It was a cold, windy winter. I was rubbing my new mongoose full-suspension mountain bike with small clothes. I could remember this day last year when I got a wonderful Christmas gift from my dad. It has already been a year since I owned this mountain bike. I have made lots of thrilling adventures, exciting stories, and the freedom of driving in gravel mountains experience! Therefore, I would like to share all of my success stories with my family, and friends, and jotted them down in my scratch book with lots of photographs. I still remember the day when I first started biking under a training course and soon specialized in bike riding.
But it was not as simple as I explained. It was very tough to get a bike from my dad. As I was only 8th standard, my dad was confused about whether to buy me a bicycle or not. Because decent bikes are good to ride, day in, day out, or you may use them for daily commuting. On the other hand, bad bikes slowly decay in garages and sheds and then end up in a dump.
Another point is the price, right equipment of bike, ease-of-use features, safety, etc. It was not feasible for my dad to spend more than $1,000 to buy a high-end mountain bike. Even though he was very enthusiastic about cycling, he chose to remain silent when I asked him to buy.
Despite the outcome, I had never given up and instead put the maximum effort to match my physical skill for mountain bike riding. My intention was to show my dad that I was ready for it. I could feel the rhythm of paddling steps and my breath syncing in harmony. I could not control myself from getting the best affordable full suspension mountain bike and ended up engaging in some strong arguments with my dad.
Well, you might wonder how I did it. Do you want to know that exciting story of how I convinced my dad to buy me a mountain bike? Then read out the full article and get to see the success story with my first mountain bike. Additionally, for those who are looking for an affordable bike to ride, I suggest you check at best mountain bikes under $500
The details of the full-suspension mountain bike
As I was a big fan of mountain biking, without hesitation, I went straight for a mountain bike. It took me a full week to convince my dad why I needed a full-suspension mountain bike despite lots of bike varieties in the market. There are a lot of reasons why a full-suspension mountain bike did rank first in my list.
Let’s get down to the detail about what a full-suspension mountain bike is. All-mountain bikes usually come with a front suspension fork. This equipment typically starts at 100mm of travel with approximately 4inches. The number can go up to 200mm with 8inches nearly. Some mountain bike models equip with rear suspension, but some models don’t. Furthermore, we call a mountain bike with both rear suspension and front suspension, a dual-suspension, or a full-suspension mountain bike.
Additionally, the mountain bike with only one suspension in the front fork is called a “Hardtail” mountain bike. Well, this should cover the definition of mountain bikes available in the market. For example, if you own a 140mm full suspension mountain bike, it means that you will have 140mm travel ranges (100mm-200mm) for both front and rear suspension.
Although there are several different features between a hardtail and a full-suspension mountain bike, I only cover a topic of a full-suspension mountain bike. I want you to know how I convinced my dad to buy me a full-suspension mountain bike. So, let’s get down to some benefits of riding a full-suspension bike.
Benefits of riding a full-suspension mountain bike
It’s full of fun
If you’re planning to test your strength in a challenging trail ride, ask mountain bike enthusiasts. They may tell you that it will be a spectacular way to have fun. Riding a mountain bike will let you play with traction control and enjoy maximum absorption power while riding on uneven terrain. Typically, a full-suspension mountain bike will keep you in control over rugged and rough terrains.
Therefore, if you love pedaling your bike through rock gardens, climbing uphill, and descending downhill, then a full-suspension bike is best for you. As this type of bike is specially designed for cruising in any terrain, both front and rear suspension work spontaneously to create a smoother ride for cyclists. The wheels move up and down to stay connected to the ground. Thus, full-suspension mountain bikes are best known for their superb handling and control, and, of course, it’s fun!
By the way, if you want to challenge yourselves on a bike trail, check out the 10 best mountain bike trails for beginners.
More comfortable riding experience
Riding a dual-suspension mountain bike is also a fabulous choice if you want to spend a longer time in the saddle. With full suspension forks, the bike will absorb the bumping impact from both front and rear wheels during a long bike ride. As a result, you can sit on a saddle comfortably for a more extended period.
On the other hand, if you want to challenge yourselves on rough terrains, the rear suspension is likely to soak up all back-end dirt, jarring bumps, rocks, potholes, or tree roots. The absorption power will free up your body, your back, and your butt from a painful bumping. It means that you will feel more comfortable riding a longer distance. It also reduces the tendency of getting fatigued, and that’s why even the cross-country racers prefer full suspension bikes to ride longer, faster with greater comfort.
Speed change and easy to handle
On a full-suspension mountain bike, you may gradually increase the speed. Front and rear suspension forks will absorb the bumpy impact and accelerate your bike to go faster and smoother when riding downhill or cruising through uneven areas. Furthermore, the downhill speed is also easy to maneuver in steep, complicated, and tricky descending slops.
On the other hand, if you prefer control over speed, you may choose a full suspension fat tire mountain bike. The big fat tire will help you to handle better traction on the trail as well as to facilitate your ride through rocky, muddy, and Rooty areas. Thus, a full-suspension mountain bike is best for beginners and intermediate riders alike.
Super traction friendly
Although a hardtail mountain bike performs well for trail cruising, a dual-suspension mountain bike has done a lot better than a traction-oriented bike. The rear suspension moves over the obstacles while keeping the rear wheel stay in place and glued to the ground. In other words, both front and rear shock absorptions work together in harmony to regulate those wheels in contract with the ground. That is why a full-suspension mountain bike never loses its traction either during climbing on rough terrains or during rolling on paved roads.
Weight
Typically, a full-suspension mountain bike weighs around 14.0 kg or 31 pounds. It’s slightly more substantial than a hardtail mountain bike because of its extra rear shock, new pivots, tubes, and linkage. On the contrary, the hardtail bike weighs a lot less than a full-suspension counterpart. It does not carry any extra components like its dual suspension counterpart. However, weight doesn’t matter for mountain biking. It’d slightly depend on the terrain type you go for. Although suspension bikes are not the lightest mountain bike on the market, they are still a smart choice for racing and for performing any high-speed descents.
Budget
The budget is the primary constraint of a full-suspension mountain bike. The bike comes with lots of add-on components (pivoting rear end, rear sock, rear suspension, etc.). Thus, it is quite expensive compared to a hardtail mountain bike but rather affordable compared to other types of bikes such as road bikes or hybrid bikes. As we might already be aware, add-on components cost us more because of their high-quality materials.
If you can spend up to $1500, you will likely get a useful part set at a bargain price range. However, it is almost impossible to get a cheap full suspension mountain bike at this moment. As geometry and the latest technology become more advanced, the cost of acquiring a decent full-suspension mountain bike is likely to go down. Therefore, all of us can get the super-fast dual suspension bike at affordable prices shortly.
Designs and appearance
If you are looking for a decent carbon fiber full suspension mountain bike with a great design, you may have to pay a hefty amount of cash to own it. The carbon fiber full-suspension mountain bike is probably one of the most expensive bikes available on the market at this moment. Anyway, it’s worth every cent of the money. If you have enough budget to allocate. You might be surprised to learn that the design and appearance, even in a mid-priced range full suspension MTB, can easily catch your attention. The bike has an aggressive look, a sturdy frame, advanced fork technology, full cutting-edges suspension design, rear sock functions, pedal, seat post, brakes, derailleurs, and overall the entire package including frames, materials, and components. Many customers say the bike is worth the price to get the full-suspension system bike.
Maintenance
A full-suspension bike is slightly heavier than any other bike, and it has several add-on components. Therefore, it does require more maintenance costs. More parts mean more maintenance. It’s straightforward to understand this fact. However, if you can make a full comprehensible approach to this type of bike, you may be able to cut the maintenance cost by half. Maintaining all the components in proper working order means that your full-suspension bike will last longer and require less maintenance.
By the way, the coin does have both sides, and there are some negative aspects of a full-suspension mountain bike I have observed so far. It is quite an expensive bike. Also, it is more substantial than a conventional bike, and you have to deal with a tough cleaning job, more components hassle, another shock maintaining problem, and so on. But I’m quite confident that all minor drawbacks mentioned above will not discourage you from owning this bike at all. I know you would agree with me, just like my dad!
Final thought
Finally, mountain biking provides cyclists the flexibility to traverse any rough terrains and explore the world in a very rugged, fearless manner. This ride is bumpy because of wilderness terrains and various obstacles experienced. Thus, different brands offer different types of suspension forks to alleviate both cyclists and bikes from harsh riding. So, if you are a mountain bike enthusiast like I am, here is a word of advice when considering buying a new mountain bike. You probably came to the sense that there were two significant options for mountain bikes available. It is important to ask yourself a few questions before making the final decision. For instance:
Which style of cycling do you prefer?
- What type of terrain do you usually ride? Bumpy, rock, roots obstacles, or rigged terrains?
- Do you prefer a light or a heavy mountain bike?
- Does the maintenance cost a significant concern for your decision?
- Do you want your bike to be responsive and easily maneuverable?
- Which factor is crucial to you most between speed and performance?
These questions about the terrain type above help me to justify my answer. And, of course, my answer was a full-suspension mountain bike. So, finally, I was successful in persuading my dad to realize the benefits of a full-suspension mountain bike, and he gave it to me on the X-mas day. I couldn’t express my excitation in words. All I could do was look into the lights, bike bells, reflective elements, color, design, locks, and wheels with surprising eyes. I just hugged my dad and gave a warm thanks to him to fulfill my wishes. However, my dad also advised me to take it easy for a few rides if I feel awkward with my new squishy bike. Usually, it may take a few days to get to know the bike’s standards, comforts, and overall function as well.
I’m still in love with my full suspension mountain bike more than anything else in the world. It helped me to get through the rough stuff, made me a daring cyclist with adventure and excitement, and finally gave me a lot of fantastic memories in my life. By the way, if you want to compare the full-suspension mountain bike with a road bike, you can check the article road bike vs mountain bike.
Finally, I hope that this article would successfully help you to secure the super-cooled featured cheap full suspension mountain bike soon. That’s why I shared this incredible story with all of you. I hope you will love it and become an audacious cyclist to win the mountain trail as I did.
