Hard Tail (Buyers Remorse?)



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Jimmi B

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I recently got a 2003 Gary Fisher Tassajara. I think it's a great bike, but I'm unsure if I should
have spent the extra $ to get a FS like the Sugar.

I'm very new to XC and I wanted to get a decent bike. For the past couple of months I've been using
an old Trek without any suspension so the GS was a major improvement. Also, I'm 6' 4" and 215lbs and
the GS seems to support me better than some of the other HTs I tested.

My question is, being a novice and not really into big jumps or anything too extreme, will a bike
like this be good enough or will I be wishing I went fs in a few months?

I currently ride anywhere from 25 - 40 miles a week about 75% of that off road on narrow, winding
dirt trails with some sand and rocks and 1-2 foot drops.

Any comments would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Jimmi
 
"jimmi b" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I recently got a 2003 Gary Fisher Tassajara. I think it's a great bike, but I'm unsure if I should
> have spent the extra $ to get a FS like the Sugar.
>
> I'm very new to XC and I wanted to get a decent bike. For the past couple of months I've been
> using an old Trek without any suspension so the GS was a major improvement. Also, I'm 6' 4" and
> 215lbs and the GS seems to support me better than some of the other HTs I tested.
>
> My question is, being a novice and not really into big jumps or anything too extreme, will a bike
> like this be good enough or will I be wishing I went fs in a few months?
>
>
> I currently ride anywhere from 25 - 40 miles a week about 75% of that off road on narrow, winding
> dirt trails with some sand and rocks and 1-2 foot drops.
>
> Any comments would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Jimmi

You keep saying GS...what does that mean? If your Fisher says GS on it, that means GenesiSister, a
women's bike.

At your size, a moderately low-end hardtail like a Tassajara could be a bit weak for ~30 miles a
week with frequent 1-2' drops. If your skills are up to it, however, you'll be fine. If you seem to
be truing wheels often - like once a week - you'll know you're putting too much stress on your bike
(even though low-end Bontrager wheels almost require a weekly truing). In your case a FS may be
better - if not to cushion you against the riding, then to cushion the bike against you. For most
people a hardtail is fine for the type of riding you describe, but at your size, I wonder about you
breaking the bike, not the other way around.

If you've experienced a bit too many mechanical problems, a FS may help. If you are skillful - you
miss the babyheads, and land your drops cleanly - a FS is probably overkill. Then again, Sugars are
sweet (oh boy, what a great pun...)

Remember XC bikes are usually designed for guys weighing 160...ugh. Skinny bastards.

Chris
 
jimmi b wrote:
> I recently got a 2003 Gary Fisher Tassajara. I think it's a great bike, but I'm unsure if I should
> have spent the extra $ to get a FS like the Sugar.
>
> I'm very new to XC and I wanted to get a decent bike. For the past couple of months I've been
> using an old Trek without any suspension so the GS was a major improvement. Also, I'm 6' 4" and
> 215lbs and the GS seems to support me better than some of the other HTs I tested.
>
> My question is, being a novice and not really into big jumps or anything too extreme, will a bike
> like this be good enough or will I be wishing I went fs in a few months?
>
>
> I currently ride anywhere from 25 - 40 miles a week about 75% of that off road on narrow, winding
> dirt trails with some sand and rocks and 1-2 foot drops.
>
> Any comments would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Jimmi

I weigh about 225 lbs and rode a hard tail for quite a while. What drove me to a FS was being
pounded by the large number of rocks and rock-gardens where I ride. There're no smooth trails. A
seat post suspension helped *A LOT*.

What I liked about the hard tail was the precise control that I had over the bike. I didn't have to
account for changing rear geometry as I went over things. I find this especially important on fast
curvy downhills and on climbs. On climbs especially, the rear supension also steals power -- some of
each pedal stroke goes into compressing the suspension instead of moving you further up the hill.
I've learned to keep the rear suspension of my FS very much on the high pressure side for my weight
to regain some of this (control and power) -- but sometimes, I just want a smoother ride, so I let a
little pressure out, go slower, and maybe walk the last of a hill that I could have made :).

What I like about the FS is that it's much more forgiving and easier to ride over most rough
terrain. And, it doesn't pound me as badly on the rocks. I can sit more (yea, I'm lazy and like to
enjoy my rides :)). My rear rims also last longer :).

David
 
Hey, thanks for the info. When I typed GS I meant GF for Gary Fisher.

I only rode a full suspension once, it was a low end bike and it was a smaller frame then I would
use, so I didn't have a good feel for it. Then when I was test riding bikes before I bought the
Fisher I was only testing hard tails so I don't have a good idea of what an FS would do for me.

If frequent wheel truing becomes an issue, what would be a good upgrade from the Bontrager that
could support my 215lbs and not so hard riding style?

Jimmi

"Chris" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...

> You keep saying GS...what does that mean? If your Fisher says GS on it, that means GenesiSister, a
> women's bike.
>
> At your size, a moderately low-end hardtail like a Tassajara could be a bit weak for ~30 miles a
> week with frequent 1-2' drops. If your skills are up to it, however, you'll be fine. If you seem
> to be truing wheels often - like once a week - you'll know you're putting too much stress on your
> bike (even though low-end Bontrager wheels almost require a weekly truing). In your case a FS may
> be better - if not to cushion you against the riding, then to cushion the bike against you. For
> most people a hardtail is fine for the type of riding you describe, but at your size, I wonder
> about you breaking the bike, not the other way around.
>
> If you've experienced a bit too many mechanical problems, a FS may help. If you are skillful - you
> miss the babyheads, and land your drops cleanly - a FS is probably overkill. Then again, Sugars
> are sweet (oh boy, what a great pun...)
>
> Remember XC bikes are usually designed for guys weighing 160...ugh. Skinny bastards.
>
> Chris
 
"jimmi b" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hey, thanks for the info. When I typed GS I meant GF for Gary Fisher.
>
> I only rode a full suspension once, it was a low end bike and it was a smaller frame then I would
> use, so I didn't have a good feel for it. Then when I was test riding bikes before I bought the
> Fisher I was only testing hard tails so I don't have a good idea of what an FS would do for me.
>
> If frequent wheel truing becomes an issue, what would be a good upgrade from the Bontrager that
> could support my 215lbs and not so hard riding style?
>

If frequent wheel truing becomes an issue, take those wheels to somebody who knows what they're
doing and have them tension and stress-relieve them properly. Low-end Bontrager rims like the
Corvair are plenty durable. But low cost rims like this are usually used on low cost machine-built
wheels and these wheels tend to go out of true or break spokes because they're not tensioned and
stress-relieved as well as they should be. That gives the rims a bad rap when it's really the wheel
build that's at fault.
 
"jimmi b" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I recently got a 2003 Gary Fisher Tassajara. I think it's a great bike, but I'm unsure if I should
> have spent the extra $ to get a FS like the Sugar.
No. An HT will give you the necessary rush that will be the driving force keeping you riding.
>
> I'm very new to XC and I wanted to get a decent bike. For the past couple of months I've been
> using an old Trek without any suspension so the GS was a major improvement. Also, I'm 6' 4" and
> 215lbs and the GS seems to support me better than some of the other HTs I tested.
>
> My question is, being a novice and not really into big jumps or anything too extreme, will a bike
> like this be good enough or will I be wishing I went fs in a few months?
>
>
> I currently ride anywhere from 25 - 40 miles a week about 75% of that off road on narrow, winding
> dirt trails with some sand and rocks and 1-2 foot drops.
Let's call this stuff singletrack.
>
> Any comments would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Jimmi

You are on the path to enlightenment.

TJ
 
Sounds like the bike you bought is perfect for the kind of riding you do!!!!

Don't let the techno-weenies tell you any different.

Ride it.....have fun.....wear it out and buy another.
______________________________________

"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."
______________________________________
"jimmi b" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I recently got a 2003 Gary Fisher Tassajara. I think it's a great bike, but I'm unsure if I should
> have spent the extra $ to get a FS like the Sugar.
>
> I'm very new to XC and I wanted to get a decent bike. For the past couple of months I've been
> using an old Trek without any suspension so the GS was a major improvement. Also, I'm 6' 4" and
> 215lbs and the GS seems to support me better than some of the other HTs I tested.
>
> My question is, being a novice and not really into big jumps or anything too extreme, will a bike
> like this be good enough or will I be wishing I went fs in a few months?
>
>
> I currently ride anywhere from 25 - 40 miles a week about 75% of that off road on narrow, winding
> dirt trails with some sand and rocks and 1-2 foot drops.
>
> Any comments would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Jimmi

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"jimmi b" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I recently got a 2003 Gary Fisher Tassajara. I think it's a great bike, but I'm unsure if I should
> have spent the extra $ to get a FS like the Sugar.
>
> I'm very new to XC and I wanted to get a decent bike. For the past couple of months I've been
> using an old Trek without any suspension so the GS was a major improvement. Also, I'm 6' 4" and
> 215lbs and the GS seems to support me better than some of the other HTs I tested.
>
> My question is, being a novice and not really into big jumps or anything too extreme, will a bike
> like this be good enough or will I be wishing I went fs in a few months?
>

It IS good enough for the type of riding that you are doing - until it wears out. And all the bits
all wear out eventually. And there are just more to wear out when you add in rear suspension.

And there is ALWAYS another, better, bike. And you WILL wish that you went full sus in a couple of
months only because you could have. Not particularly because you should have.

Full suspension or not is debatable for the type of riding that you do. There are always pros and
cons. Personally I think that it would make it more 'fun' and somewhat more 'comfortable' than
provide any great 'advantage'. Especially as you riding for recreational enjoyment rather than any
competitive enjoyment. I can also gurantee that there'll be days on a full boinger that you'll
wonder if you could've climbed that last hill faster and better if you'd been on a decent HT.
Somethingelse to think about is the type of bike. A XC bike is built to be light and fast point A to
point B kinda stuff. You might want to consider getting something a little heavier duty. For
example, a Specialized Enduro versus Stumpjumper or Giant AC versus NRS.
--
Westie

>
> I currently ride anywhere from 25 - 40 miles a week about 75% of that off road on narrow, winding
> dirt trails with some sand and rocks and 1-2 foot drops.
>
> Any comments would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Jimmi
 
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