Do You REALLY Need Full Suspension? Hardtail Vs Full Suspension Trail Bike

What is a trail bike? The definition has changed a bit over the years, but on the whole, it’s a mountain bike that goes up, along and down efficiently with well-rounded characteristics. Sure, you can ride XC and Enduro or Downhill trails on it, but bikes dedicated to those niches are going to ride those trails better, and suffer a bit riding anything else. So a trail bike is your dedicated all-rounder. Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get into the differences between full suspension and hardtail trail bikes, using our sponsor Canyon’s Stoic and Spectral models as examples.

⏱ Timestamps ⏱
00:00 – Intro
00:39 – Budget-Friendly Bicycles
01:39 – Meet The Bikes – The Stoic Hardtail
03:22 – Meet The Bikes – The Spectral Full Sus
05:39 – Climbing Impressions
06:27 – Descending Impressions & More
09:52 – Closing Thoughts

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Which of these two bikes would you reach for for a trail ride?

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welcome back you beautiful people are you torn between a hard tail and the full suspension trail bike well can you have got two heavy hitters that will be battling out for a space in your garage we’ve got the Stoic hard tail and we got the Spectral full suspension trail bike now in today’s video we’re going to go headtohead to see which one best suits your riding style your terrain but more importantly your budget so let’s get into diet and what I mean by that is we are on a strict money budget and that’s the first thing we’re going to talk about is budget which one is budget friendly for you the Stoic starts off at £749 that gets you a 10-speed Shimano group set Centur forks and Canyon’s finishing kit the Spectral AL which stands for alloy is yours for 2,149 as well as rear suspension you get to jump up to 12speed group set a dropper post as standard the carbon fiber version of the Spectral the Spectral CF starts at 3,299 you get upgrades across all the components but the main thing is the carbon fiber frame that means you get internal frame storage and Canyon’s Kiss or KISS steering stabilizing system now this is just the starting budget for each of these models now if your budget can stretch a little bit more they do offer higher specs in each of these models but today I’m going to be riding my Spectral CF9 and the Stoic 4 let’s meet the [Music] bikes this is the Canyon Stoic now this is what you would call a hardcore hard tail now what makes a hardcore hard tail well let me just show you and we’re going to start off with the forks now the Stoic 4 comes with a 140 mil fork which gives it a lot more travel in the front but this can range in other hardcore hardails can go from 150 all the way up to 160 mil which will give you the option to hit bigger drops jumps hit rougher terrain but when it comes to a doit all XE hard tail this ranges from 100 mil to 120 mil of travel next up is geometry compared to other types of hard tails it’s got a slacker head angle a longer lower front triangle and a lower bottom bracket height these combined mean that you have a bike that is ready to take on rougher rowdier trails the frame is made out of alloy and it is built to last it weighs more than an XC do it all hard tail frame but it’s a great piece of mind that you know that this bike can take on really rough terrain the interesting fact though they’re winning strive and enduro bike which is a full suspension bike the way they durability test that they do the same with this bike so it goes through the same stress testing as a full suspension bike so with longer travel modern geometry super tough frame this bike can be thrown around a pump track boost big jumps ride super rough terrain with zero limits simple tough and affordable it blends all of this into one affordable and durable package which brings me on to the fulls size yes the Canyon Spectral full suspension trail bike now a trail bike ranges around 140 to 150 mil of travel whereas a XE bike would go it’s a little bit less and it goes from 100 to 120 mil now the Endura bike is a lot more and normally starts at 160 and goes up well this one the Canyon Spectral starts with 140 mil of travel on the rear and 150 on the front it gives you a nice allround bike the geometry on a trail bike sits in between the enduro bike and a crosscountry bike it’s not as slack and aggressive as an enduro bike and it’s not super steep like a cross-country bike like I say it sits in between the two it’s a best of both worlds it’s perfect when it comes to riding down some rough downhill tracks but then it’s still got a nice geometry for you to climb straight back to the top with comfort well just like the Stoic it’s been tested in the same category 4 standard as their Strive race machine so you know it’s going to be super tough and durable now my Canyon Spectral CF or CF standing for carbon fiber has a few nifty little features you got internal frame storage right here and then it comes with its nifty keep it stable system KISS it’s super lightweight being carbon fiber even with rear suspension this bike weighs in the same as the Stoic 4 but this all does come with a bit of a cost a price tag now the CF9 comes in at £4,649 whereas the Stoic comes in at £1,369 so there’s a bit of a gap right there but like I said earlier you can get the alloy version of the Spectral which will come in around £2,000 you wouldn’t get all the bells and whistles that you would from the CF so it puts it closer to the Stoic but it still gets that incredible geometry and that category 4 standard strength test so I’m going to put these two bikes head-to-head in a realworld scenario we’re going to put them in a mini enduro loop where we’re going to have a steady climb to the top straight into some rough downhill tracks where we will see where both of these bikes stuck up [Music] to now they’re going to talk about the climb first and on the Stoic is the perfect climbing goat why because it’s great to get the power down on the bike is straight from your legs to the pedals to the rear wheel now it’s all great on the fire road but when it gets a little bit choppy and a bit rough this is where it breaks loose and you can lose a little bit of traction meanwhile the Spectral’s longer reach and steeper seat angle gives you great climbing position especially on loose or chunky clims it’s got a bit more weight and suspension movement but the comfort and traction more than makes up for it now for the downhill this is where the Spectral flexes its muscles aka its suspension it floats over roots rocks and chatter keeping you composed and in control at speed you can break later and harder than on a hard tail thanks to the suspension keeping your rear wheel in contact with the ground more more grip more forgiveness and way less fatigue [Music] the Stoic on the other hand gives you a raw direct feel it’s fast and fun but you’ve got to pick your lines and stay light on your feet it rewards skill and punishes hesitation written aggressively and fast is exhilarating to say it’s going to be exciting ride is an understatement but like I’ve said it’s rewarding my head for you let’s talk about how these two bikes feel on the trail and see where they thrive at because that’s what we want to know now the Stoic is a classic hard tail but with the modern twist with geometry and how it feels it’s a raw feeling it gives you the absolute craziest of buzz when you’re riding down some gnarly terrain and it gives you the ultimate direct connection with the trail as well with no rear suspension you feel everything the good and the bad that makes it insanely fun on smooth flowy trails jump lines and pump tracks while timing pop is key to everything it’s also super efficient on climbs no bobbing no wasting energy just you the pedals and the trail grinding away on a climb to the top but when things get rough and gnarly this is where you’re going to rely on your skill you’re going to be using every single muscle in your body muscles that you probably wouldn’t even realize that you’ll be using when riding a hard tail especially when you’re trying to ride it aggressively down some gnarly trail but with all that said riding a hard tail makes it way more fun it makes you think quicker ride smarter feel more engaged keeps you on your toes and then there’s this the Spectral with 150 up front 140 on the rear helps smooth out all the chatter from the trail absorb those bigger hits and keep you more in control when riding a rougher terrain it really comes into its own on fast rough descents rooty trails and technical terrain where traction matters it soaks up the buns tracks corners better and helps you carry more speed through chaos which makes you ride fast with confidence but it’s not just a point and shoot and plow bike this thing is way more playful especially with this new kinematics of suspension here helps you pop jumps higher makes you ride smoother through the rough stuff descend quicker with confidence and it just makes the whole bike as a package super playful and thanks to its flip chip and it progressive geo it can handle that slow technical trails as well as that super fast flowy stuff now I’ve got mine set in the low for more aggressive riding now when it comes to climbing especially seated climbs with the longer reach and the steeper seat angle your body weight’s quite central and with that rear suspension you don’t feel like you’re compromised so in short the Stoic offers you an unflattered exciting ride perfect for the rider that loves to pump the terrain line choice and have a really spicy time out there on the trail whereas on the other hand the Spectral offers you a more aggressive you can attack rougher terrain faster you ride faster with confidence and you have a lot more grip when it comes to it less fatigue on longer days now if you’re a rider that likes to work the terrain then the Stoic is the perfect bike for you but if you’re more focused on speed flow and tackling rougher terrain the Spectral is the one to go for but they both offer you different types of riding but the bottom line is you can’t go wrong with either of them now what bike are you going to choose are you going to choose the hard tail the trail bike or any other bike let us know in the comments down below and what bike you love to ride or what bike you have in your garage and I’ll see you next time