My first proper mountain bike around 10 years ago was a Trek 6300, a basic ali hardtail with cheap coil 100mm forks. The bike got me hooked as a youngster and I’ve thrown all my wages at bikes since.

The bikes have got gradually slacker, longer travel and generally more expensive. Until this winter that is, when I decided to shelf my new Hightower so keep it tidy and pick up a cheap winter hardtail. The idea was simple – get a steel hardtail with around 140mm travel to spicy up the local trails and cover the miles. I ended up with a Stanton Switchback and what a bike it was, compliant capable and fast. I thrashed a few DH PBs I set on my Capra without trying. Trouble was it a little too close to my FS bike to be a keeper. I needed something better at covering miles but still fun to ride.

So this came up as a frame only and I haven’t ridden my FS since

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As far as the bike goes, It’s perfection. The only thing I’ll change down the line is a stiffer front fork.

I rambled on a bit there ha! Anyone else feeling the hardtail love

Looks lovely. Been enjoying my old Prince Albert over the winter, don’t feel ready to tuck it away again just yet.

I feel similarly about my Solaris. I’ve only really had full suspension bikes for the last ten years but I briefly had a Mk1 which I ran alongside the full sus. Eventually I sold it because I couldn’t justify two mtbs but I always fancied getting another. I’ve had this mk2 since June and it’s a fairly bog standard build (slx groupset, no dropper) but I absolutely love it.

I’m in the same boat. Got a bit bored of 150mm of insulation from the trail & built this. It’s so much fun & barely any slower on my local trails.

I’ve pretty much always had Steel hardtails. Tried full suss but didn’t like it as much. Always wanted a Stanton, but unfortunately just a dream at the moment. Had a couple of Cotic’s amongst others and just sold a Transition Trans AM. All of them were great bikes. There’s just something special and fun about a nice Steel HT 🙂 would love to give Ti a go one day too.

this thread isnt helping my desire for a switchback at all!!!

Hopefully picking up a Switchback on Weds – I’m excited! 🙂

I tried a few Cotics at Hamsterley a few weeks ago. Bloody marvellous. Despite weighing in a little more than my current Ali hardtail, they felt better on the climbs and more composed on the downs.

Saving up in progress, but can’t make up my mind…

I just never got on with full suspension. I want the downhills to last longer while near the limit, however slow that makes me.

Always much preferred the ride quality over any of my full sussers to the various hard tails I’ve tried all of which hav gradually got slacker and longer, giant xtc, canyon Grand Canyon, bird zero, np scout. Scout had good get but very harsh ride. So always picked out the full suss unless I intended to ride pretty tame and lame trails.

That was in until I built up this bad boy, tested with some good natural trails around hebden and then Gisburn and hav to say it’s by far the best hardtail yet and the built in compliance, stand over and slack ha add a lot of confidence. Nailed some drops and jumps that I would have felt a little edgy on with the others.

Adding some wider rims and 2.8/2.6 tyres should Improve it further and I’m going to be far more likely for it share the work load with my 140/150mm trail bike,

I’ve got 2 HTs. Both 29ers. Both steel. But just about different enough to justify keeping them both.

I love hardtails and steel ones. However my iroko is far more compliant than the 45650b it replaced.

I’d love to have a good run on a Solaris, would be far more refined than my (t)inbred which I love anyway. Bregante that looks lovely. In fact all of the above do.

Anyone have any experience of the Onza? They looked awesome when I saw them at Mayhem last year but not seen any in the wild!

That Sherpa Ti looks so “right”. I have been trying to move away from bike envy and lust and actually just ride what I have more often but that has pushed me closer to Sherpa ownership.

I have also just gotten a Sherpa, but I fancied some front bounce as my 29+ Longitude is great for covering miles but not so good on the steeper faster techy stuff.

Maybe there’s something in the air?

My long-suffering Genesis had flat bars and my old Sherman’s shoved back on last weekend, and I hate suspension!

(I know about the cables / hoses / stem / grips, this one normally runs Titec H Bars & ECR forks, and the lengths of everything are based on that as I dunno how long the novelty of bouncing will last 😉 ).

That Kingdom Vendetta looks gorgeous. A good Ti hardtail is basically my dream bike.

Me and our kid were out on hardtails this morning in Hebden Bridge and they were perfect for the loop we did. 1x drive trains and no linkage is perfect until the trails are dry. He’s a weight weeny so rigid carbon forks and no dropper. I like my suspension and dropper too much to give em up.

[/url]IMG_1911 by Paul Harrison, on Flickr[/img]

Some lovely bikes in here. I do love a nice hardtail.

Best bike I owned was my 26″ BFe. Regret selling that to this day. Enjoyed my NP Mega but not the same so that went too and I’ve been bikeless (long story!) in hindsight I should have sold the Mega frame and got a hardtail again.

Just built up an Inbred SS to get me back at it, but some of these have got me looking at frames already 😆

Did someone say Stanton, did someone say Sherpa?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/NxBScb]Sherpa at the Fungle[/url] by Metalheart-UK, on Flickr

Been riding steel hardtails (mostly) since the mid 90’s. Kona Explosif, Cove Handjob, Cotic Soul/Soda/Solaris and now SolarisMAX (as well as the Sherpa obvs).

My hardtail…..actually it’s hard every where! 🙂

I love hardtails, me. I got a small 26 Soul recently and I can finally understand what all the fuss is about. I loved my BFe when I had it built up as well mind. I’ve built it up singlespeed with some light forks in it and wide-ish street tyres pumped up hard and I did a 100km round trip on it last weekend up to my mam’s and back- I don’t want to build it up too rough and tough because where would that leave the Flare? Eh? Where?

Took my Sherpa up Ben Rinnes yesterday, nearly as fast down as my full sus but better at getting to and from the big hill 😀

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Ts76G1]Stanton Sherpa @ Ben Rinnes Summit[/url] by Gavin Belton, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/TvFpH6]On the up…[/url] by Gavin Belton, on Flickr

I recently made the change back to a hardtail from a 130mm/140mm travel 29er, picked up a shan GT just over a week ago and have 2 local rides on it so far and I love it, I wasn’t really sure how I would get on with going back to a hardtail, but I feel much more comfortable!

Here is a picture, just because!

It’s far too early to talk about love, but I’ve been enjoying this recently…

Getting more impressive as I’m starting to let it go faster on rocky trails – so it can smooth out the lumps better.

It’s not pretty or light, but it is fun 🙂 Freshly built Parkwood 29er and RS Recon with 650b WTB 2.8 Rangers.

I recently went back to my mtb roots with a steel hardtail. I bloody love it!

https://m.pinkbike.com/photo/14477497/

Not quite as fast of very rocky stuff but otherwise it’s pretty rapid.

Aldo’s bike…

Phwoarr!

Don’t have a recent pic, but i love my Stanton Slackline 26″
150mm fork, 150mm dropper, carbon bars, 2.4″ tyres
Love it
May get a FS in addition but the stanton will remain for a long time in the stable

Well it’s steel, it’s a hardtail and I love riding it, so it counts, right?

I used to have this before going full-fat, if that’s more to your taste 🙂

That’s a lovely bike Ross’s

Love my Slackline, pic from yesterday

Yes. Built up my hard-tail for similar reasons, was trashing the full-sus riding through winter slop. Ended up riding it way more than I thought I would do, couldn’t be without one now.
It’s just as fun locally as the bouncer – don’t get me wrong I love my full-sus, it is faster and it goes with me when I’m riding ‘bigger’ or unknown terrain, but my hard-tail has a proper bit of character and never fails to make me grin!

still rocking the baby wheels on mine 🙂

This has seen me return to the fold this last three years, and confirmed that faster/easier is not as rewarding.

@superstu – there’s a lovely Onza Payoff in the classifieds at the moment….

(Not so stealthy ad).

They look really nice, the only reason I’m selling mine is the fact it’s slightly too big for me.

Yay! Hardtail thread! They are the funnest.

🙂

Hardtail threads are more fun and engaging and require more reader skill than full suspension threads- discuss 😆

As we’re showing the love for hardtails I may as well whip mine out. I’ve always had a thing for steel hardtails but this bike is just grin inducing every time!

Been feeling the love for this of late but still have the Last Fastforward itch…

[/url]IMAG1077 by burchy80, on Flickr[/img]

Yeah, I know that one.

If we’re doing Sherpa pics here’s mine. Was absolutely loving it until last week but it’s in the naughty corner at the moment since it threw me off and broke my collar bone*[url=https://flic.kr/p/NmUGU7]DSC_0511[/url]
*May or may not have been the bike’s fault 😳