Awesome video. My thoughts: -It’d be interesting to see how the times would compare, if each test run had been repeated a few times. Hard to know what the baseline is with only a single run. -Hardtails can help develop/refine skills in ways that may not be reflected in race times too. Being a slightly smoother rider, as an example, might help you avoid punctures during a race, even if it doesn’t dramatically impact your race time. -Who says being a “better” rider means your times will be faster, or why that matters? :) It would be great to hear more detail about your subjective experience after making this video. On future rides on the full sus, do you notice any differences in your riding? Great job Anna, as always…..and props for racing a hardtail!
Also hard tails are about fun! So tired of everything being about times in the bike world. Loads of people run for fun, but everybody seems to think all biking is about speed. Also no way I’d never ride a race like she did on 27.5
I feel like there’s so much difference in the 2 bikes it comes down to practice. Totally different ride ability.. my first bike was 5 rides on my full suspension were kinda scary. It was my first full suspension bike. But 3 months later. I regretted getting back on the hard tail. Full was in the shop about a week waiting on parts. After getting reacquainted with my haardtail I knew it’s just what you get used to. I love them both in different ways for different reasons. Feels like polygamy a bit I guess. ❤❤❤😂😂😂😂
it's so simple, what do you use the bike for mostly, offroad trails beginner or advanced doesnt matter buy a fully, if you ride cross country or more on the normal road buy a hardtail, if you are rich buy both and use em for what they are made for. In general it seems like a hardtail is the better option if you can only afford one bike. She saz she's having fun on the hardtail but she's looks terrified as fuck and bet she aint having fun at all.
At 57 just recently I got back into mtb on hardtail exclusively (Trek Roscoe) 10 years ago I rode dual sus(Specialized Stumpjumper) I have found a new love for mtb on the hardtail, that direct and connected experience where every ride is interesting and I'm not simply plowing over everything, I don't care how fast I am at this age but simply enjoy being outside picking my way through trails exploring and navigating obstacles, they both have their place, different tools to do the same job but in different ways.
On the splitting of the run in to two halves, I think it would've been interesting to know these times for the hard tail, too. It's likely that you went faster in both halves as the month progressed on the hard tail but, I think more so on the first half. As you gradually altered your style to accommodate the way the hard tail rides you likely restricted your speed in the second half yet, still went faster there also. You then transfered this new style over to the full suspension which slowed you in the rough, as you pointed out. All very interesting. You gave up your full suspension for four weeks for this test. Quite the sacrifice - I bet you really missed the comfort and capability.
@@AnnaOnTheBike a good comparison would be say a Santa Cruz Blur against a Santa Cruz Highball or a Yeti A.R.C against a Yeti SB115, Both these examples are aimed at XC/trail and all should have the same set up component wise. That way you could make a much more accurate comparison. I actually went back to an XC hardtail from a full suspension XC rig (both the same brand, size, set up ,etc) and got better race results over similar XC race circuits over two race seasons. I felt much more in control with the hardtail and less fatigued but would probably put that down to the hardtail being lighter than the full suspension bike. You do need to set the same fork (Fox 34 Stepcast) up differently on a hardtail to a full suspension rig though. Servicing and maintenance costs were cheaper with a the hardtail.
Having both, I always feel like the hardtail takes more focus and intensional effort. Line choice, spotting braking spots, and traction make things a lot more interesting. Hardtail has made me a lot more comfortable getting loose, sliding, and finding the edge. Hardtail edge window is a lot smaller than full sus. And the state at which the bike gets to that, what I call "float state" where the bike is on top of the bumps and edge of traction comes quicker and faster and remain constant while a full sus seems to recover and get back to stability. So the full sus is in and out of that edge with a wider edge window, while the hardtail stays more on edge with a thin edge window. Others relate?
@@raheemgahelable nowhere near as quickly and not to the same degree at all. Like the man said, the hard tail edge window is narrower and longer, than the wider and much shorter full sus edge window
@@raheemgahelable True, however that level of precision in his analysis can only be achieved by riding a hardtail and having both experiences compared.
Thanks for the video Anna! You're a braver rider than most taking on that race on a hardtail. I find riding an aggressive hardtail is great fun but definitely slower and less controlled than riding on my Full Suspension bike. They both have their merits and compromises.
One step further, I spent the beginning of this season riding a 30-year-old rigid bike. When I got my hardtail put together and back on the trails I was definitely a better rider than where I left off last winter.
I was a subscriber, but got tired of the hardtail bashing (Blake excluded - love that dude!) here. I instead subscribed to Hardtail Party, where Steve rides & reviews all kinds of hardtails & rides them on the dusty Sedona trails, even double black diamonds sometimes. That's my jam these days, not videos where you pit hardtails vs. full sus. Even if I had the money for a nice full sus bike, I'd still buy a sick hardtail. They're way way more fun, quicker up hills & are the true spirit of what mountain biking is. I'm never going to be a full sus sissy, boys. 😂😂😂🖕🏻 (That's to Neil for making the Hardtails Suck video).
I'm starting to wonder if Blake has been giving Anna ideas. Blake races the Megavalache and the EWS 100 at Innerleithen on the Nukeproof Scout. The Anna races the Ard Rock on a Nukeproof Scout. Or is it something in the Bath water.
Yes, that she was slower on the less smooth part was probably cause riding the hardtail taught her that she cannot ride as fast in that section as she in fact could with the full suspension bike.
Love this video! I think hard tails will always lose out when pointed downhill. I ride a chromoly frame Hardtail (Norco Torrent S1) and a carbon frame full suspension (Norco Sight) on Vancouver’s North Shore, both with rockshox Lyric Ultimate forks. Rumour has it that the Torrent was designed to test the geometry for the Sight, so they are pretty similar setups. I keep falling in love with the hard tail because it makes me focus 100% on the trail and gives me more of a precise feel in the janky climbing trails and other spots where balance is key. Then I fall in love with the Sight because it is some much more comfortable to ride and so fast on the downhill sections, even if handling can feel a bit vague. Did you find that difference between your bikes? I’m happy with the full sus bike and ride it more often, but I absolutely love my hardtail and will never give it up. Could not tell you why I feel so different about the two bikes, but one is like a family member while the other is the like a reasonably entertaining co-worker. Go figure!
From the results it looks like training on a HT makes a difference only on a HT. Maybe the riding style and technique required by the two kind of bikes is more diverse and different than we think. Nice interesting video 😊
Why didnt you do this test with 29" wheels on the hardtail though? Would have made more sense to have the same size rims on both bikes, wouldn't it? You'd have been faster on 29er hardtail.
When I finally got a full sus bike after riding a hardtail for a few years, I had to learn to ride completely differently. I didn’t find that my hardtail riding skills translated very well to the full sus bike.
scientific method specifically avoids observing things in the way you just described for a reason. Your belief that your described experience has informed you of anything at all, is the lesson here. Not everyone could benefit from a hardtail, But the less you understand why it would help, The more you probably need it.
@@jeremytee2919 not sure what you mean with this comment… I’m just saying that, for me, riding a hardtail is a different experience than riding a full suspension bike.
On flowy single track is always faster on a HT. And on climbs nothing beats a HT. Most riders don’t need 150mm travel rear suspension bikes. Keep in mind a HT is a cross country bike with CC geometry so riding it like AM is quite dumb.
Seems like you're using a track that's more in the trail/enduro/downhill range (or at least that's what it seems to me) to compare a fully with a hard tail. Why? A hard tail excels in cross country... maybe trails. ..not this type of track(s).
I ride hard tail and chase a LOT of full suspension bikes of different levels. I carry a lot more lean in corners, especially fast flowy corners. In rough stuff I skip around, bobbing and weaving through finding the smoothest path. That means my travel distance and energy consumption is higher. In rough stuff I get out of the seat more using my legs as suspension. Again slightly higher energy consumption. I tend to accelerate harder out of the corner than full suspension riders that do better at maintaining corner speed (less picking around) high energy burn. Full suspension can stay seated longer and more often, but have a slightly higher weight bike. I don't know that practicing on a hard tail and picking around makes you faster on a full suspension that doesn't need to pick around. Blundering over the rough with full suspension saves energy compared to picking around on a full suspension. To sum up: I think practicing on your bike whatever it is will make you faster. Trying a new bike here or there to help you get an idea of what you want to buy next is a good idea. And fitness... fitness improvements are king over all.
My opinion would be that its all down to intelligent line choice and learning what is a good line is. Not suprised at all that an experienced rider like Anna doesn't benifit from that test. A new rider that rode, lets say a month on a full susp then a month on a hardtail and then went back to full susp would like benefit greatly.
Hello, my opinion why you are slower is because you choose not the fastest way down on rough terrain but more smoothly way and that is what hardtail teaches you. But is only my opinion and i can be wrong.
Try doing xc on a full sus 😂 the beauty of hard tails is that they make you a better rider, and if you’re a good rider you can do anything on them well. Full sus are one trick ponies and the majority of people who ride them most of the time don’t ride them on trials where you really need them, unless you’re a crap rider
I feel like it improves one as a rider. I guess it's a matter of getting confident full send with the full squish again. With the hands i can recommend Spank vibrocore bars. For me it was an absolute game changer! Before i atleast felt it till i was home 30mins after i got out of the woods and a 2hour ride. With those bars. Absolutely no hand pain what so ever.
@@edwhite6574 In my case GD1 HT party likes em and i had GA on the old bike so i thought might as well try them. They are good yet when riding om the street the GA were better for without gloves
I’ve only ever owned a hardtail currently a nukeproof scout and I’m almost nervous to go onto a full sus because I’m really comfy and used to it, I know exactly how it’s going to react and I almost think I’d be slower on a full sus 😅
I own both and honestly it really depends what you normally ride. If you enjoy talking your time through tech trails and don't do much jumps, HT is really enjoyable. FS on the other hand is super forgiving, so if you enjoy speed (especially over rough terrain) and jumps, FS is much more enjoyable. Personally the trails and rides i do are much more fun on a HT (FS honestly takes the fun out of it by mellowing it all out) so I'm going back to HT for the foreseeable future. Also I'm too lazy to service the rear of a FS...
I prefer my hardtail to my expensive full suspension. Learn to do most jobs and you can make improvements as you go, maybe hire a mtb or try a test day for the exotic stuff.
It would be interesting to know how you felt about your test runs after the month was up. Either way I thought the video was really well done, with none of the standard “are hardtails better” guff 🤓
The hardtail is an entirely different technique, I started out on hardtails as a kid, with technique and line choice you can cut that disadvantage, and elsewhere you can leave a full suspension in your dust.
I think that the improvements will be more evident in the medium/long terms. The point is that the HT is more difficult to ride, so you have to be more focused (and probably more skilled) to do the same things that you make in a full. However this is not necessarily a good thing, is just a fact: HT are more hard to ride than full bikes. It depends on a lot of others things too, like what you said, the confindence. In my case a think that helped, after a lot of years riding hardtails a finded really really easy going con full bike.
I have one complaint, tire pressure. Your tire pressure is too high, which is also why you feel so exhausted after riding the bike, and or legs feel like jelly.
does faster really mean better? i've always taken the hardtails make you a better rider to mean it makes you hone your skills........cycling is a jigsaw and hardtails are the missing piece without them you don't see the whole picture.....it will make you a better rider, better at gibbing, hopping, wheelies and the trails will have more lines but faster?
First ride in a month so I think you might of been extra cautious in the rough. Try another run on your mega to compare times. Just bought a hard tail to practice on for this reason.
As someone who rides a full suspension, but also loves riding my aggressive hardtail all the time too, I can definitely say it makes you a better rider. Plus variety is the spice of life. Love this video as a hardtail enthusiast.
Awesome video, impressive how close you got your hardtail time to the full sus! I think less experienced riders would gain more from hardtails than an experienced rider like her also.
I think this is missing the point where if you’re already a great rider you’re still going to be a great rider. The advice to get a hardtail is for someone beginning, beginning on a hardtail 1000% makes you a stronger rider
I went from 180mm full sus, to smaller full sus, to 29er long fork hardtail, to a custom 130mm 27.5 hardtail, which I've now single speeded and it's my only bike. Simpler bikes make more happiness and lower speeds IMO.
I've got a 27.5 xl hardtail and i love it! Also, came from. 29er full-sus. I really like the simplicity and i think hardtails are way more predictable. You dont need to think about suspension rebound etc in the rear. What you see is what you get
Do hardtails make you a better rider? Yes Do hardtails make you a faster rider? Absolutely no Do hardtails make you improve your techniques? Absolutely yes Beggining with hardtails gives you a really solid base for full suspensions. It's how I like to say to my friends: "On hardtails, you learn how to make mistakes. On full suspensions, you learn how to make improvements".
I say this with love.. I struggle myself to find video ideas. Perhaps I should copy you guys and just remake my old videos, because if that's good enough for your huge channel it's good enough for my piddly channel 🤣🤣
I personally say yes, especially on rougher and tech trails, if anything it at least increases your tolerance and endurance for really rough sections of trail
Different horses for different courses. The key word in all this is “decent”. Hardtails are great at singletrack, flat sections, and climbing. The bikes are lighter than their full sus equivalents. Here we are comparing on a downhill course which is heavily favouring full sus. Next time try a loop course wuth lots of flats and uphill sections then report back. BTW, do you always ride with your helmet strap undone?
So was your full sus a 29er and ht a 27.5 ? That would make a big difference. I've gone from a 26er ht to 27.5 ht and notice a big difference there esp on downhill . So maybe I'm missing g out on full suspension 🤔 😃
I enjoyed that Thankyou as I’ve just come back over from the dark side back to mountain biking - new bike to get me back into it - Nukeproof Scout comp 290! Looking forward to bad hands, numb wrists, crocked ankles and a bad back.
Just out of curiosity as I'm thinking about a Scout, Anna, how tall are you and what size was the bike? Great video. I've ridden my mate's FS on a rocky trail I know well. I sorta missed the thrill of fighting to keep my line. Does that make me a masochist? 🤣
Tbh if you want to be a bit more scientific. You should have used the EXACT same size and brand of tyre for one, it will help keep a variable the same. I think what people say HT makes you better is that, you start looking a head more and predicting the trail. But saying that use should have done THREE runs on full sus and HT for a average speed, each run will always be slightly different.
I think this video also shows that the modern hardtails are more capable than they have ever been! A hardtail will never be as comfortable, or give the same amount of traction as a full-suspension bike, but I believe the gap in performance between a hardtail and a full-suspension bike has shrunk. I recently decided to buy a modern hardtail, because honestly, I'm not going to ride extremely technical trails. It does not bother me to hike-a-bike for 50-100 feet. If I can ride 95% of a trail, that's good enough for me.
As a committed hardtail rider I can tell you one place I win hands-down over my full-sus & ebike buddies. Locked Gates & Styles. I just don’t see the problem 😂
So, your criteria is to go faster? Why is that always the same as being a better rider? How about feeling more safe on the trails? Better knowledge of where to be on the trail in order to go smoother? Being able to go over obstacles (bunny jump and so on)? Just in general to feel comfortable on the bike. I'm sad that your focus seems to be more "what is missing on a hardtail" rather than what joy a hardtail can give you. (I might also be a bit colored by having a Scout myself and LOVING IT ;) ).
It depends on the type of rider. For casual riders a hardtail is enough, since they dont ride often nor have difficult trails to conquer. For the amateur but serious mtbiker both bikes are a must, a hardtail will teach you faster about how to decifer a trail (where to bunnyhop, where to break, when to absorb, etc.) and the full sus will be the execution machine. For the racer, type of track and competition fomat will decide things, to race a dh track to choose a hardtail over a full sus would be suicidal, for racing a "speed and style" competition the hardtail is a must because of the pumptrack sections. Also, this lady definitely doesnt bunnyhop, if she did the roughest section of her test track would be easier and her times super short.
Wish I saw this video a few days ago! I bought a Norco Fluid HT1 this week, partially because I'm new to mtbs, and heard over and over that a hardtail was the best way to learn. However, you seemed to be beaten up by the bike. The onboard footage had you consistently upset with the bike, and it makes me wonder if I, as a beginner, will hate my new bike as much as you resent your hardtail. This isn't a criticism of you! In fact, I mean the opposite. It seems that the common line is to push a hardtail on beginners, and all the while, the same people who push them are leaving you behind on their FS bikes. It's almost like an artificial handicap to both hold back new riders, and make them more miserable without the comfort and confidence afforded by a FS. You were honest about the benefits, and that's admirable.
I feel like people often correlate being a better rider with going faster. I think this is the absolute wrong way to look at mountain biking. Personally I feel that bike handling and overall lack of sketch is a much better measure of someone's skill. People wanting time spits and what not. Kind of useless to me unless you are really trying to focus on a race career. What I feel like she and many other people miss, is that mountain biking is a very physical sport, and that being on a full suspension bike allows you to be relatively lazy about it. At least more lazy than if you were on a HT. Meaning, you kind of don't need to use your entire body to ride down steep terrain or to float over roots and rocks. That's what all that travel is for. You just have to work way less. This was made obvious early on when she pretty much needed to nap after going on rides. But in time that subsided and she was feeling stronger later on in the experiment. +1 for becoming a better, STRONGER rider. Also, she mentioned later in the video that she was able to go faster while on the HT. This means that she was able to wrap her head around the technical challenge of it all, was a bit more at ease and was learning to use her body in new ways. I would give this a +2 for becoming a better rider. One for going faster by using her body differently, and one for getting her head more in the game. This all takes time, effort, and potentially someone or yourself to light a fire underneath you. Being on a hardtail speed is your friend. So is being light on your bike is key. This also means most often in rooty or rocky terrain, being out of your saddle. Which works your legs and your arms. She also spoke about arm pump early on. So give that another +1 for becoming stronger overall. That all being said, I've had steel, aluminum, and carbon hardtails. all on the progressive side. I can't say that I would never own an aluminum one again, but holy crap, that thing used to tear me a new one on every ride. It was so fricking harsh. To be fair, tubing shape and and wall thickness do play a role in it's ability to comply. But My one frame....I'm not rushing to buy another one anytime soon. That all said, I think the measure of what it means to be a better rider needs to be rethought. I think 100% she is a better rider, even if the times on the FS suggest otherwise. The whole is equal to the sum of its parts. I think she just added a few to the whole.
I only ride for fun so times don't matter- but I personally do not have a lot of fun breaking my ankles because I cased a jump on a hardtail. That being said, bikes cost unreasonably much money at the moment- and I am probably better off spending 1500 - 2000€ on an ok hardtail and take it a bit slower than buying a shitty full sus.
I cut my teeth riding hardtails. I used to only have a dirt jump bike when I started and would hit the local downhill tracks on that with only a rear brake, stiff fork and tyres with questionable traction and I’d keep up with most of my riding buddies at the time who were on full sus bikes. Last year I got my first full sus bike, and loved it. But I’ve just bought a hardtail frame and will be going back to a hardtail because I actually miss having to work the bike and how the rear can kind of just do whatever it wants to do while the front does as it’s told. I’ll probably not be faster but I don’t race so lap times mean nothing to me. I know I’ll have more fun riding the hardtail and all the sketchy sideways moments it brings with it. A 15mm shorter chainstay length will be a welcome relief too. These 29er wagon wheels don’t snap into the corners as freely as the 26” wheels I was used to.
Im looking for a budget hardtail I want a rather light machine so it's gonna be tricky, I hate how they usually cut corners on a crappy front shock but act like the msrp is really high, 7:21 , brands looked at so far canyon, orbea, trek, polygon, commencale, marin, and I should probably look at nukeproof hoping for a good sale, was gonna get a gravel commuting bike but a fast light mountainbike will work too, some nice trails around here
Most you can say from this interesting test is that spending time on a hard tail made you a better hard tail rider but inconclusive on benefits transferring to full sus. Interesting to see some evidence for maybe the accepted wisdom being wrong
Riding a hardtail is essentially sandbagging yourself. Yeah you have to be more careful and make better choices, but a lot of the difference between progressing as a biker is both confidence and the potential capability of the bike. Like I'd rather ride a full suspension and just try to hit jumps and lines smoother each time, than beat up a perfectly good hardtail that's not meant for chunky sections. Basically if you're trying to get better, you will. If you're not, then you won't
I got two MTBs. One is a ladies' bike hardtail with air fork, and another fully rigid bike modernised into a touring bike. I'd say that a hardtail is good enough for me; the other bike gives me some ouches, but I'm okay.
Well done Anna for taking on a challenge like this. It's been a very long time since I had a hardtail (a Giant Cadex CFM 3) I'm sure at the time it was preparing me for future bikes. I really don't think I could go back now.
The numbers are suspect because the sample sizes are SO small. Moreover, your hypothesis (that you can determine after 30 days whether the hardtail has taught you to be a better rider on that trail) is probably not an appropriate hypothesis. Maybe a question like this is not easily solved through simple trials like those you have done here. PS: yes I think starting on a hardtail made me a better rider than if I had started on FS. Wait, that wasn't the question....
The things learned on the hardtail, linechoice, bike handling and so on, has to be directly, and actively, applied the full suss, or it just doesn’t make sense. And,,,, a month just isn’t enough to make new habits and choose differently on the Trail.
one thing i allways HEAR when people riding a hardtail after long time on full sus: They are laughing so much more! Yes they can be scary but sometimes it gives you the fun back if you have to work more to ride those trails. I love hardtails!
For me hardtail did make me a better rider. I still keep my hardtail and do use it regularly. Reason is because its harder to ride a trail with hardtail it just increases your skill overall. Simple. But suspension will after that make your skill next level and polish it.
By the same gesture, riding a rigid would make you a better rider. Who does that? I’ve only ever had hardtail; plenty for 95% of the riding I do locally.
I rode trails with riders who mostly had full suspension, and climbing or smooth sections hardtails rocked. Going down and across rocks.roots, that rear wheel bounces all over the place. I recall i was using my thighs to grip the bike from flying away.
Just starting got a beginner bike hard tail to learn how to navigate threw the woods but looks like I'll be sticking to hard tail these full suspension bikes are way to expensive for me with four kids 😂so enjoy the nice rides haha 🤣 I'll be over here bouncing all over the place but good video
I rather my hard tail , it has less parts which is less failure points, I'm terrible when it comes to maintenance also I rather have a light weight bike , I get to 53km/h on a MTB pretty damn quick. like yes a rough ride will break parts but I replace them with whatever cheap part is available and save from paying the big bills. like I replace my BB every season
I agree with some of the other comments on doing a few different runs to see a comparison, also I think it’d be cool if a few of the gmbn crew did this all together so we can see how weight, height, and riding styles also affect this, because I’m an avid believer in the hardtail and have yet to go full sus one because I haven’t been able to afford it and because I’ve also been driven that a hardtail makes you better. Love your content I watch every day 👍 always finding videos I haven’t seen yet
why dont you save money for big trip ! exotic places? ..but yeah if this pointless videos fill the gap for new content and does the view count ..than is ok ...i guess ! :(
Wtf it's just faster when now demping is needed and yhea its more commanding of the rider. Just not making you a better rider overall. It's mostly more fisikly demanding
Different bikes needs different skills - it´s like comparing apples and pears! Full sus bikes can be pushed more on rough trails, and a hardtail will not teach You to do so, because it´s another way of riding. Basic skills like cornering correct, bunny hopping, manualling and so on can be obtained just as well on a hardtail as on a full sus, but bombing rough terrain on a full sus can not be learned on a hardtail.
Not converted then Anna? Really interesting, so many people tell me I'd be faster on a full suss but enjoy myself too much on the HT to listen... I reckon if you put me on a full suss now I wouldn't know how to ride the thing. Would have been curious to see how fast you were a week later on the full suss once you were more comfy with it again.
Your differences here may not be significant. If you do anything like this again you could time yourself on several runs, before and after, get average times and variances. This will help minimise the effect of other variables some that you thought of already pedal strokes and what have you. Just remember that the resalts you get can only apply to you and no one else i.e. what works for you will not work for everyone else. You could test the argument using several deferent people if you like.
People tell me I can ride a hardtail well, but no one ever says the same when I'm on a enduro bike. Yes you absolutely learn bike skills, but I am not sure if they transition well into todays forgiving and high error margin enduro/Trail bikes.
Very interesting experiment and cool video! congrats! Rough stuff is for a full sus. You can do it on a HT no problem but the ideal way is a full sus. Cornering and flow is best on HT. Both bikes can do everything and is up to you and what you can afford what you get. For me, is definitely a hardtail.
Not needing a nap is probably down to being able to relax a bit more with the tune up. Anna I think a lot of it comes down to preference. Those that start with a hard tail learn to read and pick better lines, Yeah I'm quoting Blake Sampson, but it is a fair statement and then they can transfer that trail reading to a full sus and get smother. I think your right though in your statement that if you did more on the hard tail over a longer term you would develop better skills, and that has to influence you speed both on and off a full sus bike.
Unless you did a couple of runs with the full sus after the 30 days it's not really possible to get a good reading. Your first run is just to get your body used to riding full sus again, so it would probably take a few runs before you could incorporate any new skills acquired from the HT.
I'd say a 29er hardtail would have been a better choice, but also if your hands were that bad riding a hardtail them there is definitely something wrong with the riding technique, a hardtail is very different and having grew up on hardtail bikes I have a completely different technique to riding a hardtail that allows me to push it harder and not suffer from these issues. Needs more practice.
