The Hard Truth About Hardtail vs. Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

The debate over hardtail vs. full-suspension mountain bikes is never-ending, and there is a dedicated camp of riders on both sides. While there are numerous benefits of a hardtail mountain bike over a full-suspension mountain bike, the two options are evenly matched when it comes to the pros and cons, but which has the edge in terms of popularity and versatility?

A hardtail mountain bike is typically seen as less expensive, easier to maintain, better for learning on, and more efficient. On the other hand, a full-suspension mountain bike is widely regarded as the better choice for the vast majority of riders, as it is more forgiving, capable, and can handle a much wider range of trail types.

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When To Choose a Hardtail vs. Full-Suspension

At the end of the day, you can ride almost anything on a hardtail mountain bike that you can on a full-suspension bike, and if hardtail bikes are so much more efficient, why isn’t that the only option? It’s deeper than just the facts on paper, and more about where, and what you ride, how well you can handle a bike, and a whole lot of other factors.

In this guide, I will try my best to help answer the question of when to choose a hardtail vs a full suspension, the hardtail pros and cons, and some of the benefits of a hardtail mountain bike so that you can weigh all the options before pulling the trigger on your first or next mountain bike.

Sure, most riders prefer a full-suspension bike in most situations. However, the simplicity and feedback from a hardtail is one of the best ways to hone your skills and work on the body mechanics that will make you a better rider when you aren’t reliant on the bike's suspension absorbing and muting the trail below you.

From my years of coaching and teaching MTB skills, I always suggest that beginners learning to mountain bike should start on a hardtail. It lets you really focus on the skills that many riders struggle with. Skills like pumping and bike-body separation are really easy to instill while riding a hardtail because you don’t have the extra movement of the rear suspension to muddle the feeling from the bike. You also get better at finding the right (or smoother) line choice through rough sections of trail when you aren’t relying on the bike to do most of the work.

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5 Things That Really Matter on a Hardtail MTB

Fork Setup

Having the proper pressure and rebound is vital on hardtails, since that is all the suspension you have. Ensuring that you have the correct settings can make all the difference on the trail, but it can take some trial and error to get it perfect. Experimentation is key, and don’t be afraid to play around with settings to get your fork feeling supportive yet supple. 

Tire Pressure

Since hardtails don’t have any rear wheel travel built into the frame, the tires are your only damping on the rear. This means that running higher pressure will make the bike feel too rigid and unresponsive in corners, while running too low a pressure can lead to rim damage and a squirming sensation when cornering aggressively. Finding the right balance is essential, and many riders find that running a tire insert can be super beneficial for making a hardtail feel smoother on the trail, since you can run slightly lower pressures without worrying about flats or damaging the rim. 

Body Position

Finding a balanced position on a hardtail is much more involved than on a full-suspension bike, from what I’ve found. Since the rear end of the bike has no pivot points, your position on the bike has a greater influence on how it tracks through corners and handles on the trail in general. Getting the correct handlebar width, crank length, saddle position, and stem length will ensure you feel centered on the bike, which means you are better prepared to wrangle it through rough trails and manipulate it while riding.

Bike Geometry & Material

Finding a hardtail with good geometry and the right frame materials is key. Not all hardtails are suited to all types of riding, and with so much variation in head tube angle, chainstay length, top tube length, stack height, and bottom bracket height, being on the wrong bike for your riding style can completely ruin the experience. 

In terms of material, alloy frames will be much less forgiving than steel, titanium, or carbon fiber frames, but they are generally less expensive and offer fewer geometry options. Steel, Ti, and Carbon hardtails are typically more expensive, but they provide better ride quality and are usually purpose-built for a specific riding style.

Wheel & Tire Choice

As with tire pressure and fork setup, this is a key factor in how any bike will ride, not just hardtails, but it’s much more impactful on a hardtail. Good wheels and tires will offer more compliance and a better feeling on the trail when your bike is without rear travel. While wheels and tires aren’t cheap, tires are far less expensive than a new carbon wheelset, and getting the right casing, compound, and the right inserts can sometimes have a more noticeable effect on how the bike feels than spending thousands of dollars on fancy carbon wheels.

For the rear tire, I recommend a more durable tire with a faster-rolling compound, a heavier casing, and even a tire insert. A lighter casing front tire with a stickier rubber compound can be run in the front for weight reduction, and you don’t always need to run inserts there if you are worried about the added weight. 

How Different is a Hardtail MTB From a Full-Suspension MTB?

Of course, a hardtail will feel super strange if you are accustomed to a full-suspension platform, but if you are moving from a hardtail to a full suspension, it will feel like an entirely different machine—which is why I always suggest starting off on a hardtail. Moving back and forth between the two takes some adjustment if you are lucky enough to have both in your bike roster.

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There is really no correct answer to this debate, but there are those who would argue this point to the grave. Hardtail mountain bike die-hards are a special breed, and I understand their perspective. As someone who started off on a hardtail after years of riding BMX, a hardtail is incredibly capable. A hardtail mountain bike is the ideal platform to learn the sport on, but graduating to a full-suspension bike can significantly change the riding experience, though it does come with a bit of a handicap. 

The mountain biking pipeline also has a few milestones featuring hardtails. Typically, your first mountain bike is a hardtail, you graduate to full-suspension, and later on down the road, you end up building up another hardtail to get back in touch with your roots and hone those base skills that get muddied from years of riding full-suspension bikes. So no matter what skill level or years of riding are behind you, you’ll end up appreciating a hardtail for its simplicity and efficiency.

Hardtail MTB Pros & Cons

Full-Suspension MTB Pros & Cons