"Why should I ride a fully when I can have just as much fun on a hardtail?" With this statement, bike editor and hardtail fanatic Henri Lesewitz provokes the fully advocates in the editorial team. Nevertheless, in terms of pure off-road performance, fullys are undoubtedly superior to hardtails. Even Henri has to admit that.
Nevertheless, there are good reasons in favour of hardtails. The majority of touring bikers ride on forest and dirt tracks in the low mountain ranges - technically difficult single trails are few and far between here. Although the fully is also more comfortable on forest tracks, it has a number of disadvantages: it is heavier than a hardtail. The shock is an additional source of defects and requires maintenance. And last but not least, a hardtail is significantly cheaper than a fully with comparable equipment. Our 1000 euro fully test in BIKE 5/03 showed us how difficult it is to get a decent full-suspension bike for this amount. For 1000 euros, on the other hand, you can buy a fully-fledged hardtail that only needs a few tuning measures to make it fit for higher tasks.
The bikes in this test:
Bergamont Tattoo Disc, Cannondale F400, Canyon Yellowstone, Cube LTD 2, Focus Black Raider LTD. Fuji Suncrest, Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo, Ghost SE 7002, Giant XTC 2, Marin Nail Trail Limited, Nishiki Team, Red Bull Team AL-500, Rocket Lite Pro, Scott Boulder, Specialised Rockhopper Comp, Stevens S8 Elite, Trenge DE TDM-5, Wheeler Proride 6900
