I have been riding full sus pretty much exclusively for the last 10 years, except for the odd blast on my old bum in the air hard tail which is of late 90’s vintage. I have enough spare parts to build up a hard tail and fancy a bit of change / spare bike but I have no idea what to look at. It will be used pretty much exclusively in the dark peak (I live in the HV) and will pretty much be a second bike (I like my full sus) so something I could pick up cheaper or second hand would be good.

Only requirements are 120-130 forks and qr drops outs. What should I look at.

Thanks in advance

Fireline Evo 29 Or 456 Evo ?

and needs to be 26″

A Soul..

A soul would be great, but is there such a thing as a cheap soul?

I sold my Soul..
Look for a second hand one, the old classic ones are perfect with 120 forks and come up now and then,

456 then surely

Prince Albert I have and recommend as always…

In STW tradition, I’l recommend the bike I’ve got. Chumba HX1, cheap brand new, it really is a good ride.

853 Prince Albert is still half price – 250. Got to be worth a go.

I know you said 26”…
..BUT, just have a look at the Kona Explosif 650b..

I love my Soul but an 853 Prince Albert is a great deal at that price!

Depends on slackness required I suppose.

Dialed PA 70º
Soul 70º
456 EVO 66º

All +/- with different forks.

I love my c456 having been a susser fanboi for 10 years or more.

How about my small mk1 BFe?
With or without post and clamp.
150/190 posted

Sorry to hijack your post

If you want cheap, the Handjob was once held in very high regard. The Soul has somewhat stomped on its limelight.
I think, the Soul has been unofficially voted, number one “forum sheep” steel HT frame. Soon to be no.2 due to the marketing ploy of the 29er 😀

I think, to be honest, any modern steel frame, will be a joy to ride compared to alloy/Ti or carbon.

But every man should have had a Handjob

All rolling eyes appreciated 🙂

Can’t wait for my 650b Soul

Blender? NS? Stanton?

Charge duster steel frame, I am selling mine, recommended for 100mm fork but work great at 120/130mm. 18″ btw

Souls sound great and I’d love one but I love my “Lynskey” 456ti too much to risk selling it to try a soul.

So, I say a Lynskey version 456ti, they do come up now and then.

In the meantime get a 456 summer season, mine made me ride like a hooligan and it was ace.

Oh, BTW,

I have enough spare parts to build up a hard tail and fancy a bit of change / spare bike

Exactly the position I found myself in a few years back which lead to my “parts bin bike” Inbred that turned into a 456 summer season and then a 456ti. Be careful, your full sus may end up being your “spare bike” very soon.

In the meantime get a 456 summer season, mine made me ride like a hooligan and it was ace.

I generally ride like a hooligan, but the 456SS is indeed ace. You might hear stories about harsh rear end this, and dead feeling that. Ignore anyone who thinks like this – there is something very wrong with them. In the head and also the body (i don’t think they have knee joints for a start).

I like my sanderson breath, frame was £90 2nd hand, works nice with a 120 fork imo

White 19 or a 905 if you can get one,I’ve got a 2008 905 with 130mm Revs and it’s ace.

yet another “what hardtail?” thread and as usual the same answers com ing up 😆

456ss for me, well thats what i bought when i was in the same position 😉

yet another “what hardtail?” thread and as usual the same answers com ing up

To be fair there is a limited number of bikes and manufacturers out there 🙂 Outside of that you start getting quite niche/specialist/expensive.

Probably worth thinking about what’s important. Compatibility with parts you have, especially seat tube size and fork steerer and length, bottom bracket and cranks too. Good at going down or up? Are you bothered about weight? What tyres do you want to run as clearance might be an issue? Are aesthetics important? Do you like fast and responsive or something a bit more compliant? Start putting together a list and you’ll probably find it’s a pretty short one.

I hated the 456SS. I just found that it wasn’t as fun as the blender on the downs/woods/messing about and couldn’t climb as well as the duster. It just felt like a bad compromise on all accounts. I could never put my finger on what it was either which annoyed me. Not for me!

(Doesn’t mean it’s not perfect for you. Just grab a test ride)

Another positive vote for a Dialled PA. I had a 520 and it was SOOOOOOOOO much fun, made me realise that its capable of everything that a full suss will do, with great aplomb!
Including 320km across France in 6 days:-)with lots of decending
Oh I said “had”. I found an original 853 🙂

Get one, you wont regret it!

Thanks all, it sounds like most things get recommended by someone so most things are worth a punt. The only reason I am limited to 26″ and 120-130mm is reuse of existing bits.

dialled have deals on till tomorrow.

If you want some proper fun and versatility can I put a vote in for a dialled bikes love/hate……

Pipedream – Scion or Sirius fit the bill nicely, just choose your flavour according to riding style…