>>1545258You should figure out the tires you need, and work your way forward.
>Is getting a soft tail a good idea?For most riders, probably not. For your ass, which may be made of cotton candy? Check the rest of the fundamentals.
> urban explore/commute >also, I have $100 suntour forks, how much on the forks alone should I expect to spend to get a very noticeable bump in smoothness? I won't be hitting a trail or riding dead-on into curbs, but imagine.Test ride modern air forks. You need to be smart enough to set them up properly for your weight and riding conditions. See the Suntour trade in program. If you're too dumb to figure it out, tak a look at german trekking forks. That means setups on german trekking bikes, not shocks from germany.
>To put things into perspective, I already own and love my cane creek suspension seatpost at $150>48s tubeless at 60 psiYou're throwing all this weight and money at your bike without getting the fundamentals dialed in. The perspective is you barely have an idea of what the hell you're doing, but throwing around travel distances and "stiction" and your abdominal engagement, but are unable to describe your bike or ride properly.
>>1545649A stock 29"er xc HT should be more than sufficient. Look at the two extreme ranges. Paris Roubalix racers, and 29"er XC hardtails, or possibly rigid fat or semi fat bikes.
Get these things sorted first.
RIDING TECHNIQUE
TIRES:
SADDLE: If your riding position is vertical, consider a sprung saddle, especially if you're plowing as many things as you are.
FRONT FORK/SUSPENSION
Only AFTER all those four things are in should you even think about the other things you're eying.. I don't think you've even touched your geometry at all.
>I already do this, I know how to ride my bicycle lol. Your technique could use work.
If you want us to take your question with any effort, post bike and the actual area you're riding.
