Sold my full sus and got a new Transition Trans Am, loving the change! Will be a hard sell to return to full suspension. More fun, less money and hassle 🤷♂️
My HT is my only bike and I am loving it. No need to upgrade to FS. My trusty Nukeproof Scout has a the magic to do it all! More HT content is appreciated. Cheers
Yes, more hardtail please! I love the content you and Blake are putting out. Always fully enjoyed 😁 And yes I do own a hardtail and it is my only bike. Loving it!
I think most people assume hardtail is a simpler setup because typically they are "cheaper" - but really US hardcore hardtail purist, who want to ride the same trails, same conditions and try to as quickly, have to really really nerd out on the setup and possibly spend more for similar levels of performance. Rich, you were really on point. Everything, the minutia meets just that much more. The right tire choice, casing, precise tire pressure and the use of inserts - you want the right contact patch, pinch protection and a rear insert adds that insurance and damping. Like you, my guidance is just a bit softer, and using an insert give you that ramp up like using volume spacers. Fork - SUPER important to be properly forked and setup. Its your only suspension and your pivot is on the back. You are ALREADY super active on the bike fore and aft on a HT, you want to setup the fork to be the perfect unicorn... supple off the top, rampy, not linear and not blow through your travel. Basically you want all that, but still to sit "high-ish" in the travel to not blow through. Stiffness while compliant is also important, which basically means you need a higher end fork with controls for at the least HSC along with LSC, rebound and the ability to add spacers for ramp up. - High/Low speed rebound is also important, but ultimately you want your rebound to be as FAST as possible, so it not only doesn't pack in, but with the right HSC doesn't get stuck in holes and throws you over the bars when the HTA changes by upwards of 5 degrees. Brakes - because you have less traction, you need brakes you can better modulate while being super strong as you'll be on them more than you would a full sus. Some people say to run a smaller rotor out back to prevent locking... For me, it needs to be 4 pot with metalic sintered pads and >180mm rotors Geo - this is what everything hangs off and supports. This needs to be selected appropriately for your riding. You're going to be having to move your body way more fore and aft to deal the dynamic head tube angle. Frame materials and design - you notice this more on a HT than anywhere else. Alu vs. steel, and even if steel, the type of steel and where the reinforcement is. The Chromag rootdown became the 'standard' or baseline for Geo, but a Chromag rootdown for instance is waay more stiffer than say the Norco Torrent or even the Honzo ESD. This is all preference, as some people prefer that. Bars - again because of the shifting geo, and lack of compliance, you may want to look for something that gives you something more upright, more rise if you prioritize gravity. >30MM rise, and even looking at carbon over ALU or 31.8 over 35MM
Hard tail bike packing, races, adventures, would be amazing to see more of. 4 yrs ago I had a stroke caused by a treatment for arthritis, I set a goal to riding. Started training bike at home 2yrs, got my bike hard tail, riding that now 2 yrs now. Got loads to improve on, 2025 I set a mission to do an adventure / bike packing. Would love to know more on this, types of adventures best for hard tails, best set up, ridding tips, prep, I’m invested now so going all in, its git me back being mobile
Clipless are great for going downhill but I've done the "oh 🤬" stall on many a climb and gravity's reaction dragging me to the ground is usually quicker than me getting out of a clipless pedal 😂
To add... riding hardtail makes you better. You not only pick up on line choice, but as mentioned very strategic braking zones, understanding how to use your traction, how to make traction, along with alot more "fore and aft" movement will translate to just better and faster riding. Jumping? - Nothing better than a hardtail to really understand how to ride through the lip, how to press into compressions and then "why" you shouldn't case ;)
For me the biggest difference was using clip in pedals, it allowed me to "fly" over rough terrain along with the bike, on flats I used to stand "heavy" on the pedals and I used to push the rear wheel into every unevenness on the trail in fear of losing shoe to pedal contact.
@arekb5951 what's the size of your clipless pedals, what model are you using? The video shows eggbeaters in a flat pedal casing, so there's a bit of both going on. I'm buying a HT next week and will go clipless because that's what I'm used to & prefer on my road bike. Just wondering if I should go with small clipless pedals like my roadies (I've got an old version of the Shimano XTR) but even those come in a racing M9100 model and a large trail M9120 model.
@@wayne5741 I was always against clipless pedals, so I went with the cheapest ones (Shimano PD-M520) because I thought clipless is not for me so why waste money, but as it turned out these work just fine. The only thing I can complain about is when I'm going through the rough stuff I can feel my feet move about (within the float of course, my feet aren't going anywhere because they're securely clipped in), which is unnerving at first, but now I don't mind it at all. So yeah, if did more gravity oriented riding I'd certainly go with clipless with a platform as shown in the video, but as of now I'm not planning any upgrades unless my PD-M520s wear out (from what I've read not anytime soon), because they weigh only 66g more than PD-M9100 and they feel 98% the same.
@@arekb5951 My current clipless look very similar to those PD-M520 but the model spec has rubbed off so I can't really tell. They may be XTR or something cheaper (I jut did a quick google to put a model to my question). I've had them since '06. I haven't ridden consistently through the years, and they have some surface rust (I think living near the ocean doesn't do them any favours), but they've obviously survived almost 20 yrs. As for the moving around, I find a bit of leeway gives me the freedom to move about a little to shift the pressure, either when I'm pushing hard or when fatigue sets in). You might also want to check your cleats and experiment with others. Shimano has SM-SH51 and SM-SH56. The 51 is a regular cleat like other brands, whereas the 56 is a multi-release (the cleats I have. There's an M below the screws). They clip in & out differently. I've never known any other but most people who've tried them love them. (there's reviews on YT)
Yeti ARC rider here. I built it as light as possible with carbon cranks, hoops & bars. Weighs just over 20lbs on XC setup but when I switch tires it transforms into a full out trail beast.
I built myself an Octane One Sour with good used parts (fox34, carobon bars, xtr cranks, hzn wheels, maxxis 2.6, oval chainring, deore brakes, 180 dropper...). The cheapest frame I could find with nice geometry. It's an amazing bike, probably my favourite one ever. And I have owned an Ibis Mojo and now I have an Orbea Rise
Cheers man and your right just because they look simpler doesn’t make setting them up just right any easier if anything it’s true let because they do need to be spot on 👊
@@enensis Theres not that much elevation gain really, but thats what makes it hard, because you're constantly pedaling, and out of the saddle a lot on the hardtail. There's also some good stuff off the main red/blue worth exploring.
Awesome, really good walk through more hard tail tricks and tips 😀 so much that’s comparable but also must dos to get the best line choices and strategy. I ride my hard tail and love it, to go full sus just a stretch to far and right now more interested in evolving my skills as a ridding. Would love to see more of this to take it back to the trails to refine. Loved it Rich lots of small but import areas to keep working on ❤️ thanks GMBN team
@@gmbn currently on a Ragley Big Al , shimano build with nukeproof rims . Looking to upgrade to wider rims and fatter tires with tubeless insert in the rear as I am pushing harder on my hard tail enjoying more technical trails . Your videos have been inspiring and being back on a hard tail has improved my overall riding technique . I think I was getting complacent letting my full suspension cheat me down the trail . It’s great to be humbled and get back to basics to “ feel” the trail again . Keep making awesome content . Thank you 🙏🏼
Happy to see hard tail content but you don't really think that qualifies as hard on a hard tail? Is it the mud? Love to see you guys do some real gnar instead of some XC stuff.
Sold my FullSus and got a Hardtail instead. Riding is much more fun on the mellow Trails, but also on the gnarly stuff. Also switched to good Clipless Pedals, for a better connection to the bike and be able to unweight the rear much better.
I’m in a transition period , my trusty second bike is a hardtail that is pretty tricked out. Just bought a new full Suss so the hardtail is in full play
Recently acquired a Ragley for winter riding, full suss is a 22 Canyon Spectral AL6. I sometimes forget I'm on a hardtail on gnarly trails, feel that the rear tends to kick and buck unexpectedly and throw me slightly off balance compared to full suspension. It's still fun and I ride most of the trails I ride on my full susser, just that there are trails that really need double boing e.g. Jacob's Ladder / Cavedale etc. But for what it's worth I'd say that a decent hardtail can be just as fun as full suspension until things start to get really janky, steep and technical.
Agree, I've just acquired a 1.0 and the compliance is like some kind of witchcraft. First ride I thought I had a puncture with 10psi less in the rear tyre. It feels like riding full suspension with the shock locked out rather than a rigid hardtail. Hard to explain but if you have a Ragley you'll know what I mean. Great bike and the next best thing to a full suspension trail bike imo.
Orbea Alma user here (have also a full-susp). H-tails are so fun and fast is hard to forget them, you always return to their first love. On a side note, is it me or GMBN is promoting inserts more than ever these days?
Brilliant but maybe better to have a full Suspension on the same route so we can see the slow mo on both. Like a side by side comparison . Maybe jumps next
Might I recommend less “go fast” focus and more “playful, have fun”. When I go out every morning for my 15 mile morning PNW trail ride I’m playing, not racing.
