Cube Hardtail or Full Suspension ?

[griffithsgl6]

Looking for some advice, I cycle to work approx. 17 mile round trip on a mixture of gravel/canal paths and a little bit of road. I currently ride a Reaction Hybrid Performance 500, but thinking of upgrading either to a newer 2022 Reaction Hybrid Race or a Stereo hybrid hpc race. Would the Stereo be a bit too much overkill for the journey I make? What you all think ?

 

[Rubik]

When buying our two Hybrid Reactions - an SL and a Race, we decided that when we took a good honest view on what riding we did 95% of the time, that Hardtails would be perfect. Our riding is much the same as yours, and I quite like the hardtails for the 'directness' of the drive, without any Suspension bounce and simplicity of maintenance. Once we decided that Full Sus was an overkill for us at least, it meant we could up the specification of the components at the same price point. if that makes sense. So we have no regrets, and happily will travel 50 miles plus on gravel, towpaths, mixtures of forestry and small rocks in complete comfort. Just experiment with tyre pressures at the rear to get the right feel. If you don't go Full Sus, I think you can get SL spec rather than race for similar money. Of course it's a personal choice, but with your specified use case, a hardtail would be a more appropriate choice.

 

[emtbPhil]

Owned the hardtail Reaction Hybrid Pro 625... now own a Stereo Hybrid HPS-SL 625

I can honestly say doing gravel/canal paths and a little road I'd use the hardtail
The full suspension is just wasted effort and extra weight.