Old Full Suspension to Modern Hardtail?

[marek299]

I’m currently riding a 12 year old Gary Fisher Cake 2 full suspension XC bike with 26″ wheels. I’m looking at purchasing a new bike in the $2k price range. From what research I’ve done and the type of riding that I do, I’m thinking that I would get the most value out of a plus size hard tail. I literally haven’t ridden any bike but my 26″ full suspension for the last 12 years. Is it worth messing around with a plus size hard tail or should I save more and go with a full suspension?

I feel like any upgrade to larger wheel size and the advances in bike technology over the past decade will make a huge difference compared to my current ride, but any input would be nice.

Here are the hardtails I’m considering:

Kona Big Honzo

Norco Fluid 7.1 HT+

Specialized Fuse Comp 6Fattie

Any input is appreciated. I’m also open to the idea of building my own hardtail with a steel frame, but that’s a whole different topic.

[mtnryder ✓ supporter]

Personally, I’d scour the classifieds on Pinkbike & Craigslist and find a FS bike but if you’re daed set on going with a hardtail, I read great thinks about the Honzo.

[triton189]

Go out and rent both types if you can and try them out.  I own both a 29 hard tail and fs and love them both.  But at my age (55) I am leaning more and more on the hard tail because the body feels better when I’m done.  Good luck!

[Nick Hepler]

The kind of bike you might get can also depend on where you ride. I’ve got two main trail networks near me- one more technical (FS shines there) and one more flowy (HT is way more ideal). I would definitely give some consideration to the terrain you’ll face. At $2k, you’ll likely get a really solid HT or an entry level FS.

On a side note- I rode an old Gary Fisher Cake back in July that I borrowed from my uncle while in Utah. It was a fun time but definitely outdated (geometry wise) in comparison to what we have today. That’s just an observation though, I really do love older/retro bikes.

[marek299]

Thank you for the input. It sounds like the answer to my question, as with most questions about what type of bike to get on here, is to go ride a bunch of different models to see which one suits me and the terrain I’m riding best.

[Author]

Posts