Primary Terrain and Riding Style
Deciding whether you need a full suspension mountain bike is one of the most impactful decisions a rider can make, affecting the cost, performance, and experience of a bike. The answer is not clear-cut – it is highly individual and depends fully on one’s specific context. This guide will break down the answer into five core aspects, meaning that with its help, you will obtain the necessary understanding to decide whether the complexities and additional cost of a full suspension setup are actually for you.
The most critical element of this decision is where and how you ride. A bike is a means to an end, and you must choose the right means. A full suspension bike works well on rough, technical terrains because the rear shock can absorb and deflect hits, allowing the rear wheel to stay on the ground and thus improving traction and control. A hardtail, equipped with only a front suspension, is suitable for smoother terrain and is lighter because it is more efficient for its primary scenario.
For smooth trails, fire roads, or even gravel, full suspension is not only unnecessary but counterproductive. The heavier weight and the suspension’s bobbing will suck up any bit of pedaling energy you are trying to input, making you a much slower and less efficient rider. A hardtail is the obvious winner again – it will feel more direct on the trail and provide much better power transfer. Cross-country is a gray area – traditionally, competitive racers on smoother courses loved hardtails as they could climb uphill incredibly efficiently, and their light weight was a huge bonus. However, on the more modern, more technical courses of the modern era, a lightweight, short-travel full suspension bike gives you a more efficient climbing position and provides a huge control and fatigue advantage on the descents. As the rides get rockier, rootier, with small drops and more technical descents, a suspension in the rear becomes a high recommendation. In those conditions, a hardtail makes you survive the trail, but a full suspension makes you flow with the trail. For enduro and downhill, a full suspension is mandatory. Long-travel suspension is meant to soak the biggest impacts – from the jumps, drops, and riding at high speed through the rock gardens. It is what keeps you safe and in control while riding aggressively.
Cost, Maintenance, and Weight
Another important factor is your willingness to maintain the bike and the budget you have. Since full suspension bikes are inherently more complex, the price of purchase and the maintenance cost is greater. If you are not willing to commit to it, you would spend more money on what eventually becomes a closet queen.
Initial Purchase Cost
A full suspension frame needs a rear shock, pivots, bearings, and even more complex engineering, and despite the lack of “equivalents”, it is still significantly more expensive than a hardtail. A high-quality hardtail will almost always outperform low-quality, cheap, entry-level full suspension bikes. Cheap full suspension systems have cheap components, low performance, and low durability.
Hollow performance.
Low-cost consumables.
Poor quality of materials.
A high-quality hardtail will almost always outperform a low-quality full suspension bike in performance.
An essential part to note!
As with most mountain biking products, you generally get what you pay for.
Long-term maintenance
Maintaining anything with a lot of moving parts is expensive. The rear end of the bicycle is exposed to a variety of weather phenomena.
A money-saving tip
You can perform the bulk of pivot bearing checks yourself. You can often feel them playing or being rough by holding the frame and moving the rear triangle side to side.
Weight
Hardtails are always lighter than full suspension bikes.
Rear Grip
The backend of the bike naturally affects the tires’ grip on the terrain due to the direct weight transfer.
Rider Comfort and Health Benefits
Reducing Rider Fatigue
For long rides, every bump and vibration will drain your energy. A full suspension bike will smooth out the trail, allowing your legs and core to focus on pedaling, and reducing the need for them to act as a secondary suspension system. In other words, you will be able to ride more and feel fresher by the end of the day.
Protecting Your Body
If you have back problems, joint issues, or you are just getting older, full suspension can make a world of difference. Your spine and joints will experience significantly less stress, making mountain biking a more sustainable and enjoyable activity. Many riders notice that they can no longer bear the harshness of a hardtail on technical terrain.
Enhanced Traction and Control
While an advantage to performance, ample traction is also pertinent to comfort. The rear wheel moves more effectively with the ground, providing more consistent braking and control on technical climbs. This type of control leads to less strain and a more relaxed ride overall, due to the reduced fighting against the bike.
Seated Pedaling Comfort
If you’re out on rolling terrain pedaling from your saddle for extensive periods, full suspension is far gentler. It will absorb the small imperfections on the trail that would otherwise be transmitted to you.
The Rise of Comfort-Oriented Alternatives and Electric Bikes
The conclusion is evident: it is no longer a question of going full suspension or sticking with the traditional hardtail. New alternatives and comfort-conscious models make the best effort to be low-impact, reducing the burden of choosing a full suspension.
The Ultimate Commuter Solution
For riders whose priority above all else is riding as comfortably as possible over a variety of urban surfaces and rather leveled trails, the ENGWE L20 3.0 Boost electric bike takes the cake. ENGWE has created a properly engineered full suspension system on a compact, foldable e-bike that is able to absorb over 90% of the vibrations. This vehicle isn’t a mountain bike but an entirely new level of commuter comfort. The unique Boost Mode provides 75Nm of instant torque for hills, and the vast distance of 135km redefines the concept of a commuter bicycle. Meanwhile, the exact torque sensor provides a superior ride experience, and the 8A fast charger, which is among the best in the industry, returns the full energy in two hours. The ENGWE L20 3.0 Boost is the best option for those who want full suspension comfort without the mountain bike’s aggressive riding position.
Suspension-Equipped Gravel Bikes
For those riders who choose to remain on less technical terrain but lower the vibrations a tad, gravel bikes with short-travel forks or even suspension stems and seatposts that dampen the vibrations without full suspension complexity and weight are now available.
“Soft-tail” frames
Finally, select frames include engineered compliance in the seat stays, providing a moderate degree of vertical give to soften blow impacts. A soft-tail frame offers the best from both worlds, enabling a hardtail frame’s rigidity and some of the travel of a full-suspension ride experience.
| Specification | ENGWE L20 3.0 Boost |
|---|---|
| Suspension | Full Suspension (Front & Rear) |
| Motor Type | 250W EU Standard Hub Motor |
| Max Torque | 75Nm with Boost Mode |
| Battery Type | 48V 13.5Ah Lithium-Ion |
| Maximum Distance | 135 km (in PAS 1) |
| Brakes | 180mm Hydraulic Disc Brakes |
| Tires | 20” x 3.0” Puncture-Resistant |
| Key Feature | Folding Design & 2-Hour Fast Charge |
Rider Skill Level and Progression Goals
Finally, the bike’s impact on your riding style and the way you deal with it should also influence your choice. You need a bike that will accelerate skill development, not become a crutch that attempts to cover up your sloppy habits.
The Beginner Rider
This is where the argument gets the most heated. An argument for a hardtail is that riding one forces you to learn the fundamentals. You have to pick good lines, absorb challenges through your limbs, and try to be as smooth as possible. Occasionally, full suspension bikes enable beginners to sail through without developing this key skill set. The thing is, that may be valid, but beginners who feel out of control of the bike are less likely to have fun. More people getting out there and riding bikes is all that matters.
The Intermediate Rider Seeking Progression
A full suspension bike is indispensable as a stepping stone. When you’ve carefully learned the essentials, practically everything in the sport becomes easier. You can go quicker, hit bigger, steeper sections, and keep momentum all the way across lanes, all of which are essential for improving and honing the set of skills you’ve earned.
The Expert Rider
Most experts have both. Most racers and the fastest humans have a full suspension bike that they take everywhere. They seem to have a 200-mph missile to nail the most difficult routes, down to the last corner. However, even they enjoy a hardtail, which they occasionally take down more lackluster routes for the experience, to maintain their essential skills, or in the middle of winter, long rides are even enjoyable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Is a cheap full-suspension bike better than no full-suspension bike?
A: Generally, no. A quality hardtail is a much smarter buy than a cheap full-suspension bike, which usually has low suspension efficiency, is heavy, and uses low-grade components.
Q2: Will full suspension make me a faster biker?
A: It depends. A hardtail will slightly beat it on uphills and flat areas due to being more lightweight and having less power loss.
Q3: Can I put a longer travel fork on my hardtail and make it more capable?
A: Yes, you can, but it is most often advised against. A longer fork changes the frame’s geometry and makes it more dangerous while adding significant stress to the head tube—which is more stress than it can handle. The bike that is designed for you is the one that fits your trails, your budget, and your riding objectives.
