Hardtail vs Full Suspension ?
That's the question Fred from Bleau Up in this video !
Not the question of the century, at a time when most of the market is dominated by all-suspenders. Well, it is, because riding a hartail, and especially an Enduro, is in no way a symptom of nostalgia for the pioneering years. In fact, like all bicycles, the hardtail has evolved a great deal, and we're a long way from the touring bike that made you go over the top at the first sign of trouble.
Among the changes, the main one is that uses have diversified. Mountain biking is no longer the only sport. We're doing XC, Enduro, Trail, and so on. So we've adapted our equipment and geometries by asking the right questions about efficiency, weight, terrain and the qualities of use to be highlighted. That's exactly what you do when you adjust your fork. For example, you'd choose to favour the response to big impacts and jumps, because your playing field is rough and you're hot-headed ! Well, we're working hard to define what's best for a good Enduro !
In his video, Fred sheds some light on the strengths of the two solutions. And you'll be surprised by some of the considerations that don't make sense and, above all, by the sometimes significant, sometimes insignificant differences.
Obvious has its own opinion. Long, rough downhills are more tiring than with a full-suspension bike, but you still get the feeling of speed and control of the bike, as long as you adopt an attitude that goes with the bike. It's actually quite rewarding and satisfying to be at one with the bike and feel like you're 'part of the movement'. If you've done BMX, you'll know the feeling!
There's no hiding the fact that titanium makes the whole affair rather sexy, because the metal's ability to dampen frame deformations compensates for what could be complicated with another material. We're not talking about comfort here, because the sources of discomfort are impacts rather than vibrations, and 2.4 to 2.6 inch tyres inflated to 1.2 bar will always do more than the frame. We're talking about the deformations of the frame during pedalling, which at some point will make you pedal 'square', and during changes of angle, which could go against your intentions if the return in place were to last over time.
We were delighted to be able to send Fred a bike. He was curious enough to get out of his own backyard and was obviously won over, as he got back to us to buy an Obvious /OFF in standard size M. We'll be showing you the frame soon, as Fred took advantage of the Obvious On Demand programme to add a few custom features.
And that's not all we're delighted about. Fred's reputation, the quality and seriousness of his work on his Bleau Up channel and the relevance of his analyses are all top-notch. But above all, we've been seduced by the character ! At first sight whimsical, even crazy, we got to know a lucid, generous guy with his feet firmly planted on the ground. These are all values that are essential to our mission of bringing pleasure to cycling.
Fred has chosen to ride an OBVIOUS /OFF hardtail bike and we've decided to join Fred on the Bleau Up adventure.
We are delighted and proud to announce today that Fred becomes an OBVIOUS Ambassador. A big thank you to you and to Valérie for your confidence in us.
