I ride a Commencal Meta CrMo hardtail, (currently in the Alps snigger snigger) and it is a blast. Ive also got a lot of time for the Stanton frames too. I think the standards in frame building for HT bikes is amazing at the moment. The ride qualities are all top draw, I also like being the only bod on an HT here! My bike draws a few looks for sure

I also like being the only bod on an HT here!

Err, an HT is my only MTB so you are not alone 😆

Some days you’ll love the HT, some days you’ll hate it, some days you’ll wonder why you didn’t change sooner, some days you’ll wonder how long it will take you to build the FS back up.

TBH, there are things a HT doesn’t/can’t do like a FS, (and vise versa), it’s grist to the mill.

I too have a 2013 Trance and a Soul.

I bought the Soul as a winter bike as it took for ever to clean the trance due to its pivots but now most of my riding throughout the year is on the Soul, I also like to swap to the Trance occasionally for a bit of fun, the Trance is quicker is some places.

If you do a lot of bridleway, you will miss the Full Sus if they are churned up by horses but apart from that you will love your time on the Soul!

^^^^ I could virtually mirror the above by saying ‘2015 Anthem SX and a Soul’

😀

I only seem to post in these type of threads but stuff it, I’ll give you the benefit of my personal experience having made the switch.

Last December I took my Cube Stereo to bits and transplanted all the parts on to a Stanton Switchback complete with a 160mm fork. So far it’s working for me. I’ve done a couple of Enduro races (not as many as I’d have liked due to family commitments) and loved the buzz of being in a minority. I’ve also done a long weekend in Peebles/Innerleithen and had an absolute blast although we didn’t ride the off piste stuff at Inners we did ride some of the DH runs.
Most of my riding (about 80-90%) these days is around Cannock Chase.

To a point raised a few posts back, you can’t simply rationalise that a hrdtail is only suitable to certain terrain/trail types and is more to do with how you ride and what you enjoy. My riding style I guess has always been pretty aggressive so I guess I’m happy muscling a HT around. I love how snappy and responsive it is compared to the Stereo. Yes, on long rides it’s not as comfortable but at the moment I can live with that (that said a typical ride for me is 20-30 miles on & off road).

I do find myself lusting after another FS and over time I might well indulge.

It’s definitely a lifestyle choice that doesn’t suit everyone so I’m not going to preach about how much more bad a$$ riding a hardtail makes you! Just think hard about what floats your boat when you’re riding and whether the bike you have suits that style!

Nah, no regrets generally. I binned mine off a while ago and now my HT is my only bike 😀 I do sometimes think ‘I could’ve gone faster down there on my FS’ but the HT is more fun. I did a local DH race last weekend on my HT and didn’t die*, it was a good laugh 😀

* although I would quite like to go back and ride it on my FS to see if I could improve my time and maybe beat a few of the fellas’ times #competitive #redmist 😆

The 456 Evo2 are tempting at the minute, only £144

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FROO456E2/on-one-456-evo2-frame

Assuming I’d be ok running my 26er fork and wheelset?