Mountain Bike : full suspension or hardtail?

Full suspension, just for downhill ?

For the laymen amongst us: a hardtail bike is a bike with only front suspension, a fully has both front and rear suspension.

The first full-suspension bikes were almost exclusively used for downhill runs. A full suspension mountain bike weighed average 1 to 1.5 kg more than a hardtail in the same price range, just because of the rear suspension, and required more maintenance.

The improvement of the materials eliminated many disadvantages of the early days. Beneath, you'll find the main differences:

Benefits:

- Improved comfort with a fully, even on paved roads

- More traction while climbing and descending

Disadvantages:

Weight: however, today an identical fully is only 500g heavier than a hardtail, so for the average rider this weight difference will not be decisive to make his choice.

Above all:

More maintenance and this is the main reason why you should opt for a hardtail ...

and a clear higher price. A fully is upto € 1000 more expensive, so many people actually opt for a hardtail ...