last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail

Last Bikes Hit The FASTFORWARD Button With The V2

by 4

The humble hardtail is enjoying quite the resurgence lately. Having been reinvigorated by bigger wheels, fatter tyres, and progressive geometry borrowed from long-travel trail bikes, the modern hardtail is proving that you don’t necessarily need a rear shock to have a good time on the trail. Of course us Brits have known the virtues of the ‘hardcore hardtail’ for many a-year, particularly due to their resilience and ease of maintenance in the face of foul weather. But a recent influx of new bikes from BTR Fabrications, Stanton and Shand is proving there’s momentum behind this new breed of hardtails, and they’re also highlighting just how much fun they can be to ride. Need any proof? Check out this sweet little video of the new Stif Morf that we showcased just yesterday.

last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail

Throwing another ‘ardcore ‘ardtail into the mix, the new V2 FASTFORWARD has just been dropped courtesy of Last Bikes, and it looks to be an absolute scorcher. The original FASTFORWARD was conceived last year, and was brought to life via Kickstarter after a successful campaign that reached its goal within just 22-hours of going live. It seemed a lot of riders out there were very interested in an enduro hardtail, and Last delivered. The new version (V2) takes the same concept, but adds in a few updates such as big-wheel compatibility so that you can fit either 29in or 27.5+ wheels. Check out the word from ze Germans below;

last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
The FASTFORWARD frame is made from custom butted 4130 steel tubing from Japanese company, Sanko.

“Now it‘s in the second edition, which comes up with some improvements in the details, it ́s called FASTFORWARD (V2). The conceptual framework of the Enduro hardtail has proved to be very successful, so it was not touched in it’s foundations. Steel remains the material of choice and still the bike can be ridden with 29 inch and 650B Plus wheels. The FASTFORWARD (V2) shines despite the big wheels through an agile and playful riding cha- racter and owes these fun features due to an extremely flat steering angle in combination with unusually short chainstays. For the second edition, some details have been changed: The ISCG-tabs are 1 mm thicker now. The tolerance of the seat tube diameter was slightly changed. For the rear axle there is a new part which integrates with the chain tensioners, that avoids any slipping of the hub. In order to deliver the best possible order processing and product quality, the FASTFORWARD (V2) is a limited edition of 100 frames. The frame and different buildkits can be preordered in our shop: www.last-bikes-shop.com For testing and looking we have all sizes build up in our Showroom in Dortmund, Germany. Delivery will start in November – right in time for the winter season.” – Last Bikes

last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
Horizontal dropouts utilise in-built tensioners for adjusting the chainstay length.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
Neat integrated tensioners for the FASTFORWARD dropouts.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
Building up the prototype for testing.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
The FASTFORWARD V2 is capable of up to 150mm fork travel and you can run either 29in or 27.5+ wheels.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
Neat dropouts that run a 135mm hub width – no BOOST in sight!
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
The coloured frames are powdercoated, with clearcoat over the top for surface protection.

The Last FASTFORWARD V2 features:

  • sizes: medium, large, x-large
  • colours: matt black, transparent red, transparent green, transparent blue, clear coat
  • frame material: Sanko Japanese 4130 CrMo, custom multi butted
  • max. fork travel: 150 mm (optimized for 140 mm)
  • seat post size: 31.6 mm diameter
  • available with stealth and external dropper post routing
  • CNC machined and tapered head tube
  • max tyre widths: 29×2.35in and 27.5×2.5in
  • removable 180mm postmount disc brake mount
  • removable cable guides
  • bottom bracket: 73 mm BSA threaded
  • ISCG 05 tabs
  • front derailleur: Shimano SideSwing only
  • investment cast dropouts w/integrated chain tensioners
  • hub width 135 mm, hub is offset 6 mm towards the drive side
  • weight 2.6 kg
Screen Shot 2016-07-29 at 12.40.28
Geometry for the Last FASTFORWARD V2 is slaaack. It’s got a big-arse wheelbase, and with a BB drop of 55mm, it should deliver a very low centre of gravity.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
With a 64-degree head angle and a long front centre, the FASTFORWARD mirrors geometry from much longer-travel full sussers.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
Here’s something you don’t see a lot of in 2016: 135mm quick release dropouts. Also unusual is the hub offset, which is set 6mm to the driveside to push the drivetrain away away from the frame.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
Simply remove your existing quick release skewer, and use Last’s bolt-up option. You can also run 135x10mm bolt-up axle, which Last recommend for singlespeed setups.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
All cable guides are removable to help clean up the look if you’re not making use of every one.
last bikes fastforward V2 hardtail
Mmm, Kermit Green. We particularly love the way the powder coated frames still show off the heat from welding.

About LAST

LAST is a rider-owned bike company from Germany based in the Ruhr area. Led by Jörg Heydt and Jochen Forstmann – both active mountain bikers with long-standing race experience – production and distribution of high-grade frames for mountain bikes started in 2000. The line-up ranges from hardtail and full suspension frames to complete bikes of different equipment options that can be individually customised. LAST is a house-to-house distributor and offers their customers direct contact with the manufacturer so that there are outstanding possibilities for advice and prompt and competent direct service if need be. For years now, LAST has been present at all major biking events in Germany and successfully participates in national and international competitions with a racing team. In 2015 LAST team rider Aiko Göhler won the 4X-World Championships riding the TREMONIA frame.


Comments (4)

Leave Reply