Sloppy Riding…
Posted by Stephen on
August 8, 2006
You know, since I started riding my new hardtail, I’ve realized just how sloppy of a rider I’ve become, and how I’ve totally come to rely on my other bike’s seven inches of front and rear travel to bail me out of trouble.
The thing I noticed on my first ride with my hardtail was how much work it takes to absorb all the bumps, jumps and drops in the trail. I’ve also noticed that my mistakes have far bigger consequences as I’ve had more than one close call on the trail. After my ride, my legs, back, and arms were totally sore from doing so much more work, while the same trail on my full suspension bike is like…butter…
It took me a good half a dozen rides to get used to using my body as a shock absorber again. I’m also finding that I’m taking much faster and smoother lines down the trail, while before, I would just plow through everything, letting the suspension do the work. It’s also a heckuva lot easier to climb with a hardtail.
I’m definitely having a lot of fun with new hardtail. In fact, to give my riding a boost, I’ve signed up for a Dirt Jumping Course with the folks at Endless Biking. I’ve never been great at jumps, and I find that a little embarassing, especially since I grew up in the same town with the likes of Darren Berrecloth, Ryder Kasprick, and Jordie Lunn. Well, let’s see if I can catch up 
That’s the way I like to ride… I am not really into big jumps and stunts and things like that. Just give me a nice long trail with some technical obstacles, and a hardtail bike, and I’ll have fun all day
It may not look ‘cool’ but it’s all good. It might be a better workout too, as you’re using all the muscles in your body to move the bike around, keep your balance, and avoid crashing
Hardtails are cool. It’s definitely been too long! Totally takes me back. The challenge is taking a hardtail, and trying to use it to ride the same terrain as a full suspension, and staying alive. I’ve been loving the look on people’s faces as I whip by them on their full suspension bikes. I’m really enjoying the challenge and it gives a totally new dimension to an old trail.
I’m totally looking forward to my Dirt Jumping Course. I really want to take my riding up a few notches, and I’ll be doing it on my hardtail. I think this will really improve my riding when I swap over to my Full Suspension bike for those bigger trails…and Whistler. I could never do those table tops properly on A-Line. I always get chicken shit and do a brake check before the lip.
another good thing about hardtails is that not only are they faster but they are much lighter than bikes with a lot of travel. Some of the guys at the bike shop i work at have DH bikes that weight like 50 lbs, and if you were to try to ride that up a hill, not only would the weight be a huge burden but the shock absorbers would steal almost all of your energy.
I couldn’t go with a lightweight XC bike anymore. The wheels on my Specialized P3 hardtail are heavy as hell for a reason. I tried to take my old XC hardtail freeriding, hucked it off a 6 foot drop, and taco’d the rear wheel badly. The frame made a weird noise too :O
But I’d have to say that in the tightest singletrack or a good jump trail, a hardtail still rules with a good fork. And yeah, definitely more pleasant to ride uphill…unless you’re a shuttle whore