Ok, probably get grief for such an open question, BUT. Used to have a Specialized full Sus (had a mono curved frame, 6ish yrs old) that i loved, but it got stolen. So looking to buy. I ride generally, the lakes, a few trails, and the hills of North Manchester, Peaks etc. Hired a bike at AE, Rockhopper disc and was bloody knackered after the ride (I am 31). Would a full sus ment I could have ridden more, faster, longer without being so knackered? Which one would you recommend? (looking to buy a 2nd hand or 2007/2008 model as skint).
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 Generalisations are that it depends on what you want and at your price point, I would say that at 1k and up most people will be better of and have more fun on a full suss, while more performance oriented riders will get more out of a hard tail. At below 1k the level of kit and quality drops quite quickly on full sussers, and therefore a hardtail would usually be a better option, but there are some good deals to be had on full sussers if you shop around, especially if you don't mind putting up with a few lower quality components in the short term, to be upgraded when money permits.
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Full susser with lockout front and rear best of both worlds 
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 First you need to start with a budget. Then work from there. 4"-5" are the common Full suss options for general trail riding. I dont think you will be needing any more unless you getting into big drop offs and major downhills. Other consideration is are you a light rider or ahem! 'heavy' rider.
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 Also some people might suggest that riding a hardtail is ultimately a more rewarding experience.
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 At the moment Merlin are doing the meta 4.2 for £1.1k Its an absolute bargain and has enough travel to ease out the trail but not too much to make it too bouncy
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Also some people that might suggest that riding a hardtail is ultimately a more rewarding experience may secretly wish they had a full susser
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Have the option of both 99% of the time I ride the full susser. Easier on the back legs and arms, eyeballs also dont bounce around. Comparision IMHO is a touring car V a track car ones great for long distance all day cruising the other fantastic if your racing someone else and want a chance of winning. You work out which 
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....may secretly wish they had a full susser. Mostly that happens at the end of any descent, shortly followed by the smug sense of self satisfaction when overtaking someone on the next hill watching their rear suspension bobbing around in granny gear when you're nice and comfy pushing middle cog middle ring past them
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Cheers for the replies, here are mine 12.10/ 13 stone. I found I was being bone shaken at speed over the rocks and was hard to keep peddling constantly at high speed over the rocky sections and jumps. probably want to spend £800 to £1000 I did try my friends and found it too soft.. Overall was just so unimpressed by the Rockhopper disc. If I had bought that I would have wanted my money back. A raleigh would have been probably a better ride
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If I had bought that I would have wanted my money back. A raleigh would have been probably a better ride Many people find them great value bikes, are you sure it wasn't your talent running out?
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Its a nice bike for the money, but its still just a decent entry level HT, so if you used to a full susser, it will most likely be not up to scratch
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Well it was the 2nd trial of the weekend, but I was just unimpressed. When I was younger (15yrs ago) I have an Emmelle Dolomite and the Rockhopper wasn't that much better. Gears still jumped and crunched around, brakes were ok, but not hugely better. Just think that someone is havign a laugh with all this so called improvement.
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Gears jumping around and ok brakes sounds as if the bike wasnt setup very well. Doesnt reflect on the bike tbh. A mega bling £4k bike will be a pain in the arse if the gears and brakes are setup badly. £1k buys you a sound full suss. Sounds like that what you want.
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I'd recommend this cant go wrong with a spesh. It may be not top spec but as you break bits then replace them with better kit.
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Looks good Think I may end up with a Specialized. When do the 2009 bikes start to come in? Hpoefully the 2008 will drop in price.
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Dont bank on it. 2009 are a pretty big price increase over 2008. I reckon they will hold 2008 stock at retail prices as they already represent a saving.
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 31 you young pup!! you can't blame your age on being knackered, you just need to ride more!
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 A halfway-house might be a steel hardtail with a 130mm fork. Mine's brilliant most of the time but I have to admit I did get a bit of a kicking when I did a loop of Cwm Carn recently. For my riding, Regular Meridas, Brecons, and South Downs is about as technical as it gets for me, so the hardtail is fine for that. The top guys (Cy Turner and his mates) will tell you that the steel HT will tackle any descent 'full-on' .....yeah maybe, if you've got the skills they've got. As it is, mine does me proud for ALMOST everything I want to do.
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Having went from a 6" full susser to a hardtail I would say that a hardtail si your best bet, I find riding it much more fun and I don't plan on going back to full sus any time soon either. If you look around you will def get a decent hardtail for £1k, you would probably get a decent Cove Handjob for that. Check out the link as they usually always have good deals on custom builds and Chris will help you get something within your rpice range if you get in touch if it's a little pricey. http://www.cycle-world.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b85s2p2683
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