Help please.

I returned to riding bikes a few of years ago. I hadn’t even thrown a leg over since I had accidentally crashed my car aged 18! So about 15yrs.

I bought a Specialized Hardrock. I have enjoyed it and it’s got me back into bikes but – it’s heavy, the fork is terrible and un-upgradeable, the head angle is steep and it is just not great fun. In fact I thought I might be being fussy and have always been loathed to blame the bike rather than me. However, I found this review (published after I’d bought my bike) the other day and finally thought I should invest.

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/hardtail/product/review-specialized-hardrock-sport-disc-14-48527/

I have one bike for all and it is used for everything you’d expect a MTB to be used for plus – weekend rides with the kids, road work when time is short and just bobbing into the nearest town. This is why I was looking for a happy hardtail rather than a hardcore one and it will be a bike to live with rather than just sending it down runs.

Budget – well having been burnt on the Specialized I want to be generous and get something I will love and so was thinking £1,000- £1800 ish. £2k sounds to much but you know…

Ideas to date:-
Ragley Marley
Whyte 901
Ragley Blue Pig
Cotic Soul.

I have been looking at some steel because I like the simple lines but any feedback would be really appreciated.

Many thanks,

901!
My mate has one and it’s an absolute riot. Geo is spot on, it jumps well, climbs well, descends like a right Thrasher, whips round singletrack, and is happy just sitting down and pedalling.
Brilliant things.

His brother has a Marley, and IMHO, is nowhere near as capable or fun.

Cotci BFe – I have two and they’re great fun bikes 8)

Stanton Slackline – a little spendier, but very lovely.

https://www.stantonbikes.com/product/slackline-853-next-gen-standard-complete/

Is it being steel really important?

I reckon the Bird Zero (TR and AM) offer good geometry and VFM, a friend has one and is extremely pleased.

You’ll find they do various builds well within your budget range, just decide what you want on it…
But it’s Aluminium which matters more to some people than others…

Thanks everyone,

submarined – thanks I was really intrigued how these compared.

JAG – liked the look of the BFe but thought that I probably didn’t need the more robust approach and longer travel than the soul?

al2000 – I love the Stanton bikes but as you say are a bit more money and I was trying – though failed a bit already – to not just adding a bit more on the budget.

cookeaa – Steel not a huge deal for me. I do like the look of a steel hardtail but am not going to rule anything in or out just on that basis.

I think I’d be tending towards a 29er for a ‘do-everything, not super-gnarr’ bike. I’d look at a Stanton Sherpa or Cotic Solaris for steelies in that vein. If you want to go smaller wheel then I’d very much second the Slackline or Soul recommendations.

Thanks timmys

Been on a 29er and it might just be the poor bike but I fancied something a little more agile.

I’ve just built up an Orange Clockwork Evo and I’m very much looking forward to riding it. The Clockwork Evo Pro that I demoed seemed very nice and would be approximately within your budget (£1875). It seems to sit in the same sort of area as the Whyte 901 but for me the Orange was a touch better on sizing and geometry – slightly longer reach and seat tube, slightly slacker head angle.

For just a touch over you budget you could have this from Paul’s – carbon, XT, very capable.

I have one bike for all and it is used for everything you’d expect a MTB to be used for plus – weekend rides with the kids, road work when time is short and just bobbing into the nearest town. This is why I was looking for a happy hardtail rather than a hardcore one and it will be a bike to live with rather than just sending it down runs.

I’d give it 6 months before n+1 becomes a reality. You are probably not going to want to take your nice £1500 hardtail into town.

JAG – liked the look of the BFe but thought that I probably didn’t need the more robust approach and longer travel than the soul

I chose the BFe precisely because it’s tougher and has longer travel. I decided it would be far more capable than I am and therefore I could actually ride anything and everything I was ever likely to encounter. But it is a bit heavier – so you pays-your-money-and-takes-your-choice 😆

IF I take mine to the shops I take a gert-big-lock with me 8)

I looked at a few of the bikes mentioned here and nearly bought a Whyte.

However I ended up going for a Charge cooker – it has plus sized tyres and I think it is fantastic!

It could be lighter (but weighs less than my orange 5) but is great from the perspective that you don’t have to hold back on the descents – great traction on the climbs too!

I have a charger cooker too, and it definitely fulfils the criteria of being a happy bike.

Take a look at the Whyte 629, sounds perfect for your needs in my opinion.

OP, I did exactly the same as you about 8 years ago – had been away from MTB for a long time, bought a Hardrock Sport Disc and used it for everything. Putting a Recon on the front gave it a bit more life but I guess straight steerers are much harder to find now.

I went to a Blue Pig with 160mm forks after that, and it was great for a few years, but nowadays I’m finding I don’t seem to need more than 130mm travel on a hardtail, so just built a Morf.

I’d say think mostly about where you’re riding. The Hardrock was great around Nottingham and Cannock Chase, but wouldn’t have been suited to the kind of riding I do in Yorkshire. If I was on the South Downs all the time, I probably wouldn’t be riding anything as slack as a Morf.

Thank you everyone for the help – lots of ideas.

I’m a adding the Orange P7 to my list too I think -eek this is getting harder not easier.

I understand one bike to do it all is perhaps a little unrealistic.

I live on the Welsh borders – I can see Pen y Fan every morning – so the call of natural riding is strong. Because it is steep around here – and the Specialized has been so steep – I was inclined towards a slacker head angle.

Why steel – I like the look of it. I am wary of weight due to the current bike but feel that I should think more about losing a kilo from the rider rather than the bike!!

I too like the look of steel, any one of the previously mentioned options would do you right but my go to would be cotic. After riding my friend’s soul and slackline I would’ve gone with the soul

I was worried about steel’s weight – but when I looked at the numbers there isn’t that much in it with the frame weight on the Cotic Soul being less than the Marley!

Found an Orange P7 for £1,595 – anyone had any experience.

looks nice.

Been on a 29er and it might just be the poor bike but I fancied something a little more agile.

It’s a bad bike..not the wheelsize..

My 29er Chromag is the most fun bike I’ve ridden.
Fast too…

DrP

I think the P7 might be a bit too far up the hardcore scale for you,lovely looking thing though. How about the Orange Clockwork 120?
I’ve got a Soul 26 and I don’t think you’d be disappointed with that. Its a lovely, lovely bike.

Or, given what others have said about not wanting to take a new expensive bike into town, keep your hardrock and add a full suspension bike the mix.

Weeksy on here is a big advocate of the Whyte t130

https://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/73747/Whyte_T130_SX_650b_2015_Bike

At £1400 it looks like a great deal.

As someone who has just had a re-falling in love with a Solaris and in good old STW tradition of ‘recommend what you ride’ my advice would be look at Cotic, choose a Cotic, buy a Cotic.

I’d say for the mixed use you describe that 29in wheels would work best – as they roll so well on the road and easier tracks.

I’ll happily recommend what I own, the Cotic Solaris. It’s more of a trail bike than a hardcore HT, but still enjoys a good thrashing and is very confidence inspiring for jumps & drops, soaking up the impacts and smoothing out the bumps on rocky trails.

So much choice…

I was really tempted by the P7 but looking again now at the Soul Solaris and then back again at the whyte

Need to really think about the downhill vs xc-ish balance of what I want I think

How much travel do people think – is 120mm enough for red trails?

Blatant Plug here – Ive got a 26″ Cotic Soul mk3 in the classifieds for sale at £495 with reba forks. Hope/mavic wheelset and slx groupset

😆

Long way to Northumberland

Managed to procure a bike box for posting 😉

Or make a trip of it. Northumberlands lovely but we arent supposed to say that on here 😉

Ragley blue pig, great bike and not too common. Out of the list you have put up it’s the most hardcore of the lot.

John

I was looking again at the Blue Pig and like it

Do you have one John – what’s it like for trail cruising

I’m looking at a new Chameleon to run in 650b plus mode.

I’ve also considered a bird zero.

120mm is perfectly usable.

My current hardtails are a Cotic Soul 275 which is running 130mm and a Cotic Solaris 29er running 120mm.

Previous hardtails have included Chameleon, older Soul, FatBikes and Inbreds. I had intended to cut down to one hardtail and a fatty but it’s ended up being a pair of hardtails, and the 29er with a set of plus wheels.

I’d happily go Cotic again, and I’d happily recommend a Chameleon as a good do=anything bike with the right build. When I had my Chameleon to begin with it was my only bike and commuted through the week and bombed the Peak and the woods at the weekends.

There’s nothing wrong with steel, but it’s not really the way to go if you want lightness.
120mm should be absolutely plenty for red trails, particularly if you go with a 29er. I run 140mm on my 29er but until recently had a 26r with 130mm which coped fine on red and black trails. I’m sure there’s plenty to choose from with an 1800 quid budget – 29ers are great unless you’re short.

NS Eccentric cromo..

My SIR.9 is certainly agile, it’s the most agile hardtail ive had. It will happily potter around with the kids & rolls well on the road.

Cotic bfe in my opinion I’ve had over 30 bikes and it is still my favourite ,a bike you could ride for days and enjoy every minute of it

I had the mk1 Bluepig, my friend now has it and it’s still going strong. I had it running 1×10 with saint drivetrain, and some 160mm lyrics. It was awesome. There is genuinely nothing that can’t be ridden on it. I had it at Gawton Gravity centre and Fort William (World Champs DH course) and it handled everything. It requires a slightly more aggressive riding style as you are riding in full sus terrain with a hardtail. It needs a good fork to shine as you rely on it quite alot. Amazing bike. It takes something pretty extreme for a full sus to pull away.

Do it!

John

Can’t seem to find the Blue Pig in stock 🙁 I have messaged ragley to find out when more might be forthcoming.

I like the yellow peril colour scheme too.