This is Why I'm Faster on XC Full Suspension

[@adamj2281]

Completely agree, I'm on similar trails in South Carolina, twisty, rooty (oak trees, etc.). Hardtail I could do one 13 mile loop and my hands were done, FS all day.

[@letour32rr]

Same. Here in Ga-AL, I’ve beat people faster than me solely because I could sit an pedal over rooty sections on my Specialized Epic FSR during XC races where the guys on hardtails were having to maneuver and hover over the saddle more. Just inch by inch catch up and pass over a couple miles.

[@jasonkroll2735]

True. Very true, full suspension is faster because the tire stays on the ground while rigid frames lose traction from launching over the bumps instead of tracing them.

[@JulianKent]

This. Suspension isn't just about keeping your ass and legs comfortable, it's also about keeping the wheel on the ground so you don't loose traction. You can't put power down if you're in the air.

[@flyingnorseman]

I learned on a HT. Rode one for appx 6 years. Im 50 now. My lower back just cant take the beating anymore plus the rear suspension allows you to pedal more efficiently over roots, rocks, etc.

[@richardhaselwood9478]

Same. Just turned 49 and treating myself to a short travel trail bike (120mm rear travel). Over the last year, I've gotten a lot stronger as a rider, and there are a few trails that are really rocky and gnarly that should be less difficult and probably safer with a full squish bike. Also, the new bike seems to weigh about the same as the old hard tail (haven't picked it up yet).

[@edstrazz2758]

50 here also. What bike are you all riding? I have a HT, but want a full squish. Prices have improved.

[@jeromep4148]

I totally agree with you. Fl is flat but not smooth. In roots you bounce around a lot and as a result its more difficult to maintain pedaling efficiency. My fastest bike here in FL is a 100mm travel full sus bike. But I do have a lot of fun on my HT. I alternate quite a bit just for variety.

[@jamese8508]

PLEASE make a video about the trails in your area. My mom lives in Gainesville. It would be great to have a local's advice on what to ride when I'm there for a visit. PS - I cruised the Hawthrorne when I was there in Feb. Pretty ride.

[@roilev]

Same here. I went (back) to the HT route, and I *STRUGGLED* for 4 years. I could not best my race times even if I had better segments. I was losing time in the flatter parts and later in the race where I was exhausted from not sitting down. And every bump goes through my spine. Now I bought a DC 120 ful-sus -- let's see how the new race season evolves.

[@The80shilling]

I'm about to go FS on an XC bike. I have been riding hardtails for 37 years, and I love the way my latest bike climbs, etc, but you're right about roots on a hardtail, a large root, or sharp lip on a rock can bring you to a halt, because the rear cannot rise up to roll over it. I'm also getting tired of taking a beating on the rockier downhill sections I ride, so I'm going to build up a Revel Ranger, and use all the good parts off my hardtail, and hopefully end up with a 22-23 lb FS bike that can still fly up the hills, but be a bit more comfortable on the downhills, and maybe also leave me with a bit more energy at the end of a 40-50 mile ride, because it's more comfortable.

[@mtrost1970]

I think there’s a couple other factors, too. On my 29’er HT, I will often lift the front wheel up/over something as part of a movement to then unweight the rear. This extra upper-body effort leads to fatigue over 1-2+ hour rides. I usually stop pedaling when doing this, meaning if you don’t have enough momentum to carry you over the obstacle, you come to an abrupt stop. Another more subtle impact is that the lack of compliance with a HT sometimes bumps you from your intended line. Worst case this can mean you clip a tree with your handlebars or hit a rock or root you were trying to avoid. In lesser cases, maybe it changes your line through a corner, causing you to make jerky corrections instead of carving a smooth line. I’m looking forward to my next bike being a short-travel FS bike at about the same weight as (or lighter) than my current HT.

[@BlackWaterCyclist]

What's up Clint! I'm up here in the panhandle of Florida and I agree with you completely on everything you said. Also with Florida you don't have to deal with the weight penalty of full suspension. The higher the speeds the better the full suspension is over roots. I did a hardtail vs. Full suspension test years ago and on a 10 mile loop I was about 30 seconds faster on the full suspension and felt more fresh at the end.

[@stephenshepherd5068]

On long climbs, like we have in Colorado, you are seated for 95% of the climb. You only stand up for roots and obstacles. On the descents, you are standing, but a full suspension is definitely faster. Overall, unless the trails you are riding/racing on are pretty smooth and buffed out, the full suspension will be faster.

[@CQR_Deuce]

I would agree. I'm in Louisiana so very similar terrain to Florida. I've been on a hardtail since I started mountain biking about 6 years ago and I'm always saying to myself on the trail if I was on a full sus here I'd be pedaling over these roots instead of standing and losing time. I guess I'll find out for sure here shortly as I have my first full sus on the way!!

[@samharris82]

what did you get?

[@CQR_Deuce]

@@samharris82 The Intense 951 XC. They have deal going on right now with $1000 off any bike including open box so ended up being about $1400 off. I was looking at the Canyon Lux Trail but I couldn't ignore that much off on the Intense.

[@stone7658]

I’m riding in Ocala next month for the second time. I live in New England so I have plenty of mountains and rocks and hill’s. However Florida is awesome. They do great trail work down there.

[@BruceChastain]

I think you're 100% correct. But for me I'm not much of a racer and I just like to keep it simple. I really agree with the roots things, they're killer on a HT.

[@jimmymoffitt5977]

Agree 100%. We have TONS of roots here. Palmetto roots are even worse then the tree roots. Really appreciate the recent videos. We ride the same trails and I just ordered YT Izzo while it was on sale after your project DC results. Should be pretty similar to the spur, which I absolutely loved during demo at santos fat tire. Planning to enter more endurance events/races when it arrives. Thanks again

[@StanEby1]

The moment you said, "roots" I got it, and I anticipated the ascent factor. Great job.

[@jrbowens]

I think it depends on terrain and style. I have both. I pick which one to ride not based on speed but on the type of experience I want to have that day. The HT can be so much more fun. But the FS is for sure faster over long XC races.

[@robtodd4726]

After my first full suspension, I never looked back. Long Island has lots of roots too!

[@stevencole7331]

You are correct in areas where the trail becomes bumpy . Full suspension you can keep pedaling while the hardtail the pedaling rhythm can be interrupted . Comfort is another factor . No I put a bit more air pressure in my suspension to stiffen it up . The spongy normal sag makes me feel slower like I am on a boat .

[@flashfive23]

I’m gonna do my first xc race in April on my full squish trail bike we’ll see how it goes

[@Team81MTB]

Agree 100%. I raced a ht for a little bit last year and quickly decided that it wasn't for me. My full suspension is world's better.

[@chriss8375]

I agree, except once I experienced a 29 plus bike. With true 29 plus tires and wheels it started going differently. With the nice cush and the insane momentum and speed you carry with the big wheels, on the flatter trails it usually eclipses my FS times. I'm in a root ville place as well. Now this only applies to 29 plus, does not apply to 27.5 plus.

[@VicharB]

Fully agree with you, but I am still on XC hardtail as full suspension is way costlier, the good ones, for me. :))

[@JasonScottCarter]

I still think hard-tails are fun on FL trails. I am about 50/50 when I go ride here in Tallahassee on if I take my FS or HT each time. My Spot Ryve is very similar to your Spur. I don't race though, so my rides are always about fun, not time.

[@normcook9335]

I live in the Greater Vancouver area, and I only ride on flat gravel for training. Otherwise it's mostly mountainous and rough. I ride an 140/125mm Optic but would like to go with 160mm/150mm (Sentinel would be good too).

[@JogBird]

ive never had a hart tail mtb.. but my trek top fuel came with the twist grip to lock out the front and rear suspension... i cant remember the last time i completely locked them out, even when climbing i just leave them open because of roots etc.. i might just remove it altogether

[@tom10crafted]

Really loved insights on the topic of pushing from the corners in longer races :) But in general, even if you a tiny bit slower on fully, you get significantly more comfort. And unless someone is competing for top positions - comfort & fun factor > being fast. In the end - if you are punished by hardtail in technical sections, you could consume that extra saved energy with fully on the areas where hardtail would normally excel :) Thus - its a win for fully:)

[@mattdickey2454]

Agreed. I even wonder if based on your logic at the beginning, if a mid travel would be faster than a short travel. I mention this because I went mid travel to short travel and my PRs stayed with the mid travel when I thought I'd set all new ones. I'm in central Florida. Main trail is Mount Dora for reference.

[@ClintGibbs]

That’s what Project DC is all about. This week’s results were pretty astounding. The next video comes out in 9 days.

[@damienbradley9209]

Great video...agree 100%. Here in South Jersey it's also extremely flat, but not rooty. The singletrack is "natural" as in not groomed by a machine, so there are A LOT of undulations. I've noticed I'm definitely faster on the full suspension DC bike vs the XC hardtail and stay in the saddle more. THAT SAID, I still usually only ride the hardtail because it's just more fun on these trails. The Full Sus does such a good job that it makes the trails that much more boring and less of a workout, if that makes sense.

[@reykjavik9187]

I remember saw these kids opted for Fox DPX2 shock in order to have a remote lockout.

[@geopietro]

Looking forward to your video about where to ride in Florida. Thank you.

[@johnnyrocket1320]

PLEASE make a video guide of Florida MTB trail systems. As a 55yr old NJ guy looking at Florida for retirement, I was getting depressed about trading East Coast trails for FLA swamp. This kind of video would give me hope. 🌞

[@Johnpvb]

Lots of rail trails and gravel depending on location in FL

[@IIISentorIII]

Come here for retirement to Switzerland, we also speak English and have awesome trails 😁

[@donaldmorrill1636]

I spent 30 years riding a hardtail on rocky chunk trails. After back surgery I bought a meduim travel full suspension plus tire Stumpjumper. Much more comfortable and faster on the downhills. I can understand your stay in the saddle and pedal over roots argument on flat trails, so now explain why you are hauling the extra weight of a dropper post around a flat race course?

[@XCRiders]

I watch other videos, and I feel like I should be out of the saddle more, but the reality is faster in the saddle 👍🏼

[@serhiychukur995]

thanks a lot for this video,each of them helps massively

[@Paganiproductions84]

i like compared my older xc hardtail to my newer xc hardtails on sections

[@rascal1234]

I definitely am faster on climbs with a hard-tail, but it is highly dependent on the specific conditions. In a race, the lighter the bike, generally the faster. But, if a bike needs to be more pliant on bumpy trails or one needs to take on rock gardens, then a full-sus is a no brainer. I am sure that the compression and rebound of a full suspension helps a lot with quick turns, esp over chunder. I don’t think there is a silver bullet.,but if one is more comfortable riding one type of bike, then use it.

[@BlackMan614]

You need to try the Trek ProCal 9.6 w/ the flex rear suspension. I get less read-end 'slop' and wiggle going over rock gardens/roots. You HAVE to be sitting to get its full benefit, however.

[@LastAphelion]

Funny I'd been hunting for pro caliber feedback after seeing how light it could get at 23 pounds, at the store they thought about steering me towards the top fuel but that's 7 pounds more and i can get the XT build with carbon wheels already

[@alexdi1367]

Same. I'm 15-20% faster on a full suspension (Trance 29) than a hardtail at the same weight (Epic 29) on my local SE rooty trails. That's not universal, some guys here are fast on hardtails, but it takes far more fitness to do it because you're constantly standing to pedal or hovering above the saddle. Seated on an FS, you conserve energy, and it's so much better on the downhills. In a dead sprint on smooth ground or with infinite stamina, I'd take the hardtail, but for anything else, FS all way. Add a lockout if you want to simulate a hardtail.

[@evancono3298]

2:56 Almost nobody will stand while climbing in the mountains (at least here) because the climbs can take upwards of 10 minutes ranging from 500 to 3000ft in elevation gain per lap. We would get burnt out. The trails here are pretty gnarly, everyone has 150-180mm bikes, a hardtail would be much more dangerous.

[@jeffreydzialo]

Completely agree, but i always have more fun on a HT.

[@davidyoung9652]

Same here in Michigan lots of roots. I have both full suspension definitely faster.

[@cccycling5835]

I’m a recovering roadie. I’ve got a gravel bike. My one and only MTB (i’ve ridden everything from rigid to full sus) is a full sus Tallboy. When I ride MTB I want to absolutely smash the trail 😂 what’s the point otherwise?!

[@LastAphelion]

I keep thinking I want a more serious trail bike, but then I keep watching that new maxxis Forekaster ad with Jackson shredding his Tallboy down like a little enduro then remind myself I could be plenty happy on one of those lol seems like a good little ripper

[@jmrtinez69]

Great video! I'll be in Orlando then heading to Daytona next week. What trails do you recommend and should I bring my hardtail or full suspension trail bike? thank you

[@ClintGibbs]

Full suspension. The closest Trails to Orlando will be Santos or Graham swap.

[@jimmymoffitt5977]

Haven’t been there yet, but everyone keeps talking about MT Dora also. Same builders as Santos. Might want to check out as well

[@jmrtinez69]

@@ClintGibbs Thank you!

[@jmrtinez69]

@@jimmymoffitt5977 Thank you!

[@steinfossgard5210]

How often when riding do you see deadly snakes?

[@ClintGibbs]

About once twice per year

[@TomCollins-c4h]

Hi Clint Im considering selling my Spur for a regular Stumpjumper because I want something a little more plush/comfortable especially in the front. Would the Stumpjumper give me that feeling? Thanks

[@ClintGibbs]

Yes, and so with the transition smuggler.

[@TomCollins-c4h]

Thanks for the help! the Stumpjumper is on sale though.

[@trailpimp6369]

A party in the mountains and it is not a hard tail. Full suspension rules

[@Johnpvb]

Interesting and somewhat counterintuitive until you explained it. Now I need another bike 😂

[@edlorenz1552]

Clint. You would be so much faster if you dumped those Maxxis junk tires.

[@Fitnessdrama]

I’m from Canada and Hard tails are for kids 😊

[@mychannelforfun5523]

The lower back is the reason.

[@thegefster1988]

Maybe so if you race... I ride my gravel bike over some rock gardens and roots and like more the challenge of the trail vs the speed aspect. And a hard tail or even gravel bike does that.

[@stevebzz839]

Finally someone pronouncing routes correctly.. even if he meant roots.. it’s still then same .. root, or route.. it’s the same pronunciation 🤓🙄

[@ericscott6682]

Oh yeah 😎. Full suspension is god-send for riding bicycles 🚲 on RailRoad tracks 🛤 i.e. over or down the wooden crossties.