“Hey guys, what bike should I get? I wanna ride everywhere.” A silence falls over the room, as rabid mountain bikers MUST have their opinion heard. “Just get trail bike” pipes one commenter. “A Trek Roscoe – this hardtrail can do anything!” shouts another commenter (who presumably rides a Trek Roscoe). Our inquisitor makes another clarifying statement and question: “Well guys, I want to ride double blacks at Keystone Bike Park by the end of the season. Do you think a Trek Roscoe isn’t enough bike?”
“NONSENSE!” shouts the Trek-Trooper. Didn’t you see the video of Skills With Phil riding tech trails on a Walmart bike? You can ride any bike anywhere. Another biker in the room shouts “Yeah, Blake from GMBN finished an enduro riding only a hardtail!”
I get where these people are coming from. Mountain biking is predominantly a skill-based sport. Put me on my full suspension Santa Cruz Megatower and Aaron Gwin on a Trek Roscoe and he’s still going to beat me in a downhill race. He’s a professional athlete and I’m just some dude who really likes mountain biking. However, there’s a reason Aaron Gwin doesn’t race on a hardtail. In this post, I’m going to explain why you SHOULDN’T listen to people when they say “XYZ Professional athlete did it on a hardtail so you should too.”
Bikes Break
What is a downhill bike made for? Going downhill. It has the torque specs and design to back it up. What is a hardtail made for? Well, mostly for pedalling, design simplicity, and cost-savings. Hardtails can be made aggressive (and are fun as crap to ride), but they simply aren’t meant to withstand the everyday forces that a dedicated downhill or enduro bike is meant to take. Lighter-Duty bikes WILL break if you ride them frequently enough on rowdy trails. I have no evidence to back this up; there are no statistical studies on mountain bike damage frequency at downhill parks based on bike type. It’s all just personal experience and guesswork. But I’m telling you; Don’t bring your XC bike to the downhill park more than a few times per season. It’s a bad idea.
Take for example, a standard spec Giant Stance, a full suspension mountain bike with 130mm front travel and 120mm rear travel. A professional rider would absolutely shred this bike at a downhill park. They’d be leagues faster than me, and look cooler doing at. By all means it’s a fully capable bike for a downhill park. However… What kind of tires does it have from the factory? Maxxis Exo casing tires; Those won’t make it more than a few laps on any serious park terrain. What about the derailluer? How many rock hits can a shimano M5120 take before it gives up? Are the linkage bolts and bearings designed to take the forces from expert-level terrain? Will the chainstay snap if a case a drop? The bike isn’t designed to handle crazy trails. Just because you could ride it down double black bike park trails, it doesn’t mean you should. Don’t “save” on a lighter duty bike only to spend more on parts upgrades and rentals while your bike is in the shop.
Parts Cost Money
Parts breaking might ruin your day of riding, and cost you a lot of money in the process. If you only have one bike, they’re a big paint in the butt. On the other hand, if your a professional athlete or Youtuber, it’s probably not a big deal because you’ll just hop on your backup bike, pull from your parts bin, or have your mechanic fix it. Pro Youtubers can also afford to break a bike if it means they’ll get XYZ amounts of views, money, and affiliate link clicks. Their sponsor might also just give them another one if they’re given 3 frames + parts a year. In some cases, they also completely trick their hardtail out for the famous “I rode a hardtail at XYZ bike park” videos. They’re riding custom hardtails with cush core, a near indestructable rear wheel, downhill casing tires, and enduro-spec derailleurs. You wouldn’t want to pedal that hulky bike like that on your local blues; It’s meant to be ridden at the park. Extra money was spent so that it could be ridden in the park.
A few years ago, the video of Skills With Phil riding tech on a Walmart bike was popular. People sometimes forget that the bike broke… Imagine paying for a lift ticket, lodging, and travel only to have your bike break at the bike park. That would suck.
Nice Bikes Give Confidence
Aaron Gwin on a hardtail is faster than me on an enduro. Aoron Gwin on a hardtail is slower than Aaron Gwin on an enduro. Nice bikes go faster, which is of course why pros race on them, but most people just care about feeling confident and having fun. A nice bike is also going to do that. The counterpoint to this, of course, is that “It’s better to learn on a hardtail. They give you better skills than a full suspension would.” I’d agree with that statement, with a huge caveat: It just depends on the trail. Hardtails and lighter duty bikes make trails feel harder; They give you less margin for error. They’re usually shorter wheelbase, rocks will bounce your body more, you need to be stronger and have more fundamental skills to ride them. It’s good to practice these skills on terrain you’re comfortable on, but there’s a limit. For most people, bike park trails are a huge jump in difficulty compared to your local trails. Personally, I think you’ll want to be on a bike that’s confidence-inspiring and stable.
Let’s also not forget that unpredictable things can happen on hard trails, and a nice full suspension bike is going to give you more margin for error when mistakes happen. They WILL happen at a bike park if you’re pushing yourself. It’s easy for us mortals to misjudge a jump, hit a rock you didn’t want to, or case a drop. When that happens, you want the suspension, wheelbase, and head tube angle to potentially save you from a nasty crash.
Counterpoints
Let’s acknowledge a few counterpoints up front.
Money: A nice enduro bike is more expensive than a nice hardtail or a lighter full suspension bike. If a hardtail is what you can afford, then that’s the best bike for you. That being said, I’d be careful about taking it to super rowdy bike park trails. You don’t have the money & parks backing that pros have to be able to afford the “I rode XYZ hardtail at Whistler” videos. Parts on lighter duty bikes will break if you ride hard and rowdy on them. You could end up spending more money than you would if you’d just gotten a burlier bike to start with.
Joy: If you like riding hardtails, I can’t argue with that. I certainly don’t have the talent to take them reliably down double blacks, but some people do and I respect the crap outta that. Good for you. Seriously! Ride what you wanna ride.
Ridiculousness: If you built out a hardtail or light duty bike with DH tires, a 35mm 2 pound rear wheel, and enduro derailleur, and a 4130 steel frame with 150mm of travel, then you built a downhill bike with no rear suspension. It’s probably pretty dang reliable. I won’t argue that. Have fun on it.
Conclusion
My statement is fairly obvious. Downhill bikes are meant for downhill parks. XC bikes are meant for XC trails. You CAN ride any bike anywhere, but it doesn’t mean you should. Parts will break when lighter duty bikes are taken on trails they aren’t designed for. You do not have a team of professional mechanics, bike sponsors, and a financial interest in breaking your bike regularly. You’re also not as talented as the pro athletes who ride hardtails down double black tech. If you plan on riding demanding trails and can afford a bulkier trail, enduro, or downhill bike. Spend the money and get it!
This is an opinion post. I expect people to disagree with me. Comment away! I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.