Message #19767

[jim-ratliff]

Yeah, but that's all in the context of never having ridden a good full-suspension bike.
She might try it and decide that she likes the full suspension. At least might wait on upgrades until she tests the Norco.

I will say that there have been several times that letting the bike run on a downhill gravel road is really exhilirating, especially since I earned it on the uphill side.  I'm not young enough to want to stand and use my legs for shocks the whole way, and I don't think I would have the nerve to do it on a hardtail. Lower tire pressures have given us the control to feel comfortable going faster, but the rear suspension keeps us upright on the bike. I hit a sequence of two big potholes at 30 miles per hour when I didn't see them in time to avoid them -- my first reaction was a bit of amazement that my tubeless tires were still with me, the second was how much a non-event it was compared to the 'Ohh ****, this may not be pretty' when I first saw them.

A rear suspension will certainly obviate the need to a 'more plush' bike seat.