Hardtail Vs Softail Mountain Bike

But that changed with the introduction of the front hardtail and rear full suspension.

Hardtail vs softail mountain bike. The short and skinny is that a hardtail bike is really just that it s a bike with a hard tail. Hardtail mountain bikes are a lot like marmite. You either love them or you hate them. If you re a bike enthusiast you know that choosing the best mountain bike was not a hard call back then.

Full suspension most mountain bikes have suspension to keep you in control over rough ground but not all mountain bikers need the same amount and type of suspension. The difference between hardtail vs full suspension bikes is that in addition to the fork shock the full suspension bike also has a rear shock. A full suspension fs bike has the same fork out front but it has a frame that consists of two pieces a front triangle and rear triangle that are joined by pivots. The suspension was a big welcome to the cycling.

But this hardtail has advantages in terms of frames that are lighter and less maintenance. Hardtail mountain bikes do not feature a rear shock whereas full suspension bikes feature front and rear shocks. Having only front suspension enables bike manufactures to make hardtail frames incredibly light. The lack of suspension made hardtails impractical for long distance riding.

The type of suspension a mountain bike has will affect the bike s control traction and comfort not to mention how enjoyable it is to ride. What s a full suspension mountain bike. Scott recently released its 2017 scale hardtail with a frame weight of just 849 grams. Here is a typical hardtail model.

The winner of this frame softail full suspension. There are mountain bikes both hardtail and full suspension to suit all terrains including cross country trails centres single track and enduro usually referred to as a trail or enduro bikes. Softail bikes have an active suspension system in the form of an a frame rear swingarm. A hardtail is a bike with a solid frame and it usually has a suspension fork on the front.

A full suspension mountain bike features both a suspension fork up front and a rear shock whereas a hardtail bike has only a suspension fork. Hardtail motorcycles feature old school rigid frames that have no rear suspension. Most motorcycles through the first half of the 20th century were hardtail motorcycles. The softail full suspension frame has been designed better with more technologically advanced and more complex.

Impact absorbing suspension is only fitted to the front of the bike while the rear end is fixed.