Carlyle trail- Clinton Lake

Hardtail Vs. Full-Suspension

There's been a debate that has arose a few times between fellow riders and myself. Where as I ride a Trek Fuel EX8 which is a full suspension mountain bike, my compadre rides a Trek 4300 series which is a hardtail. I used to ride the same model of hardtail myself but with disk brakes and enjoyed it. A hardtail can climb uphill like no other and is lighter overall than a full suspension. It also allows you to "feel" the ride a little more because you feel every rock, root, and dip because, other than the front fork, there's nothing absorbing the trail. To a trail rider it's not so much how fast your ride is or how long your out, but the experience of the trail and what all you encounter.

I like the full suspension due to my ability to recover from bumps, drops and overall challenging obstacles though. A full suspension bike can go places and recover quicker than most hardtail bikes in that the stress you place on the frame, crank, and headset is absorbed in the front and rear suspension. This also makes for longer life of the frame and also makes for an easier ride altogether. The only draw backs that I experience is a less efficient climbing experience and a little more weight to drive up the hills. Other than those minor hiccups, I thoroughly enjoy a full suspension bike. Being able to flow over rocks, roots, and dips with minor adjusting makes for such an enjoyable ride on the trails.

Does this mean that I do not like hardtail bikes? Hardly. I would seriously consider another hardtail bike, though I think I would prefer it in a 29" and not the standard 26". From what I've read about the issue (and sometimes debates on the issue) 29" hardtail mountain bikes are better suited on rougher terrain as the larger wheels are able to roll over obstacles with greater ease than it's 26" brother. A bike I would like to get is either the Gary Fisher Cobia or Gary Fisher X-Caliber. Both are great options in the 29" hardtail market and would promise to satisfy my tastes for a great riding experience. As for now though, I will stick to my EX8 as it has been a great bike for all those times I wanted to get away and just ride.

If you're in the market for a good trail bike, my first piece of advice would be to expect to spend quite a bit of money. I'd like to say take how much you'd be comfortable spending and then up it by $250. This is seriously a price point the most people just are going to have to accept. I wouldn't spend less than $600 on a new trail bike and that's just a base. Prices for good bikes only go up from there. For example, for my previously mentioned Trek 4300 I paid about $630 and my EX8 cost about $1,700. Some bikes can reach $10,000 and people pay this. Now that's way out of my price point but you have to respect that in the bike industry you do " get what you pay for". At this price point you can depend on a machine that can tackle a downhill trail projecting you at 30+MPH and taking 20-30' leaps and 6' drops while weighing under 35lbs and lasting 10+ years. You can't even expect to pay $130 for a brand new Walmart special and ride it on the trails expecting it to last 1 year.

In the end, hardtail or full suspension, either is a great choice and its all about personal preference. If you have the means, ride both and decide for yourself. Start slow and go from there. A good bike is an investment and if you treat it good it will last for quite some time. If you punish it, baby it later and it will reward you on the next ride. Become familiar with your bike and also with your local bike shop and if you have any questions, ask ask ask! Knowledge is power.

Chris Torrez

Clinton Lake, Topeka

Time: 0940
Distance: 15.14Mi
Duration: 5hrs 40min
Difficulty: Moderate 
Weather: Sunny
Trail Conditions:
Temp: 64*-75*
Rating: 7 out of 10


See the ride here...


This trail was actually a pretty nice ride. It was still pretty wet around the edges, but I guess that is to be expected since spring is just beginning. The trail is single track the entire way. It isn't classified as an "out and back" since there are actually two different trails you can ride. The two main trials are the blue and white trails, blue is supposed to be easier than white. About half way through there is an offshoot of a red trail that is deemed expert. We only rode on the blue trial for this trip. At the turn around point there is a pretty neat set up of teeter totters and ramps to test your skills. You must sign a waiver before playing, but it is fun and a little challenging to say the least. I look forward to taking this ride again later in the season. If you don't trust your skills or are new on a bike I do not recommend riding this. Be prepared to fix a flat tire a time or two, for some reason the thorns really like to attack your tires on this trail. Good trail, and good ride. 

MacLennan Park/Mennigers Trail

Time: 1530
Distance: 3.6 Miles
Duration: 1.16hr
Difficulty: Moderate
Weather: Cloudy
Trail Conditions: Dry and cold
Temp: 40*
Rating: 6 out of 10

MacLennan Park Trails and Mennigers Trails are mostly single track trails that are right next to each other separated only by a service road leading to the Kansas River. It is on a nice side of town and many walkers and runners frequent these trails. The Governors Mansion is also near by and many people walk on the sidewalk outlining the field to the south of the Mansion. If you are interested in single track riding, the trails can test your cardio.

The MacLennan portion is separated into 5 different color coded trails. Green for easy, Blue for moderate, Red for difficult, and Orange trails are mainly connecting trails and Brown for the leisure walking trail that is around the field to the south of the Governors Mansion. These descriptions of the red, blue, and green are very relative to your riding style as the technical aspect of these trails are not difficult at all, it's the cardio I previously mentioned. If you're legs aren't in it, then you may not have fun. Moderate descents make these trails fun, but are definitely not a redeeming quality as they seem to not last long enough.

The Mennigers portion is surprisingly more technical than its older brother (these trails were revamped in 2010). There is a trail laid with limestone rock for... whatever reason but connects to more technical trails. These trails are laden with obstacles such as minor to large sized rocks, protruding roots, and steep uphills. Definitely a trail you want to take slow at first before descending at a faster pace. The aerobic aspect of the area is still there but it also makes for sweet heart throbbing descents at a faster pace. If your confidence is up, I would highly recommend the Mennigers trails over the MacLennan trails.

Red Trail Descent

Thumbs up

3-6" roots on a Mennigers trail. There were a lot of these.

The Menniger clock

Map of the MacLennan Trails

Dornwood. Topeka, KS

Time: 0900
Distance: 5.8Mi
Duration: 2hrs
Difficulty: Moderate
Weather: Sunny
Trail Conditions: Frozen to very muddy
Temp: 34*-43*
Rating: 5 out of 10

This trail is located right behind Highland Park HS in Topeka. I don't recommend riding these trails alone as its not the best of neighborhoods. At the trail head there is an old abonded building that branches off into about 5-8 different single-track trail heads. Most of the riding is on groomed single-track with a bridge and some gravel. There are a couple of corners and hills that are mostly impassible. If trail conditions are improved (dry out) my rating for this trail will probably go up, but not by much; I'm still not a huge fan of criss-crossing trails.

See the Dornwood ride here