Help me pick FS or HT!

[Akelu]

So i have narrowed it down to these two bikes that i like that are locally available to me. Focus Thron2 and Focus Aventura2

I will mostly be riding roads/bike paths locally around my house, as the trails are about 1.5 hours away. But at the same time i want to ride simple trails not crazy jumps or drops or anything, just mostly flat singletrack with some rocks/stuff along the way.. Maybe if i really like it i will go out to the trails more often, but at the moment i am just not sure.. What i am planning to do a lot though is ride longer distances on roads/bike paths, like along the coast and around the big river along side my city center.

I value comfort but also value the stealth of a hardtail. It doesnt look like an expensive bike so much and may be less targetted to have it stolen from me. Also value the less maintenance to keep up the hardtail. Cost is a little bit more for the FS but thats also within my budget if need be.
I was thinking of getting a suspension seatpost with the hardtail to just take make it a little bit closer to FS but still keep all the advantages. From test riding a lot of bikes i prefer the more comfortable upright seating position, of which the Jarifa is more upright, but the Thron is also 'quite upright' for a FS, but then comes with the added comfort of the FS..

Ahh! Please help! I need to get the preorder in soon for the 2021 stock which is coming in september!

 

[Zudnik]

Personally I think the HT with sus seatpost sounds like a great option based on what you've outlined as your goals. Any bike will always be a compromise so get the one that meets 75%+ of what you'll use it for.

 

[Steve940]

I'm pretty much the same but went FS ill never need to worry about wishing I'd bought more..

 

[nasamorpheus]

I had many hardtails, non-ebikes and was always enjoying them. I also drove my wife's ebike Focus jarifa and I like it. But when I bought my fully ebike cube stereo hybrid 140 I was shocked. It's so comfortable, even in city, that I would never ever go back, no matter of expenses.. You sit more upright on full suspension and your back is thankful to you. It's only 50 bucks or something per year to maintain that rear sus. I even prefer it in city. If you were buying non ebike, that would of be a discussion here, but ebike? Go full sus, I promise you, you will like it so much.

 

[TheRealPoMo]

FS not needed for what you say you want to do, nor is a suspension post IMHO.
Tubeless 29 * 2.6 @ about 20 psi, no problemo. Been there, still am.
If you do have issues, you're not standing on the pedals and/or slow down and choose better lines.
Of course if money is no object, go nuts. I'd rather spend extra $2000 on other stuff; as would my better half.

 

[urastus]

As therealpomo said above, but with a twist, maybe. I've always run ht with a bigger tyre on the rear - something high volume at that. I love hard tails. Pre emtb my ht had equal time with my full sus. It really made me appreciate both - I enjoyed the change. You do put more effort into riding lines, which is great if you're learning - I always want to feel that I'm learning. I rode everything on the ht that I did on the full sus even though they were quite different bikes - ht was more xc, full sus was trail.

Just had a look at those bikes - don't like those hardtails This looks a bit more versatile . I'd take the front tyre off, keep it for the rear (it's the same as the rear), then put a 2.6 on the front. I'd also get a seat dropper - I use them on the road too. They're awesome when you're screaming down a hill, and brake really hard for an intersection at the bottom. Hills and hard braking.

If it has to be focus, I'd choose the thron - although it's geared for monster hills. The maxmax is more realistic gearing for what you're describing. Even the tyres on the maxmax look like good rollers for on the road, but still respectable off road. Funny though can't find that tyre in a search - it's like they don't exist.

 

[JoeBlow]

Personally I would go with full suspension. I bought a full sus bike last year but already I'm beginning to wish I had got one with more travel and 4 piston brakes. I had not realised how the development of centres had progressed and I am now obsessed with the style of riding they offer. Fast flowy blue trails, my favourite, and gnarly red downhills which I'm slowly getting into. I also think the full sus bikes are better value for the expenditure.

Al

 

[Beekeeper]

I’ve got a hardtail as that’s all I thought I would need, however as skills improve you naturally want to ride more difficult terrain.
At the time I made the right choice as the hardtail was heavily reduced in price as it was an end of year model and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a new hobby that I wasn’t sure I’d even enjoy.
a year later I’m still enjoying the hardtail but recently did the Gap trail in Brecon Beacons. That was enough to convince me that my next bike will definitely be a full suspension.