DEATH OF THE HARDTAIL

Will they go the way of the 26” wheel?

Are hardtails losing relevance as our sport progresses? Will they move to a diehard niche, following 26” wheels and bar ends?

AMB’s been out at the races over the last few months, and like a lot of you, we couldn’t help noticing how many of our top cross-country racers are ditching their hardtails and riding full suspension, even on relatively smooth tracks. We caught up with some top riders to find out how they decide which bike to leave in the shed, and how much longer we can expect hardtails to stick around. Peta Mullens, who competed on her dual-suspension Yeti Asrc at every round of the MtBA national series thinks that one day the hardtail may go the same way as the 26” wheel, but it won’t happen for a while. ‘In time, when all bike companies are able to produce a lightweight top-line duallie I think they will come close to dying out. the men have no problems producing enough power to push a dually around all day but some of the lighter women don’t believe they can.’ ‘I’m not too fussed by the weight. I feel that the benefit of being able to constantly pedal outweighs that extra kilo. But my main attraction to the Asrc is the way it does half the workload for you when you get tired toward the end of a bike race. If you make a mistake on your line choice or can’t be bothered jumping ‘that log’ then you can stuff it all up and the duall will compensate for that.’ With all that said, Peta still believes the hardtail has its place, especially overseas, where some areas aren’t as blessed in the rock department as our own mountain bike trails. ‘I’ll take my ArC overseas because I like to have the option of either bike but I presume I’ll spend the majority of my time on

the dually,’ says Peta. ‘I think the courses in America have good climbing for a hardtail and Albstadt is quite straightforward as well, but then I’ll call on the ASRc at courses like Nove Mesto where the terrain is pretty rough and technically challenging.’ Peta’s rival for the top spot in women’s racing in Australia is of course Bec Henderson, a member of the Trek Factory Racing Team with several years’ European and World Cup racing under her belt. Bec puts her choice of the duallie for many Aussie races this season down to the local racing scene and our hot summer conditions: ‘I think we are seeing the shift a lot in Aussie racing because our terrain is quite harsh and our XCO races have also been on the longer side and in hotter conditions. With all these factors you have to take into consideration what your body is going through and how fatigued you will be – a dual suspension bike really takes the edge off. My Superfly FS is less than one kilogram heavier than my Superfly hardtail so it’s a small weight compromise to have the extra comfort. Companies like FOX are also working so hard to make the shocks more efficient for racing, not just for trail riding, so the bikes are becoming superefficient, and with electronic lock out added into the equation, in my eyes it’s pretty hard to go past!’ But in spite of her enthusiasm, Bec is certain there’ll always be a place for the hardtail in XCO racing. ‘Every racer is different, and many bike companies are not making top-end full suspension bikes (we are very lucky with Trek). A lot of riders are very focused on the weight and would refuse to ride something up to a kilogram heavier. I think we are starting to see a more even split between the number of racers choosing hardtails and full suspension bikes, but I don’t think the hardtail will become extinct in my era.’ If there’s a shift towards the dual suspension bike, we wanted to find out if it’s being felt across the board. Marathon mountain bike racing has traditionally been the home of the hardtail, with long, steep climbs and fast descents, often on gravel, favouring a lighter, more efficient bike. We asked South Africa-based Swiss racer Ariane Kleinhans from international pro team RECM for her thoughts. ‘The hardtail definitely won’t die,’ she says, ‘as long as there are races like the Eiger Bike Challenge in Grindelwald (Switzerland) or the Ironbike in Ischgl (Austria) where there is 4000m of climbing on tar or smooth gravel roads over 80 kilometres. The lighter weight and stiffness of a hardtail is a big advantage on those climbs, and on the descents the rider is out of the saddle anyway and can absorb the shocks with their legs. I will definitely take my Specialized Fate to Europe to race Swiss and World Champs on it.’ That said, Ariane admits there’s a growing place for dual suspension bikes, particularly in stage races and as events move to more and more challenging terrain, such as the rocky, untamed trails of the Absa Cape Epic or the Swiss Epic races. ‘With the suspension absorbing all the little shocks one can just sit on the bike and pedal much more effortlessly than if one bounces on the saddle because of a stiff bike,’ she says. ‘And the less vibration the body has to absorb, the faster the recovery, which is important in stage racing.’ It looks like the hardtail is here to stay, for a while at least. What would you prefer to race on?