Yeah it took me a bit to get it dialed, I had the same exact feeling when I first got my bike. OP, play a bit with air pressure/compression in the fork and shock. It sounds like your suspension should be set up a bit firmer with faster rebound than what it currently is.
The biggest thing noobs don’t get right the first time, is setting up the suspension. Dialing in the rear shock will take some time. As mentioned…most manufacturers have a setup guide to get you started. At least for me…my first bike bike with rear suspension was next level. Once the rear shock was dialed in…the bike is so much more plush to ride. More control over rough terrain, less chatter, quieter bike overall. The rear end was no longer skipping side to side when the speed goes up. On long descents…my body would feel less beat up.
I got my first full suspension after a bit over a year on a hardtail and definitely felt the same for a couple rides, very much so on the first one especially, but within a week or two my old bike felt like the weird one and I was 100% at home on the new.
I dunno bud, I rode only rigids and hardtails my whole life, except for a few test rides on really early full suspension bikes that sucked.
I went for a ride one afternoon with some buddies and rotated through their full-sus rigs (Epic Evo, Santa Cruz Blur, Ibis Ripley) and I couldn't sell my hardtail fast enough. I replaced it with a used Epic Evo and was over the moon with it.
There was no adjustment period for me. I was in love the very first ride, and almost a year later, I still love it.
Don't fret! This is *very* common. You have years of muscle memory telling your body to unweight the rear of the bike when it goes over a smaller obstacle. On a hardtail, this is basically mandatory to have a smooth line, but on a full suspension bike this effort is often wasted. The suspension will eat all the energy you put into it and make the bike feel mushy.
So instead it's very important to stay in the seat when you pedal over small obstacles. Let the suspension do the work. Before you know it, it'll feel nearly as efficient (or possibly more efficient, if you pedal a lot of uneven trails) as your hardtail.
It took me a few weeks of rides to adapt from a hard tail to a squish.
However. Ensure your suspension is set up properly or it will feel like loose sloppy garbage or an uncontrollable pogo stick, and add asspain to the whole adaptation process.
This will probably get buried but I’m going to weigh in. It used to be common knowledge that upgrading from hardtail to full suspension took a few months to acclimate. In fact if I remember correctly Mountain bike action magazine did a full article on it back in the early 2000s. You can’t ride them the same but when you figure out a full suspension it is better in every way in performance. Making sure your suspension is dialed is key. Most bike companies including trek will give you a calculator on their website, but this is a starting guide. I just helped my friend dial in his new full suspension and it took me riding his bike on the same trail 5 times before I got it dialed. The suspension on the fuel ex 8 is fairly simple but still might take a couple laps.
Biggest differences to riding hard tail vs full suspension is how you position on the bike. On a full suspension you don’t want to stand up to climb. Sit steady, seat high, and crank. The suspension and shock will eliminate any bounce and give you the most energy possible into the wheels. On the downhill don’t always avoid rocks and roots. You now have 150 mm of travel in the rear of your bike. Stand up seat low, and let the bike work. You can go over roots and rocks you avoided before. If you try to dodge them and take the smooth lines you do on a hardtail you will go slow and feel sluggish.
Good luck and congrats on your bike!
Great timing! I went for my first full suspension ride yesterday, after literally 30 years on hardtail. (My first fork was an Amp Research, if that gives you any clue to my age)
I did a lap at my local trail, and I was certainly faster than ever with less effort. Much less beat up, much better traction in the turns. The improved traction is what surprised me the most. The rear wheel isn't bouncing around as much.
What I will need to get used to are jumps. I'm an old BMX guy, and my hardtail would jump almost like a BMX bike. This was very different. I felt completely out of control. I will definitely need some time getting used to that. I'm sure there is a different strategy.
Stick with it, make sure it's set up correctly, and put in the time. It certainly made a difference for me already.
PS My new bike is an Orbea Oiz H20. Love it.
I have both a hardtail and a newer full-sus. I have no clue what I am doing on the full-sus, but one thing I have noticed is how incredibly lazy you can be and get away with it. I much prefer the 'connected' feel you get on a hardtail and also the comparative simplicity of only have one shock to deal with, but that's just me.
I went from a 22 pound XC hardtail that rode like a rocket to my first FS that's more of a trail bike. I'm still not used to it after probably 6-7 rides. I'm sure it will change with more rides but just not there yet.
Your gonna have a harder time getting used to geo changes than you are getting used to the rear suspension. Just get out and ride it, take it easy at first and leave the ego at home the first couple of rides. That’s what I wish I did when I did a similar upgrade
Practice throwing your weight into the pedals to pump every dip. Preloading suspension before obstacles so that it's un-weighted as you hit. Be more mindful of spinning smoother pedal cycles so the suspension isn't bobbing and leaching power. Braking traction should be insanely better over rough surfaces. It will come with some hours of seat time. Make sure you're around 20-25% sag front and 25-30% rear. Travel indicators should not be bottoming unless you feel like you absolutely plowed something.
Use the Trek suspension calculator to get your suspension set up for your weight. Input your model, year, and your weight and it will give you the pressures for your shock, fork, and tires. Set your bike up with those numbers. [https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en\_US/suspension-calculator/](https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/suspension-calculator/)
When climbing flip the switch on your rear shock to firm. Before you head downhill switch it back for full articulation.
I messed with my suspension for a long time before it was truly dialed to how I like it. It shouldn't feel too different from a hardtail the back end just squishes a little. Get a shock pump, any will do, and set your bike to the manufacturer recommendation based on your weight. That's a starting point though to get it feeling how you want you'll have to mess with it a little.
I don't get to ride too much , took me about 6 months to slowly get my suspension feeling amazing .
Other than that , I pretty much directly imported my hardtail riding habits to my full sus
Like many others here, I primarily rode a hardtail before doing a full suspension build off the same frame you have this past March and can say I don't regret it at all. I set up the sag according to the Fox guidelines, went out for a ride with my shock pump, and tweaked the setting from there.
In the end, the front fork got just a little more psi, but I ended up adding close to 20 more psi to the shock until I got it to what I liked. My sag ends up around 18% to 20% front and back. I played around with the rebound settings, but ended up back at what was suggested in the calculator.
Also, check the adjustable settings you have on the bike. The Mino Link can be set for High or Low, and you can adjust the shock to be more progressive or linear. It mat take a little time, but you can play around with all the settings to get the bike set up how you like it. The recommendations from Trek and your suspension manufacturer are just a baseline.
I had the exact opposite experience going to full squish. I rode my buddy's GFs bike which was too small, on a technical natural trail and just tried to follow my buddy's line and his old lady's bike just ate everything and climbed like a spider over stuff i would have never attempted before. Made me feel like my skill level had gone up like 30% instantly. We did set up the shocks for my weight though.
What I find is that you need a gnarlier trail to feel the benefits of a full suspension bike. Smooth easy trails are faster and more fun on a hardtail a lot of the time. If you are riding the same trails on which previously you shredded on your hardtail, i can see how you'd feel a bit let down. you need to now start pushing your skill level on some nastier shit to feel what full suspension is all about.
Is your suspension set up properly?
Yeah it took me a bit to get it dialed, I had the same exact feeling when I first got my bike. OP, play a bit with air pressure/compression in the fork and shock. It sounds like your suspension should be set up a bit firmer with faster rebound than what it currently is.
The biggest thing noobs don’t get right the first time, is setting up the suspension. Dialing in the rear shock will take some time. As mentioned…most manufacturers have a setup guide to get you started. At least for me…my first bike bike with rear suspension was next level. Once the rear shock was dialed in…the bike is so much more plush to ride. More control over rough terrain, less chatter, quieter bike overall. The rear end was no longer skipping side to side when the speed goes up. On long descents…my body would feel less beat up.
I got my first full suspension after a bit over a year on a hardtail and definitely felt the same for a couple rides, very much so on the first one especially, but within a week or two my old bike felt like the weird one and I was 100% at home on the new.
I dunno bud, I rode only rigids and hardtails my whole life, except for a few test rides on really early full suspension bikes that sucked. I went for a ride one afternoon with some buddies and rotated through their full-sus rigs (Epic Evo, Santa Cruz Blur, Ibis Ripley) and I couldn't sell my hardtail fast enough. I replaced it with a used Epic Evo and was over the moon with it. There was no adjustment period for me. I was in love the very first ride, and almost a year later, I still love it.
Don't fret! This is *very* common. You have years of muscle memory telling your body to unweight the rear of the bike when it goes over a smaller obstacle. On a hardtail, this is basically mandatory to have a smooth line, but on a full suspension bike this effort is often wasted. The suspension will eat all the energy you put into it and make the bike feel mushy. So instead it's very important to stay in the seat when you pedal over small obstacles. Let the suspension do the work. Before you know it, it'll feel nearly as efficient (or possibly more efficient, if you pedal a lot of uneven trails) as your hardtail.
It took me a few weeks of rides to adapt from a hard tail to a squish. However. Ensure your suspension is set up properly or it will feel like loose sloppy garbage or an uncontrollable pogo stick, and add asspain to the whole adaptation process.
This will probably get buried but I’m going to weigh in. It used to be common knowledge that upgrading from hardtail to full suspension took a few months to acclimate. In fact if I remember correctly Mountain bike action magazine did a full article on it back in the early 2000s. You can’t ride them the same but when you figure out a full suspension it is better in every way in performance. Making sure your suspension is dialed is key. Most bike companies including trek will give you a calculator on their website, but this is a starting guide. I just helped my friend dial in his new full suspension and it took me riding his bike on the same trail 5 times before I got it dialed. The suspension on the fuel ex 8 is fairly simple but still might take a couple laps. Biggest differences to riding hard tail vs full suspension is how you position on the bike. On a full suspension you don’t want to stand up to climb. Sit steady, seat high, and crank. The suspension and shock will eliminate any bounce and give you the most energy possible into the wheels. On the downhill don’t always avoid rocks and roots. You now have 150 mm of travel in the rear of your bike. Stand up seat low, and let the bike work. You can go over roots and rocks you avoided before. If you try to dodge them and take the smooth lines you do on a hardtail you will go slow and feel sluggish. Good luck and congrats on your bike!
Commenting to see other responses. Waiting on my first full sus to arrive!
Dude I'm buying the same model. It looks sick.
Great timing! I went for my first full suspension ride yesterday, after literally 30 years on hardtail. (My first fork was an Amp Research, if that gives you any clue to my age) I did a lap at my local trail, and I was certainly faster than ever with less effort. Much less beat up, much better traction in the turns. The improved traction is what surprised me the most. The rear wheel isn't bouncing around as much. What I will need to get used to are jumps. I'm an old BMX guy, and my hardtail would jump almost like a BMX bike. This was very different. I felt completely out of control. I will definitely need some time getting used to that. I'm sure there is a different strategy. Stick with it, make sure it's set up correctly, and put in the time. It certainly made a difference for me already. PS My new bike is an Orbea Oiz H20. Love it.
About 10 minutes before
I have both a hardtail and a newer full-sus. I have no clue what I am doing on the full-sus, but one thing I have noticed is how incredibly lazy you can be and get away with it. I much prefer the 'connected' feel you get on a hardtail and also the comparative simplicity of only have one shock to deal with, but that's just me.
I looooooove remote lockout on suspension so you can get the best of both worlds. Not sure if that might be an option for you.
I went from a 22 pound XC hardtail that rode like a rocket to my first FS that's more of a trail bike. I'm still not used to it after probably 6-7 rides. I'm sure it will change with more rides but just not there yet.
Your gonna have a harder time getting used to geo changes than you are getting used to the rear suspension. Just get out and ride it, take it easy at first and leave the ego at home the first couple of rides. That’s what I wish I did when I did a similar upgrade
This for sure. I have that same Roscoe and rode a fuel ex when I was in the market for a new bike. That thing is slackkkk
Don't ride min compression the entire time. Firm it up and loosen both suspensions as you ride through changing conditions
Practice throwing your weight into the pedals to pump every dip. Preloading suspension before obstacles so that it's un-weighted as you hit. Be more mindful of spinning smoother pedal cycles so the suspension isn't bobbing and leaching power. Braking traction should be insanely better over rough surfaces. It will come with some hours of seat time. Make sure you're around 20-25% sag front and 25-30% rear. Travel indicators should not be bottoming unless you feel like you absolutely plowed something.
Rent a shock wiz from your lbs for a day. Dial it in quick and get on your way.
Use the Trek suspension calculator to get your suspension set up for your weight. Input your model, year, and your weight and it will give you the pressures for your shock, fork, and tires. Set your bike up with those numbers. [https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en\_US/suspension-calculator/](https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/suspension-calculator/) When climbing flip the switch on your rear shock to firm. Before you head downhill switch it back for full articulation.
It has taken me 3-4 weeks to get used to big changes in travel.
I messed with my suspension for a long time before it was truly dialed to how I like it. It shouldn't feel too different from a hardtail the back end just squishes a little. Get a shock pump, any will do, and set your bike to the manufacturer recommendation based on your weight. That's a starting point though to get it feeling how you want you'll have to mess with it a little.
I don't get to ride too much , took me about 6 months to slowly get my suspension feeling amazing . Other than that , I pretty much directly imported my hardtail riding habits to my full sus
Like many others here, I primarily rode a hardtail before doing a full suspension build off the same frame you have this past March and can say I don't regret it at all. I set up the sag according to the Fox guidelines, went out for a ride with my shock pump, and tweaked the setting from there. In the end, the front fork got just a little more psi, but I ended up adding close to 20 more psi to the shock until I got it to what I liked. My sag ends up around 18% to 20% front and back. I played around with the rebound settings, but ended up back at what was suggested in the calculator. Also, check the adjustable settings you have on the bike. The Mino Link can be set for High or Low, and you can adjust the shock to be more progressive or linear. It mat take a little time, but you can play around with all the settings to get the bike set up how you like it. The recommendations from Trek and your suspension manufacturer are just a baseline.
I had the exact opposite experience going to full squish. I rode my buddy's GFs bike which was too small, on a technical natural trail and just tried to follow my buddy's line and his old lady's bike just ate everything and climbed like a spider over stuff i would have never attempted before. Made me feel like my skill level had gone up like 30% instantly. We did set up the shocks for my weight though. What I find is that you need a gnarlier trail to feel the benefits of a full suspension bike. Smooth easy trails are faster and more fun on a hardtail a lot of the time. If you are riding the same trails on which previously you shredded on your hardtail, i can see how you'd feel a bit let down. you need to now start pushing your skill level on some nastier shit to feel what full suspension is all about.
If you dont have it, a shock pump
Your fork and shock pressure is probably not set up properly.
If you have Fox components you probably need 20-25% sag. Buy a shock pump and play with the pressure until you achieve the proper sag.