I have always ridden hardtails and always xc racey style ones, rockhopper, stumpjumper, Scott scale etc
My current bike is the said stumpjumper of 1996 vintage and while it is perfectly capable it just doesnt seem quite right.
It hasnt got disc mounts on the rear for starters and that bugs me, i dont want an adapter either and love the feel of hydros front and back.
It seems to be quite a twitchy bike, very responsive and also a very short bike so the standover doesnt feel right, like i am above the front wheel which can feel slightly odd when descending slow steep stuff.

I ride a lot of singletrack but do love trailcentres and wasnt overly excited on my stumpy at llandegla, i just cant seem to nail down what i want, i am thinking of the steel, longer travel hardtail route, a kind of built like a brick outhouse fun bike but not ridiculously heavy (27-28lbs maybe).

I cant afford a full suspension bike or frame even though hardtails batter me which is why i am thinking of a 456, bit longer, higher at the front with some nice riser bars maybe.

Am i thinking in the right direction?

Blue Pig!

I was thinking of those or even a piglet maybe.

Pipedream Sirius, not as heavy as people will have you believe, love mine.

Cotic Soul? Still light, and can run 100mm forks in XC mode and 140mm forks in rockbashing mode.

I hear very good things about the soul, got a few friends with them and it seems to be the bike they wont part with.

I can’t overstate how thrilled I am with the way this rides:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/finally-finished-another-cotic-soul

However I suspect a 456 would get quite close for less money!

I’m selling my prince albert frame 19.5″ which i had powder coated black. Comes with hope headset all for a good price if you’re interested. Will run 120-140mm forks, i actually don’t want to sell it, but my back problems means i have to ride a full suss now (if i can ride at all) Email in my profile if you’re interested!

Can’t do with Onones myself, ridden them and dont like them.

for a hardtail do it all bike, Id get either a Pace Rc325 or a Kinesis Maxlight XC130

way way better in my opinion

Got to be a Soul.

simply can’t beat a 456 for the dosh! loved mine and looking forward to thrashing my new C456

or a Kinesis Maxlight XC130

I must admit, Kinesis frames really do look good, nice weight aswell if you like that sort of thing!

+1 for the 456 or even the 456 Summer Season. I built a Summer Season with a set of Marzocchi 130mm Z1 Dropoff forks and loved it. Such a fun, go anywhere bike to ride. I did trail centres and off-road commutes on it, then slung on some panniers and rode the Canal du Midi.

Whyte 901/905/19 Trail sounds like what you need. All the ability of an XC bike but with a slack head angle which means it’s ace in the more techy terrain.

hi curlie

just putting it out there
got a 19 in mk1 prince albert frame that is languishing in my loft,
designed for 120-130mm fork

a bombproof frame!

if you’re interested let me know, email is in my profile
not wanting mega bucks for it

I am 5`8″ so i think a 19 would be too big, thanks anyway.

Also, should i be concerned about weight on the steel bikes, could they be built to be around the 26-27 lb mark? When you ride light xc bikes you kind of get used to the light weight. I just dont want the bike to be a slog around trails.

Personally I’d have a Sanderson Life over the Blue Pig any day of the week.

Responsive, still got that zingy feel etc etc.

cool no worries curlie
def too large i’d say i’m on the cusp t 5’10”

maybe a new prince albert then? 🙂
they are reynolds 725 so lighter than mk1s

Soul and Whyte 19 steel are under 5 lbs, but yes, there is almost always a weight penalty to get the feel of steel.

At 5lbs the increase isnt hideous though really, my brother had a nice mongoose tyax and the frame on that weighed over 2kgs which is around 4.5lbs so i dont think it would be a horrible heavy beast.

My 2p 🙂

God they are nice, love the red ones myself.

Chumba HX1, comes with an EBB so you can run it singlespeed if you wish. Lovely detail and finish, from here http://www.progressive-bikes.co.uk/product/chumba_hx1/ 🙂

Chumba HX1 by srbwilson, on Flickr