to put it in a simple layman terms between full sus & hardtail, you have to ask yourself the following question & answer honestly:-

1) Full sus / duel suspension = more conmfort in riding cos the front & back suspension help you to absorb bumbs on uneven ground.

2) Hardtail = Less comfort, you have to stand on the peddle & use your knee to absorb the bumbs.

3) Is weight a major concern?

4)The answer is either Yes or No............very simple.
If the answer is Yes then go for hardtail.
If the answer is No then go for full sus.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

Lot's of money