It seems that hardtails have an image problem. You only have to flick through our magazine or click through the online channels to quickly realise this: Most of the pictures or videos show fullys. However, this brief media check in no way reflects the reality. Because when it comes to sales figures, the simple hardtail makes the technically sophisticated fullys look old. For many well-known companies such as Trek, Specialized and Cube, hardtails are still the best-selling bike category in the entire product range.
Hardtails: Inexpensive and sophisticated
One reason why so many people opt for a hardtail is obvious. Due to their simple design, mountain bikes without rear suspension are significantly cheaper than bikes with rear suspension. And a simple business formula says: the lower the price of a product, the higher its demand. However, reducing hardtails to their price alone does not do this type of mountain bike justice. Our comparison of six different concepts shows just how diverse bikes with a rigid rear end can be in the 2022 model year.
If you analyse mountain bikes with a sober, technical eye, you will discover further arguments in favour of the simple technology in addition to the aforementioned price advantage. Because a hardtail does not require a shock and pivot points in the rear triangle, it is always considerably lighter than a fully. The carbon frames of the absolute high-end race fullys, as they are ridden in the Cross-Country World Cup, weigh between 1800 and 2000 grams including the shock.
Almost a kilo lighter: hardtail frame check
The lightest hardtail frames, such as the Specialised Epic HT or the Stoll R1The hardtail bikes weigh just 800 grams. And even if you look from the expensive top models to the affordable bikes, the difference in weight between the hardtail and fully frame (including shock) remains. The aluminium frame of the Merida Big Trail with 2327 grams almost one kilo below the average frame weight (incl. shock) of the trail bikes from the last Comparison test in BIKE 8/21. And this despite the fact that the fullys tested at the time cost at least twice as much and were partly made of carbon.
The lower maintenance requirements of hardtails can be argued just as soberly as the weight advantage. Where there are fewer components, there is less chance of them breaking. Anyone who has a fully in the garage at home will have had problems with a loose or creaking rear triangle. The dynamic loads always cause a certain amount of wear. The industrial bearings of the rear triangle then quickly become rough or develop play in the long term. The hydraulics in the shock require regular maintenance in order to function perfectly. And the screw connections on the rear triangle need to be greased from time to time to prevent annoying noises.
No rear wheel bearings, no problem
If you ride a fully, you have to invest more time and money in the maintenance of your bike. This is a factor that should not be neglected if you have to fit your hobby in between work and family life. All these rational arguments could also be listed in an unemotional Excel spreadsheet. But what does it look like when you include the riding experience on the trail in this comparison?
You can download the complete laboratory and practical test of the six different hardtail concepts from BIKE 11/2021 as a PDF below the article. The test report costs 1.99 euros.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, namely tens of thousands of euros every year.
You can find these hardtail mountain bikes in the test:
- VPace C3M (rigid bike)
- Canyon Dude CF 8 (Fatbike)
- Cube Elite C:62 Pro (race hardtail)
- Nicolai Argon GTB (trail hardtail)
- MiTech Tyke P1 Pinion (carefree bike)
- Merida Big.Trail 600 (all-mountain hardtail)
MTB hardtails: stress-free biking
"Whether it's electronic suspension and gears, shocks hidden in the frame or new geometry concepts - as a BIKE editor, I'm usually one of the first people in the world to be inspired by technical progress in the bike industry as part of my job. However, when I get on my bike for purely personal reasons, I usually swing my leg over my somewhat outdated hardtail, despite the almost endless possibilities.
The reason for this? The bike simply works! No shock that gives you the feeling you're not yet in the optimum setup. No electronic gimmicks that threaten to kill the battery as the tour progresses. No rear triangle construction that rattles.
The low maintenance requirements make the hardtail the favourite bike in my garage. On most of the trails on my doorstep, I have even more fun with it than with a fully."
