Dual or Hard tail for rides like GDBR

[jackdcuna]

Getting ready to pass my stumpjumper hardtail on to my teenage "testosterone factory" and salivating over the choices for 29er's out there. I'm dreamin' of TD in 2011 (40th year here) and want to pick the forums brain as to the pro's/con's of 29er's available. I know there are a ton of choices from small shops to the big names but I'm really curious to see if anyone out there has done one of these epic rides on both a hard tail and a dual suspension. If so, which worked out better for you. Most of my riding is in the Gulf Coast of TX and then venturing over to Big Bend, Terlingua, and the hill country surrounding Austin. That being said my heart and unwillingness to let go of my youthful adventure draws me to the Great Divide Trail.


Thanks in advance for any advice.

[harryonaspot]

I rode a rigid Fargo on the Divide and many other similar routes. To me, less is more. Not enough tech to warrant full suspension, it is almost all dirt roads. Some far from smooth, but not gnarly singletrack

[bncrshr77]

I ride a spearfish and love it.  I would have to say that most of it comes down to storage on the bike.  My framebag doesn't have near the space a bag on a hardtail does so I always end up with more weight on my back or look like a gypsie with crap strapped everywhere.

[Eszter]

It depends on your goals.

Suspension in inherently more comfortable, even on dirt roads, so if you're looking for long, comfortable days in the saddle, go for at least front suspension, but dual can also be nice for some of the mega washboards in NM.

If you're going for pure speed, the weight and efficiency of a rigid bike is hard to beat. Also, you run far less of a chance of things breaking. But, there are shops on the route that'll help keep suspension running smoothly, and in all honestly, as long as it's not completely worn out when you start the ride, chances are, you won't have suspension issues.

[wahday]

I have not ridden the Divide but I do have friends who live down in Alpine and ride regularly in Terlingua, Big Bend, etc. I know for that terrain they are fond of hardtails or short travel full suspension bikes. I think bearing in mind what you regularly ride is probably a smart idea. For all the fantasizing about time in the backcountry, I don’t find myself out bikepacking nearly as much as regular weekly riding in my area. So for me, if I were to have only one bike, it makes most sense to get one that will serve local trails best. I think a hardtail might be the best compromise between the two uses so that you can take advantage of the extra carrying capacity of the hardtail’s larger frame on trips but still have something that can handle your regular terrain with grace.

[offroute]

Wahday nailed my first thought.

Pretty much any reasonably comfortable and reliable bike will work on the divide. We rode it from Roosville on a hardtail tandem, and I've also toured on short- and med-travel bikes. For every section that suspension would really help, there is much more terrain it really doesn't matter. I rode a few hundred miles of the divide separately on FS 29er. I really can't say I had more fun on either bike. They both worked well.

I would not even worry too much about rack braze-ons and such. Solutions aplenty exist, especially when you add some ingenuity. We love to geek out on the consummate purpose-built machine for this our that, but honestly, it's not that big a deal to load up some gear and ride forest roads all day for a month or two.

Get some handlebars with substantial sweep-back (Jones, Salsa) rather than typical MTB bars, and use Ergon or some other winged grip, a comfortable (ideally, broken it) leather saddle, and figure out some comfy footwear. Add that to any reliable bike that you've found comfortable, and you've got a divide bike.