front suspension with bodyfloat vs full suspension

[vincent]

would like thoughts on how comfortable a hardtail with front suspension/bodyfloat is vs a full suspension bike?

my main reason for wanting full suspension is comfort
it will be ridden on lousy dirt/gravel roads some and a little mountain biking but a lot paved bike trails also

 

[EddieJ]

Afraid that the only person that can answer that is yourself by trying a couple of bikes out.

I own a version of each http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/2016-ktm-macina-race-x1-11-cx5.3731/ and http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/ktm-macina-lycan-27-gps.865/

The conditions that both have to endure, range from deep mud, to hard packed chalk and flint trails that can cut and destroy tyres with frequency. Throw rocky steps and wooded root sections into the equation as well, and you have most aspects covered.

My off road ride distance varies anything from ten miles to sixty plus miles, and this is on both bike designs. I have no discomfort with either, and the hardtail is certainly lighter and more responsive. Chalk steps and fields that have become hard and rutted after having cattle crazing through the winter, are really the only times, that long to be on the full suspension bike.

As things stand, I am really loving the hardtail, and there aren't really many occasions where I want or even need a full suspension bike. I'm currently half thinking about getting rid of the full suspension bike, but we will see, as part of me also wants to keep it.

Full suspension would definitely not be on my list of wants if I was riding on the road though, as I just don't see the point of it.

 

[vincent]

wow eddie, read those threads and you sound like a very serious mtn biker

those ktm bikes look really nice , havent seen those

i understand what you mean about riding on roads but the roads in tucson are completely falling apart, bad potholes, seams separated 4-5 inches every 10-12 feet

the bike path i have been riding some is newer and is in good shape

guess in the back of my mind figured that a full suspension bike just absorbs more of the jolts/jarring that you get with any riding.....

court has mentioned in a few reviews i have read that he likes fs mtn bikes for commuting

i have a cheap fs mtn bike now and it has been comfortable to ride
it is also the first bike i have been on in 30 years or more so dont have much to compare it to

yesterday rode my older prodeco mariner down a dirt road and onto some crappy paved roads, it has front suspension and suspension seat post- probably of low quality- and it definitely was not as smooth as the mtn bike but was not too terrible
tire size is also much smaller than the mtn bike


but to me even if my comfort level went up 25% it would totally be worth spending another 500-1000 for full suspension

ordered an easy motion street today- shout out to ravi and crazy lenny for working me a great deal!
it comes with front suspension and we added a bodyfloat post

so hoping after getting some miles on it i will have a better idea

my biggest problem has been that i want throttle override and throttle that starts from a stop
not seeing many fs mtn bikes that have this, but there seem to be more hardtail type
so thought maybe if ride was pretty close to equivilant with bodyfloat vs full suspension i would go that route

thank you for your detailed response

 

[EddieJ]

I'm sure that the BH will be just perfect for you.

Enjoy getting some miles in.

 

[vincent]

i agree, think the street is going to be a great all around bike
fun to ride, good for friends to ride etc

but i plan to buy one more bike and the plan so far has been a full suspension mtn bike


just started thinking about the very hot weather here in az and how that is going to affect my batteries
have a feeling i wont be riding as much this summer

about to start a thread on batteries and heat

 

[Teresa]

BTW, you could go with a hard tail and just get a seat post like the thudbuster.

 

[Nirmala]

BTW, you could go with a hard tail and just get a seat post like the thudbuster.

The body-float the OP mentioned is another brand of seatpost suspension, so he is doing just as you suggest.