ace – I’ll take that as a compliment unless It was my lack of maturity that made you think I was younger 🙂 We were on the podium in age order, Seb the pinner is still a student and definitely has youth on his side! Great weekend, hardtails rule!

stevede – that drop has made you practically famous!

Apart from Chris and his ribcage 🙂

Been looking into Sebs ride, those 7070 alloy Dartmoor Hornets look nice, guess they are out of stock because they are rather good and only £189 🙂 tempted to try a coke canner again.

38 years young next month and now that my youngest has started school full time, I’ll finally have the time to thrash my lovely carbon Focus Raven and my Whyte 901 (not at the same time, you understand) further and harder than ever. Gave up on FS years ago – they never live up to the marketing hype.
Just been up to trails in Kielder today actually – I had the whole place to myself and threw myself around like a loon. Just me and the dog and we didn’t see another sole so I suppose there is a bit of the unsociable, miserable old b@$t@rd in me!

35 last month and still ride HT 90% of the time. The other 10% on a full suspension is driven by consumer guilt

Was 36 on Fri, and have a HT. Which I am thinking of replacing with another HT.

winch 🙂 Jon Credi did it on a curtis MX24 pulling one handers few years ago, there is a video on youtube or pinkbike of a pink halfords carerra (however they spell it) doing it too. Got to be unhinged and good rider to do that (i went round it) Not too many have done it, might be the first Ti bike, Steven’s got skills 🙂

47 here. Sold my 5 in the Spring and got a Soul. Don’t miss the FS at all.

I am 42 and ride a Jones steel space frame. I have owned a couple of full sussers and tried a few others too, i just prefer a rigid bike. My top tip though for all day comfort is wide rims, big tyres & and a well padded saddle, and forget that weight weenie rubbish too.

I was 35 last Saturday and 2 of my 3 bikes are hardtails.

I’m 40 and still got 2 HT a 17 year old Beast of the east and a Cotic BFe for Aggro duties. I have never even ridden a FS .Too much maintenance and too pussy!!!!!!!!!

Ace is right, Credi is the man, bags of skill and style for miles on any bike, he’s hit bigger too at tavi woodlands! £189 for the Dartmoor Hornet is deffo a bargain, looked long, stable and fast (red).

So stevede or ace, how big is this drop then? Anyone got a link to a youtube vid?

43 and riding On One Inbred and a fully rigid aluminium Marin. Ride a full susser as well but the HT is getting used more.

40 in a couple of weeks – still love riding a hard tail (and have done for the last 20 odd years). Have also had full sus bikes for the last 6 or 7 years – love riding those too, but my hard tail is my go-to bike.

34 and still riding my HT in the peaks, borrowed a full bounce this week end and although it was a bit more comfortable I still only got my 3rd fastest time on starva down lockerbrook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEzKilpHwEs about on a par with Seb and Steve’s time on sunday, as normal with camera angle the track looks smoother than it is 🙂

52, and still riding the original (and best) hooligan bike, a red GT Zaskar from ’96. Done everything from SDW to PPDS.

68 in a few weeks, 10 bikes, all ridden 🙂

Winch – here’s one I found http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/video-mondraker-summum-downhill-bike-30382/ no idea on size, nothing heroic, it’s just a mind over matter line, the fact it’s made of wood with huge metalwork supports makes it look more beastly than it is. It’s just a matter of commitment, the smaller gap before it is technically more difficult but people don’t think twice about hitting that one.

Whoa! That’s a big drop! Kudos. Funny how it really looks like not a lot on the vid ace posted! Kudos

34 and just bought my first (proper) hardtail – new soul! Loving it so far, just seems to make local riding more fun!

Not me – I’m 39 and don’t think I’ll ever ride a hardtail mtb again. Feeling fitter than ever and having more fun of my FS bike than ever.. can’t see myself riding anything other than a FS again.

Still riding my HT, yes, but not the other stuff.

Yes, yes, not as much as previously (big old frame that’s not too special at the jumping) and yes. Pretty hard to tell the future but i don’t think i’d ever be without a hardtail.

Big 50 next year! Ride a Marin B17 AXC HT Built like a bomb shelter 🙂
Flew down the Pink Heffer this evening,great bike,great fun.
Gravity next year so looking for a full sus now.

Was out with a friend of mine just last week on the Malverns. He’s 69 and took a tumble. He laughed it off and carried on. Admittedly, he wasn’t especially radical, but 69!!!!!

Riding definitely yes, ragging maybe, jumping hardly at all on a rigid singlespeed. I’m 60.

I’m 34 and loving my bfe – used it for Afan and other xc but still riding some big dirt jump at the track portreath and some dh fun not yet risen gawton on it but should be fun I’ve done the drop in the pics above on my spicy but not sure about on my hardtail ill have a look when I go next
By the way the spicy hasn’t been out the shed since I got the bfe

Turned 40 in July, and still getting sicktacular on my Prince Albert.

Fifty next year, and loving my Soul. Great for thrashing on twisty bermy stuff, and my lad has just this month managed to teach me to jump tabletops and trail bumps …. can’t get enough of it! I have a knackered hip which means I choose a FS for long days out and rocky stuff, but that’s as much bravery as anything else! I did the Holme Valley challenge on the HT and just can’t fault it.

Not sure if this counts as ragging but I’m 40 next year and still enjoying the hardtail. Made this vid of me mucking about on some local trails about this time last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lhBxHg0DyI

37 and probably stronger than I’ve been for a while so now don’t ride my full sus any more. Fully rigid for me these days

Nice little vid dropseoi. I’ve been to that little jump spot and it looked like fun, though it was really wet so thought it best not to ride it. I’l definitely go back sometime soon though as I’m in Leicester fairly regularly. Good to see there’s hope for me for plenty of years to come 🙂

Nice vid btw dropseoi

47 and normally ride full sus but live in Scotland and ride proper trails. Use the hardtail Kona Shred in the shittty winter weather.

Northwind – how strange, we share the exact same birth date

My long lost twin!

40 and a half here and hardtail only.
Don’t ride MTB so much as road these days but still love my Soul and no intention of changing it for anything else. I can’t imagine finding a nicer ride tbh, and for Surrey Hills I find a hardtail is more fun than full suss. I do lots of core work so my back can take it aok

Hmm, this very thread may just have prevented me splashing out in a full suss frame tomorrow.