Morning all,

Had an issue with my trail bike (5″ travel, big grippy tyres etc) this weekend.

So ended up riding my lightweight xc bike (100mm forks, carbon everything, no dropper etc) on a ride that for me was pretty hairy on it.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, I rode the descents a bit slower, felt arm pump for the first time in years since the alps and generally scared myself silly whilst having a right laugh. I kept with a mate on the climbs too that I can’t normally touch.

So it’s got me thinking… Possibly ditch the two and get one hardtail somewhere in between….

Who’s done similar?
What did you go for?
Any regrets/happy with the decision?

When I got my Blur LTc I ended up going down to one bike as it were, didn’t rebuild the HT and loved it but it was always a compromise in the end. Build for the fun and then diet it for the more XC stuff then beef it back up.

Now have a DH bike the LTc and a 100mm 29r FS. Works much better, always happier having the right bike for the job.

A good workman never blames his tools…

Cotic Solaris. 100mm forks. No dropper. ProII/FlowEX wheelset.

I’ve gone back to hard tails a couple of times in the last few years. Sold my 5 frame and bought a Ti Holeshot. Then recently sold my ASR5C and kept the Solaris having fell in love with the big wheels.

Switched back with no regrets. It’s a different style of riding and just as fun. As you discovered yesterday. Less to consider from a maintenance perspective too. I personally think it’s good to get back to basics. It makes you consider your riding and riding choices and you realise that you can ride everything that you rode your FS on.

I’ve just had one bike for 12 months. Chromag Samurai65. Steel frame, fairly slack, 650b, 140mm fork, fairly hefty build.

No regrets, although the phase is coming to an end shortly as I could justify a full-sus bike and (in a moment of weakness) I let people tell me there were places I can’t ride a hardtail.

🙂

I technically have two at the moment as I’ve just bought a new bike and will be selling old one soon.

Had an Enduro 29er as my only bike after theft of full suss Stumpjumper and 29r Hardtail stache. It coped with everything. A bit oversized when I visited my mum on the South Downs but perfect in Lakes Wales Scotland etc.

I am hoping new Giant Reign will do the same

Giant Trance – 150mm FS. Love it. It’s even pulled me back from the backside somewhat and got me into MTB more than road!

KingofBiscuits – Member
Cotic Solaris. 100mm forks. No dropper

Same here. Mine is 1×10 and with Hope wheels. Great bike. No regrets.

Only ever had one.
Yeti 575.
Modern day Swiss Army Knife.

Cove G-Spot. 160mm frame, 170mm forks 1×10 big tyres (well big normal tyres not plus tyres) and a dropper.

It can do everything, but it’s a compromise, it’s a laugh around the trail centres, but I need to be flat-out to make it work or it drags a bit, it’s brilliant at my local trails, there’s some crazy DH trails up there that it’s fine on, but I sometimes envy the guys on full-on DH bikes, but not when we’re getting there or back. BPW it’s most at home, it’s very good in the Alps, I used to have a Shocker which was a bit more forgiving on long days, but the getting from Morzine to Les Gets, or Avoriaz, Chatel etc was a nightmare.

I’d like a lighter HT and a DH bike too, but I just don’t have the money or space for them.

edenvalleyboy – Member
A good workman never blames his tools…

Absolutely, but having trashed 150mm frames doing DH on them and slogging round 50km race stages on 15kg bouncy bikes I know that I prefer to do XC on the XC bike and DH on the DH bike. The blur takes the middle ground, can do both but I pull out the better for the job bike at the ends of the scale

I to have only ever had one at a time. Most have been HT, but also an Orange sub 5 and Orange st4. Currently steel HT.

A super lightweight XC race hardtail (Trek Superfly). It’s not ideal in all situations, but it’s still more capable than me!

Hey Mikewsmith – I wanted to put a smiley face on mine but don’t know how. I was also going to bracket it with (unless you have a specific job to do) – because you’re right – be foolish to enter a downhill race on a fixed wheel singlespeed!

100mm travel carbon xc 29er HT, does everything I’m capable of

A rigid singlespeed. Does everything I need to do in the terrain I ride in with very little fuss.

I’ve only owned one mountain bike in the last three years, a 120mm travel full sus (Specialized Camber) in retro 26″ variety.

I’ve never felt that I needed any more. It only starts to feel out of its depth on rocky, bouldery trails which is more to do with the fork and wheelset than the bike itself.

I don’t do uplift days and I’m not hitting massive features, jumps or drops on a regular basis so I don’t really feel the need for more travel.

Just a singular gryphon for me. Perfect for the Sherwood/dalby stuff I intend riding in the near future. Couple of years off the bike so getting back into slowly. If I work my fitness up to Peaks standard I’d definitely want front suspension and gears.

100mm 26″ hardtail. Only bike I’ve owned, only bike I need. I regularly ride things common sense says you need a bouncy trail bike for, humbling my skill and showing how much you can do with how ‘little’ bike. It’s great fun.

I’ve owned just one MTB since about 2008 when a got shot of the 3 I had, have gone from a 140mm Chameleon, to a 160mm PP Shan, and now for the first time in a long time a FS, a Yeti ASRc5.

All have been fun in their own way, Chameleon was genuine do it all bike, the Shan was like a monster truck, and the Yeti, like the Chameleon, a proper “Swiss army knife” as chopper said…

Cuts down on maintenance, and it’s a damned sight cheaper

Cuts down on maintenance

Yep. And all the maintenance you actually do is being done on the bike you’re going to ride next. Which is great.

🙂

Cotic Solaris with 120mm forks, like @asdfhjkl says, it’s surprising what you can ride. I’m sure I’d be more comfortable on a FS but I doubt that I’d be faster.

Only ever had one bike. Changed a few times but one out, one in is the rule.
Here’s the current machine. Don’t think it will be going anywhere anytime soon as it’s brilliant.

I recently consolidated my bikes and purchased a Stanton Switchback. it is more than capable enough for my riding and continues to put a massive grin on my face every ride.

Steel, 100mm hardtail, 26 inch wheels.
All I’ve ever owned, had about half a dozen now.

Have considered going full suss, but I reckon it’s just a passing fad.
😛

First reply is from someone with 3 bikes. Go STW!

I would never want my only mtb to be a hardtail, stuff that! My only mtb is a Rallon, pedals great, 31lbs. Depends on your riding

I went through a long period (6 years) of only having one bike, a 456Ti running 140mm forks – then I moved.

I now live in the Scottish Borders and while I still ride the 456Ti I bought a carbon 140mm FS also. I also starting riding with a different group who ride far more extreme stuff than I use to, at greater speeds and the HT was not only beating me up but destroying components at a great rate.

The FS is built up stronger, for example, Flow EX’s as opposed to Crest’s and a Pike rather than a Rev.

I’ve also entered Enduro’s whereas previously it was XC/Marathon events.

650b Giant Trance with the carbon frame and 150 Pikes running 1X11. It’s the best MTB I’ve owned and is my only MTB at the moment. I regularly go to Swinley and the Alps ( two extremes, I know ) and it’s fine for both. I love it and saved a chunk of money as I built it up myself.

Owning stuff is such a drag…just the one mtb for me, a 2007 Stumpjumper full suss.

Just the one MTB for me, an orbea rallon. Works fine for all my offroad riding needs, wouldnt want anything ‘smaller’ and wouldnt want anything ‘bigger’.

It is possible a bit overkill for just riding round the park with my son, but I’m not going to buy a specific bike just for that.

Cannondale Trigger 1. Does everything I need.
So why I’m planning on two more bikes this month I don’t really know…

I had three bikes, then went down to one, as it was the only one that ever got used. And it got used all the time. Still does.

So the only difference it made was that I didn’t get that nagging feeling that I had two bikes that never got used, gathering dust in the shed. And I no longer had the constant ‘well bike X needs a new … insert title of expensive multiple parts that need either replacing or servicing here’

My do it all bike….

Pinnacle Iroko 2, 120mm hardtail. I ride infrequently and (increasingly) lamely, so anything more than that would be a waste of money/weight for me.

Kona Hei Hei frame, bought new in’98 but it’s now starting to show its age when it comes to replacing parts in a world of rapidly changing standards. I just don’t know what to replace it with so will asking for assistance on here shortly.

can’t afford more than one bike – mine is a do it all. I don’t do XC shite so my 150/140 travel bike does everything. I don’t race DH but its been down fort bill DH course and I’m the limiting factor 😀 Could do with having a slacker head angle but other than that its pretty good and most things. I’m currently faster than my 10 year old boy so all is good ah ah a ha ha

I tried having more than one mtb but found that one sat in the garage the whole time. If I did something other than ride round the Peak I might need another bike but a 140mm FS does everything I want. I do have two road bikes and then the frankenbike for nipping to the shops…

I’ve only got one mtb. A Kili Flyer 120mm full sus, after around 8 years on a Santa Cruz Chameleon.

Have a cx and a hybrid as well tho.

Orange clockwork 29er 2015. Hated by well, haters..Just about to put the rigid forks back on for the winter.

100mm, 1×11, 29er w/o dropper here. Easy to maintain, quick up and more than quick enough down

Santa Cruz TallBoy carbon. Perfect bike for my riding, XC and XCM, everything from short rides to the Manx100.