…where would your money go? Don’t have an unlimited budget, say £300 max? Will be used with either Pikes or Sektors.

NS Surge if you are the right height as they only have 15 or 16 inch frames (and can find one) or a Stanton Slackline 631 (or 853), again secondhand.

Ragley Blue Pig – Just got one – tip Top! See this thread for more details and other ideas

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-hardtail-help-please

Cheers

Dartmoor Hornet

BFe but that’s because I have one. A new one will be a bit more expensive than £300 but you can easily get a second hand one for that.

Having owned a Blue Pig, I’ve regretted selling it and would have another in a heartbeat.

Probably a Pig for me as well- got a Ti now and used to have an Mmmbop (if you don’t mind stupidly stiff frames, then Mmmbop is well worth a look, I never fully got on with mine though). The handling’s phenomenal, you’d expect such a slack bike to be basically a descender but it makes for a fantastic technical climber too.

For a proper LT HT i’d go for a Ragley Bagger or an under-budget 456 Evo II if i wanted something a little less focused.

I got two surge frames, one in each size if you’re interested?

On one 456 evo 2?

I don’t know about Stanton’s, dialled, ragley or cotic having never ridden any of them, but I do love my evo 2!

In value for money terms, brand new, it is a good deal.

Sovereign mk1

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-cotic-bfe-medium-4

Have one with pikes, love it.

Blue Pig X here too.
Seems to have disapeared from fashion recently, but I find it confidence inspiring on the downs, whilst ideally suited to my ‘plodding’ on the ups.
Great bike – and can be found fairly cheaply s/hand.

s/h c456 ?

Love my Mmmbop (apart from the daft name), much lighter than the steel 456 it replaced.
Love the way it rides up, down and along but I couldn’t do a big day out on it, it beats the shit out of me.
Only thing that tempts me is a C456….

LT as in Long Travel or Light? Because I have C456 that is both – 11.2kg with Fox 36 Talas 160
Regularly do Aston with it (and contribute to the 1% hardtail riders there :D) and did a few days touring in Peak District in Sept. Toootally love it!

BFe..

ps. I’m biased

NS Surge Evo..

Owned a 456, Sanderson and stanton slackline.

The slackline is great downhill but not so great up. The Sanderson was the complete opposite. The 456 did both well. Saying that the slackline is the best hardtail I’ve ever had.

Simon – Member

Love my Mmmbop (apart from the daft name), much lighter than the steel 456 it replaced.
Love the way it rides up, down and along but I couldn’t do a big day out on it, it beats the shit out of me.
Only thing that tempts me is a C456….

For whatever it’s worth, I’d really hoped the C456, either as standard or with an angleset, could be Mmmboppy without the savage kicks up the arse. It wasn’t though, on paper it looked similiar, in practice it just felt very different. Sacked it and got a Ragley Ti, which does exactly what you’d expect- it’s an Mmmbop that can bend 😉

Sanderson Blitz???

Probably a Surge but honestly ht’s with long forks generally feel like crap unless you have the fork set hard.

i’ve had a surge for a few years now. love it, very do anything bombproof kind of bike

This one.

For sale later today.

If your about 5.9 ish tall I’m about to put a 16.5 inch 631stanton slackline up forsale for a buddy of mine.
Great condtion will include a hope taper’d headset and xtr bottom bracket for around what your looking to spend posted,
Emails in profile if it’s of interest bats.

There isn’t enough mention of the Dialled Prince Albert! I got one year for a whole £70 off pinkbike, the best bike related purchase I have ever made! Then spent the left over money on a new hub and brakes 🙂

If you’re a medium Rutland’s got Blue Pig X frames at 199.99 H E R E !

I ride the swap-out BPX and it’s great, with 120/150mm Revs. It had a U-Turn Pike at first which was very similar as you’d expect. Some people hate a long forked hardtail, it takes a bit of suspension tweaking to get your compression right so you’re not diving and a different approach to riding as you’re pretty much on the front end through the rough. It doesn’t reward shyness, but you also don’t need mad skills to make it work. This is where the slackness comes in handy, but a travel adjust fork will compensate for the way back up hill.

I’ve had a pair of Dialled PAs, a mk1 and 2 (Pike again or rigid with a 29er front wheel) and they’re great but a bit less compliant than the BPX, less mud room and the head/seat tube restriction of being traditionally sized. The whole PA is consistently stiff with a bit of buzz removed from larger hits whereas the BPX has a stiff front and fairly compliant rear even with a Maxle. Comfy, not sloppy.

IIRC the BFe is slacker than the PA and general feedback is that they’re pretty good but a little harsh based on their intended use. I found the summer season 456 to feel ok but not as twangy, as if the steel feel was damped relative to the PA I was riding at the time. Maybe due to the build or perhaps the cheaper steel? New 456 has the bigger seat but smaller head tube so fine for your Pike or 1 1/8″ Sektor.

Souls have a huge fanbase but are suited to gentler riding than the above, hence the BFe. But may be worth a look if you’re not looking for a walloper, but would be 2nd hand and again have the tube size restriction.

Whatever you get, get that seatpost nice and slippery and don’t forget to remove it once in a while. My dropper is stuck. It’ll come out one way or another but I may be looking at a new post.

When I asked this question a while ago the suggestion was made to get a Voodoo Wanga. I bought a frame second hand from here for less than £100 and have it built up with 140mm X Fusion forks.
It’s ace. Fairly light, sliding dropouts enable me to run it ss or geared and although the tapered head tube make it nice & stiff up front the rear end seems to have enough flex to make it comfy, something I was worked about going from a steel frame to alu.
Brushed it finish makes it look far more expensive than it was too!
The spare cash from my budget (also circa £300) enabled me to buy some nice new bars and cranks for it too…
Well worth a look on eBay for one IMHO.

Depends on what your intended use is for the bike…

My 2010 Orange P7 is mega and you could pick up a frame for around £100. I use mine for all manner of XC and DH with a longish fork and can’t fault it.