Beginner to off-roading: Hardtail or Full-sus?

[Riotsloth]

Hi all

I'm a newb here, so hello! I live near Eastbourne and the last time I rode MTBs was in the 80s and early 90s... so front forks weren't worth bothering with, let alone full-sus. However, I took out a Haibike Hardseven 7.0 over the Downs last week for a full day and totally fell back in love with mountain-biking. I badly want an E-Bike now!

What I am pondering over is whether to get full-sus or a hard-tail. My GF had a full-sus Haibike and loved it, but I felt perfectly happy on a hardtail. As you may gather, we are not exactly going nuts. I'm in my mid forties now, and a lifetime of riding bikes and motorcycles means my ankles and knees aren't perfect. Still happy to bomb down runs to the best of my ability, just that ability is somewhat less than at 20! So, spec-envy aside, bikes in the £1700-£2500 range would be more than sufficient for my needs I suspect.

Has anyone else had this dilemma? It doesn't help that the 2018 Haibike sduro fullseven LT 4.0 can now be had for about £2200, which is actually less than any equivalent Haibike hardtail I can find! (Except the 1.0)

The Voodoo Zobop full-sus in Halfords (yeah, I know) looks pretty great for £2700 (less the 10% discount) too.

Any opinions people?

Thanks!


R.

 

[gelfy666]

I like hardtails but am having the same dilemma at the moment.... I really like the look of the Haibike fatsix HT

 

[MattyB]

I would say go with a full suss. You may not feel you need it right now, but it will help reduce fatigue and mean less impacts for your ankles, knees and lower back to absorb. Remember ebikes tend to get ridden more often and further per ride than an analog bike. These factors will become even more important as you get older, so investing a bit more in the full suss now is probably worth it in the long run.

 

[Riotsloth]

Nice advice Matty, thanks. I think if price doesn't really seem to be a consideration at the entry level and reduced prices, I suppose it's worth it.

 

[Riotsloth]

I like hardtails but am having the same dilemma at the moment.... I really like the look of the Haibike fatsix HT View attachment 5245

That is lovely - those tyres are huge! What are the disadvantages of such big tyres? More prone to punctures? Obviously more rolling resistance and unsprung weight, but that doesn't matter so much on an e-Mtb I am guessing?

 

[Bongofish]

Hey mate. I have a hardtail e bike and love it. But even in bumpy fields getting to places wish I had full suspension (just annoying its that much more expensive!). I have the Vitus e sentier and got it on offer for £1599 and truly think it's an amazing bargain for what it comes with. If I was going to go full suspension and could not go higher than £2.5k I would definitely get the Voodoo zobop with the 10% discount. I dont really think anyone holds anything against the Voodoo bikes....just the young lads who build them can be alot more miss than hit. So need to get them checked out at a proper bikeshop. But voodoos genually get great reviews and nothing to be ashamed of.

If someone could name a better full suspension e bike for 2.5k with the components it hads than the Voodoo than be my guest but I really can't.

 

[gelfy666]

To be fair I've never had a fat bike or an ebike so can't comment really, I've already got a pretty good full suspension for hooning about on , so that's why I'm possibly considering a HT ebike, as it will be used mainly for exploring on fire roads and local lanes etc, and in the hills.... So won't be needed for jumps etc lol.

 

[BJep]

Hi there- I am 56 and hadn't ridden for 25 years, and I have just been on the same sort of journey- starting with a hardtail Cube C:62 and right now I am riding a Haibike full seven 7. I tried lots of e-bikes in between but what swung it for me was:
1/ no dropper post on the HT. Even though I am no downhill racer I do like to tackle whatever the trail throws at me, and being able to move my bodyweight right back and down means I can slowly control some insane downhill trails
2/ HT's don't regularly come with tyres wider than 2.2. For those of us who don't have the skills to tackle speedy downhill, then e-MTBs give us the fun of strenuous techy uphills- and in UK weather the bigger tyres win hands down.
Having said that- I still ride my HT, and I love how light it is compared the full sus, but it cant go the places that the Haibike can. I wouldn't change my choices in retrospect- I have loved all the e-bikes I have ridden along the way, and I am still drooling over e-bikes that are absurdly beyond my skill level and pocket depth!
good luck and enjoy

 

[MattyB]

Not sure I agree with your statement that most HTs don’t come with tyres wider than 2.2. There are plenty that now use the 2.5-2.6” sub-plus “Standard” that the industry seems to have settled on after they realised 3” weren’t puncture resistant enough in the lighter casings they needed to use to keep inspiring weight down.

 

[ChrisB NZ]

I'd definitely go for a full suspension e-bike if you can afford it. I don't think you'd ever regret it - but you may well regret getting a hard tail. Agree with everything MattyB says re knees etc. There's nothing like the plush ride you get on a full sus bike. Put it this way, you can take a full sus bike anywhere you'd take a HT but not vice versa. The advantage of a HT in pedalling uphill is not really such an issue with an ebike. You just put it in turbo and blast up the hill - hehe

A dropper seat is handy even if you're not a downhill racer. It just gives you so much more control.

 

[Swissrob]

Full suspension no ifs or buts. Once you get back on the bike you will start doing trails you only dreamed of and for that FS is the way to go. Motor takes care of any perceived inefficiencies. I still have and ride the original (2002 Specialized Enduro expert) all mountain bike with the full lockout front and back and my Levo kills it for pedalling efficiency. Better to save and get something better (buy a Levo!) than have a regret.

 

[Dax]

Full sus. The efficiency chat is rubbish because you can stay sat down pedalling on full sus when you would have to stand up on a hard tail. Full sus is just comfier too

 

[Riotsloth]

Thanks everyone! Sounds like full-sus is the way to go. Now... do I wait for next springs cycle to work scheme or not?! ?

 

[Dax]

Take a look at the savings on last years levos, they’re still great bikes and Leisure lakes have got some massive reductions on their ex-demo bikes:

 

[Riotsloth]

There are plenty of great deals about on these bikes! Makes my head spin. Think I’ll wait until spring when the new cycle to work scheme in our office opens. Perfect timing!

 

[idahoskiguy]

Been riding mtn bikes since they first appeared in the 1980s, rode various hardtail mtn bikes in the past and bought my first full suspension 2 years ago and wonder why I waited for so long. When it comes to e-mtbs, would not even consider a hardtail. Best advise is to get the best bike you can with the highest level of quality components, you will not regret it. Riding a cheap bike with poor quality components is not enjoyable and you will not ride much so the money is wasted.

 

[Dax]

There are plenty of great deals about on these bikes! Makes my head spin. Think I’ll wait until spring when the new cycle to work scheme in our office opens. Perfect timing!

I would look into that, last time I did the cycle scheme, you could only spend up to £1000. The levo deals will be gone by then, but there will always be a deal on something.

 

[Riotsloth]

I would look into that, last time I did the cycle scheme, you could only spend up to £1000. The levo deals will be gone by then, but there will always be a deal on something.

Hi Dax

Pretty sure it's a lot more than that, because I remember being surprised how much you could get. One deal goes, another comes along.

 

[Bongofish]

Hi Dax

Pretty sure it's a lot more than that, because I remember being surprised how much you could get. One deal goes, another comes along.

I was just on about this to somebody recently and they did mention it was £1000 also and they would have to put cash towards the rest. The government should double it for e bikes to promote them as a great form of transport and because they cost double ??

 

[Mike Smith]

Might be a few coming up for sale on here soon..as a few members are upgrading

 

[R120]

I have both Hardtail and FS Vitus EMTBS

I love hardtails, but if you are only getting one E-MTB, especially if you are getting back into or starting to get into proper offloading, you definitely want to get an FS.

You can read plenty of threads on here about how good many of the FS bikes on the market are, so i wont go into any real detail as to how much i love the FS.

Instead i will talk about the Hardtail. Essentially the hardtail EMTB is suitable really for those who are only really going to be pottering around on bridleways and footpaths, or those who have already have fairly good technical skills and like hardtails.

In reality the hardtail can tackle most of the same terrain, but like any hardtail it bucks around as is unforgiving, except in the case of an e-mtb it also weighs 20kg, so not nearly a flickable as a normal hardtail and a lot of weight to deal within things go wrong. I love mine, mainly because it is a more challenging ride, you have to be switched on when riding it down technical terrain, concentrate on line choice, and be confident in your riding.

Goin uphill you get bucked about on technical climbs because you don't have rear suspension, and the back end skips around a lot, meaning you tend to climb more out of the saddle - on the FS you can quite often just sit down and cruise on up climbs because the rear suspension keeps the tyre planted on the ground, and your arse separated from the rough stuff.

I love riding the HT because its super fun on my local single track, challenging, and a full on experience that puts a smile on my face, but its all or nothing, and if you are not in that kind of mood its not going to get ridden much.

Hope this helps

 

[R120]

Oh and if you are looking at C2W they is also the Grren Commute Initiative which is geared towards e- bikes and has no limit, worth checking out if you are looking at savings:

The cycle to work scheme with no £1000 limit - Green Commute Initiative

 

[MattyB]

I was just on about this to somebody recently and they did mention it was £1000 also and they would have to put cash towards the rest. The government should double it for e bikes to promote them as a great form of transport and because they cost double ??

As standard C2W is up to £1000, but if your company has a credit license it can be a fair bit more (our company goes up to £3k). Very few schemes now allow you to put money of your own in now though as it makes the ownership of the bike very complex, whereas of it’s all funded on the loan they own the bike until the end of the hire period when it can be passed to you.

 

[Rustymissile]

First ride last weekend for me and a mate outside of Brighton on the Southdown Way and some trails around Stanmer Park. We’re complete novices, but my FS was immense fun flying up steep and seriously rutted trails. My mate however found his HT pretty rough going across a selection of uncompromising surfaces. He’s already decided to return it and is fortunate enough to have bagged a brand new Levo that’s arriving today. My thinking was I might not need a FS now, but with more experience and a bit more confidence I’ll hopefully catch up with some of my bikes capabilities.

 

[Stuckmojo]

Personal opinion: full suspension or nothing. I started with a HT but I do drops and Jumps and it makes an enormous difference. Way more important than which motor or even how expensive the components are in my view.

 

[Gary]

Forgetting personal opinion. the FACT is a hardtail ridden by a decent rider can manage what most people's idea of a decent sized jump or drop is absolutley fine. Unless of course you're thinking of doing Fest/Ramage sized drops and jumps. In which case you'll find a DH bike will probably fit the bill and last longer than an Eeb.

Where FS really shines over a hardtail (Emtb or not) is the extra grip/control/stability they offer.
Heavy hardtails can also feel a little dead in comparison to a supportive progressively suspended FS. riding jumps and drops is all about correct technique and confidence not suspension.

Test ride a few FS and HT Ebikes and make your own decision based on what YOU prefer rather than listening to the opinions of a bunch of strangers online.

 

[Stuckmojo]

Ok, no point discussing with someone who claims to have the FACTS.

 

[Alistair Staley]

As we already know Gazza has all the answers to all the questions.

 

[Mike Smith]

Full Suspension.. You need comfort !!