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**Bubblehead10MM** · 01-23-2012, 04:14 AM

I'm starting to think about going whole hog and getting a double suspension 29er.
So there're tons of different designs, and I need to know the what to look for. What works best? What's lightest? What's best $ for $?

**Industry_Hack** · 01-23-2012, 11:26 AM

Hmm. Do you want a dual suspension, or do you want a 29er? Because the two platforms are a bit at odds with each other. It's like asking "What's the most compromised design I can buy?"

**Bubblehead10MM** · 01-23-2012, 03:01 PM

Well it depends. I'm afraid it hadn't occurred to me that the 29s could be a liability when you ad in suspension.

But I'm confused by the verity available. I see the ones with the shock/spring horizontally under the top tube, there's ones w/ single pivot at the bottom and vertical shock. I found a Cannondale that has a 2 piece thing where part of the fork pivots and in the middle. Then there's multiple brands on the components.

**Industry_Hack** · 01-23-2012, 09:58 PM

Cannondale is a separate discussion. What kind of riding are you looking to do? High speed XC, on mostly fire road type trails are where the 29er excels. As it gets rougher and more technical, 26" wheels reign king. How much suspension you need is determined by terrain and speed. We used to ride rigid bikes through some nasty stuff, but at a crawl. Suspension helps a skilled rider navigate sketchy trails at higher speeds, but it won't make you a better rider. Let us know your goal, and we can steer you in the right direction.

**rola643** · 01-23-2012, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Industry_Hack

Cannondale is a separate discussion. What kind of riding are you looking to do? High speed XC, on mostly fire road type trails are where the 29er excels. As it gets rougher and more technical, 26" wheels reign king. How much suspension you need is determined by terrain and speed. We used to ride rigid bikes through some nasty stuff, but at a crawl. Suspension helps a skilled rider navigate sketchy trails at higher speeds, but it won't make you a better rider. Let us know your goal, and we can steer you in the right direction.

Just learned my "something new" for today!

**Bubblehead10MM** · 01-24-2012, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Industry_Hack

Cannondale is a separate discussion. What kind of riding are you looking to do? High speed XC, on mostly fire road type trails are where the 29er excels. As it gets rougher and more technical, 26" wheels reign king. How much suspension you need is determined by terrain and speed. We used to ride rigid bikes through some nasty stuff, but at a crawl. Suspension helps a skilled rider navigate sketchy trails at higher speeds, but it won't make you a better rider. Let us know your goal, and we can steer you in the right direction.

OK. The majority of my riding is paved trail and city streets or road shoulder. That's what it is and I enjoy my hard tail mtb and don't mind that it's not a street racer.

Then occasionally I find some trail to ride, I've just gotten a taste of it, and I don't ride fast but I want to get better. I'm on the road in a truck so I ride where I find it, but not real technical stuff. I love climbing hills, and fast down hills like a nice fire road, and single tracks winding around rooty stony trails. HA I just want to be able to go anywhere / do anything(except fly, takes too long to heal these days)

ruggedscotsman · 01-31-2012, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubblehead10MM

OK. The majority of my riding is paved trail and city streets or road shoulder. That's what it is and I enjoy my hard tail mtb and don't mind that it's not a street racer.

Then occasionally I find some trail to ride, I've just gotten a taste of it, and I don't ride fast but I want to get better. I'm on the road in a truck so I ride where I find it, but not real technical stuff. I love climbing hills, and fast down hills like a nice fire road, and single tracks winding around rooty stony trails. HA I just want to be able to go anywhere / do anything(except fly, takes too long to heal these days)

If you like climbing/don't jump/don't typically ride anything overly technical, then I'd stick with a hard tail. A 29er would be really fun for the fast fire road stuff, but rear suspension will probably not be of much benefit to your riding and will only make you less efficient.

**Jahwarrior** · 01-31-2012, 10:13 PM

You most definitely DO NOT need a Full Suspension bike to do mainly paved trails.
Hard Tail all the way.

I do single-track trail riding, nothing but roots, rocks and dirt - up hill,downhills whatever... full suspension would be wasted on me, and wouldn't help me any either.
You only need full suspension if you're doing some wicked high speed downhill or cross country riding.

I rock the Trek Mamba - Hard Tail 29er - perfect for the riding I do.
Sounds like you fit the profile for more of a hybrid what with all the smooth paved roads you ride on, but for the occasional trail a hybrid would still be fine, unless your talking trail like a REAL mountain bike trail or just a dirt walking path.

**photosbymark** · 02-01-2012, 04:50 AM

One thing you need to remember is when you add a suspension, you lose some pedal efficiency. Ever see a road bike with a suspension?? Not me and there is a reason for that. They go over bumps too, but its not worth the power loss.

**Industry_Hack** · 02-01-2012, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photosbymark

One thing you need to remember is when you add a suspension, you lose some pedal efficiency. Ever see a road bike with a suspension?? Not me and there is a reason for that. They go over bumps too, but its not worth the power loss.

Mark, that's no longer the case. Ever seen a road bike on the trail? They're significantly less efficient when the back tire has trouble maintaining contact with the ground. Modern suspension designs only respond to impacts, with the pedal input having much less effect. This greatly increases efficiency.

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