I was hoping for a bit of advice from those on here w/ some racing background...  I have been racing my Trek X-Cal for about 2 seasons now and have gotten gradually faster, but feel that I am not being as efficient as I could be in the rougher/rooty straightaways.  Now, I know that the simple ($$$) method is to just suck it up and go buy a full suspension bike so I can sit and spin over the bumps.  That is unfortunately not an option for me right now, and I see MANY other racers on hardtails who average MUCH better times on the same track.  So they are obviously doing something I'm not.  I am aware that you have to hover slightly in a "crouched" position just above the seat and try to pedal through the choppy stuff.  I also try to keep my weight more over the rear wheel to keep it driving.

Can anyone else give any thoughts/advice before I suck it up and go buy a full suspension bike?

I "think" in the CLT area that a hardtail is really all you "need" for this summer series I run Jerry.  There are plenty of guys at the races that run very nice hardtails, so I know that if they felt the HT was a disadvantage they could afford a FS bike.  There are guys in every skill level class running hardtails so I feel confident its not a major disadvantage to ride/race one.  There are guys in my own class that beat me also on hardtails, so I know its MY short comings and not the bike's.  I could take the easy way out and get a FS bike, but I'd rather improve myself as a rider/racer.  I need to ride with my buddy that is faster than me and see what he does better than I do.  For one I KNOW hes in better shape than me.... lol

Like many I started on a relatively cheap hardtail, bought a full suspension trail bike after I got a few years of experience and even raced it somewhat successfully for a few more years.  When I got the full suspension I thought, man it's amazing how much better it is than that old hardtail.  I felt so much faster.  After a few years, at some point I decided to go back to a hardtail because I wanted to climb better.  Now I say, man it's amazing how much faster I am on a hardtail than I was on the full suspension bike.  I think it's less about the bike and more about the rider and the experience you get riding, racing, etc.  I'm not sure if the time on the full suspension was necessary to get to where I am today, but I do know for sure that I can hold my own on a steel single hardtail against any bike on at least CLT trails.  It just takes dedication and patience.

Like everybody else I too started on a cheap hardtail. After 3 years I dropped 3k on a full suspension believing it would make me faster but I found my lap times at first were, more or less, the same. 

What made me faster was that I rode the full sus a lot more because it was way more comfortable and the added suspension soaking up all the hits and chatter gave me confidence to attack things I wouldn't otherwise attack.   

But yeah, some of the fastest riders I've seen are on hard tails and I think most of the local XC racers are. The only thing that really matters is the engine. In terms of technique I'm not  sure anything is specific to a hardtail. 

Good luck.

Don't get it confused guys....  I'm not looking to buy my way into results.  That's why I'm asking for technique.  Not parts or bikes to replace my hardtail.

bikermedic wrote on 07/20/15 at 10:48pm:


I disagree.  It is the plane.  I am a pilot.  An F16 is much faster than a Gulfstream.

This is not what you're asking, but is your bike tubeless? What kind of pressure do you run? When I went tubeless, got higher volume tires, and dropped my pressure significantly, I found I could handle the roots much better as the tires absorbed much of the impact. I was running WAY more pressure than I needed even with tubed tires. Harsh riding tires rob a lot of energy from both the bike and from you, as well as reducing your control.

The pressures seem okay to me.  Some might suggest lower, but I find the rear wants to roll over for me <25.  I think this is a good place to look.  One thing you might consider is a wider front tire.  A 2.4 Ardent is a great choice.  A wider front will allow you to corner with more confidence and is the direction many are going with the proliferation of wider options.  

Some other non-gear related advice.  If you are looking to get faster you need to increase aerobic capacity.  Interval training is a good way to do this.  You want to work in the anaerobic heart rate zone and do sets of ~3 minute super high intensity sets.  It's best to find a relatively steep, but straight climb.  hammer up it at the right heart rate that you can maintain for the full 3 minutes.  rest by riding back down and then do it again and again.  Racing also simulates this really high intensity heart rate situation.  You'll hear people say "racing themselves into shape."  The key is that racing causes most people to go anaerobic for long periods, which increases their capacity, shocks their metabolism, and generally pushes them to the next level of fitness.

Some others that I think make a difference, cornering, pumping, riding with a light front end, keeping weight back in the turns and rough stuff, keeping those crank arms turning no matter what, carrying momentum into hills, pedalling through the crown of the hills, saving energy where you can, managing heart rate below your estimated VO2 Max. 

SycoCell wrote on 07/21/15 at 1:36am:



Not with me flying he F-16.  I could not get it off the ground as a mater of fact it would be a pile of burning metal off the side of the runway.   You would be much faster than me if you were flying a Cessna.   

See it is the pilot.......

ChosenOne wrote on 07/22/15 at 2:21am:


Agreed.   Ill take it a lot farther.   I would study what BMX riders do.  They suck up the front side of a jump and pump the back side for increased speed.  Apply this technique to the nth degree over every 2” root you cross and you will be building speed in roots.  When the bumps/roots get close together, you have to look for ways to double stuff using the same technique.  Standing up is not enough, you have to actively lift the front and back tires up and over stuff and pump the back side. To me, you should do this regardless of the type of bike you ride, it’s just that a FS bike is more forgiving if you are a basher.

A person who can flow riding a 26HT can out run someone on a 29FS bike who just bashes through a given rough section.  No question about that.  I will let the racers debate as to whether riding like this is best over an entire race, as this technique is tiring and just plain sitting on the seat pedaling is a more efficient way of transferring energy into forward motion over a longer distance.