[Closed] are long travel hardtails dead ?

Long travel hardtails are ace. Fact.

Not in the peaks they aren't.

ace

I hope not.

Well, [i]literally[/i]...
I still want one.

i'm not saying they are just wondered really ...I was in the peaks last weekend and my hardtail was fine

Not killed mine yet 😈

Seeing as how I've got a 140mm hardtail 29er...I hope not.

What do you mean fine?
any bike is fine, you can ride any bike in the peaks and it will be fine, however if you want to go down the hills a lot faster then you need a bike that can handle the speed. And a long travel hardtail will allow you to ride faster and more aggressively than a 29r.
Id Rather have a long travel hardtail and hit the descents faster, with more confidence. IMO.

ace
No they're not

Oh yes they are

You're probably not hitting the descents all that fast anyway TBF.
What rear rim/tyre (and pressure) are you using to ward off all the hits your huge forks sort out for you?

Mines still alive 🙂

Rorschach, what have you got? I thought 29er's were all short travel forks. I'd may be interested in something like that.

Mine was alive all morning, It had a couple of 29ers for lunch and now it is resting!! 😉

I recall an article in Dirt a few years ago about aggressive hard tails. They had a On One 456 with a 29 / 26, 100mm fork. Seem to recall they loved it.

* How is a 29 / 26 abbreviated? 96er?? 69er?? (Oh err Missus)

With reasonably wide rims, reasonably big tyres and tubelessness, long-fork hardtails are awesome if you like to ride downhill but aren't really fast. I see Jinya Nishiwaki, the Chromag riding being quick and stylish on those videos of Whistler's DH runs, uses DH wheels and 2.5 Minions, dual-ply on the back, and still gets punctures and flat-spots when he's sending it large.

We're british, therefore long travel 26ers will always be seen roaming the hills, even when the rest of the world are on 29er/650b/whatever-the-current-trend-is

We're british, therefore long travel 26ers will always be seen roaming the hills, even when the rest of the world are on 29er/650b/whatever-the-current-trend-is

Well said that man, LTHT perfect for the uk, some big tyres and away we go..

I just built up a BFe with 150mm forks, didn't give a 29er a thought. Wanted a bike where I could potentially swap components onto other bikes.

LTHT seems to be a British thing. Perhaps it's the combination of not needing FS for most UK trails and the soggy conditions that destroys FS pivots etc. I've got a HT 29er now as I got feed up with creaking FS bikes.

Hope not, my Soul was on form today.
Bike industry only survives through constant innovation. A quality bike lasts years so there's no need to replace it. A company grows by selling more bikes (need expansion of the sport but MTB only really appeals to a niche); or by selling more stuff to existing customers. Hence 29ers, and loads of us owning several bikes where actually one would do.
26ers haven't suddenly become unfit for purpose just because someone's discovered that 29ers can be quite good for the right rider in the right terrain. Just means we have more choice of what to ride and bike companies shareholders get richer!

My ti456 is now redundant consequent to my new Helius AC 29er...

Dunno whether to split or just get rid or keep for real foul weather abuse.......?

spent the last 6 yrs riding 29ers
3 on one's
2 haro mary's
1 chumba hx2
2 karate monkey's
2 singular swift's
1 redline mono
2 gary fisher (super cal and paragon)
1 ventana el capitan (the best)

now riding a 456 with 160mm forks, all budget built.

one thing i have learnt on my journey......what you ride mean ZILCH, if you can ride means EVERYTHING.... 8)

Wise words Tony

I went in my LBS this weekend and it was all 29ers ...I was told that 26er will be phased out in time , I would buy a 29er but the conversion is too expensive at the moment ! mind you they would say that to get me to buy another bike ! the cheapest way I can see is an on one frame and fork !!!

sounds like a sucker shop that is believing the industry hype more than what the customers are asking for.
we have only sold a couple of 29ers ever and people just arent asking for them (In Leeds)

I hope they aren't dead - Ive just bought one!!(carbon 456 frame/Talas)

is that true Sancho , thats good to know I cant afford one its just the hype saying 26er is dead , I really get annoyed with this sport sometimes !!!

totally true, Ive got two shops in Leeds and only sold a couple of 29ers.

I dont like the hype and I dont like that fact that the trend has come from America where they dont ride trails like we do in the UK, they generally mince about on big fire roads and that is why they all want 29ers.
In yorkshire the riding is more technical woodland singletrack and a nice LTHT is perfect especially in places like Hebden, or the Dales.

29" working fabulously here in north east Scotland......

GW - what do you ride out interest? I only ask as a couple of your comments on this and other threads seem to strike a chord with what I'm after.

What a ridiculous bloody thread.
It's all bike riding why should wheel size matter?

Buy what you like and ride what you want to, I don't think 26" wheeled bikes will disappear any time soon and I don't think there's anything wrong with choosing a 29er either if it suits your needs...

07/8 Giant STP

Most long travel hardtails are cack. The head angle changes so much when going round corners that it messes up the handling.

A guy I know builds downhill hardtail frames that have a stupidly slack head angle. He is faster than most people on DH rigs. This is the exception to the rule.

What do you mean fine?
any bike is fine, you can ride any bike in the peaks and it will be fine, however if you want to go down the hills a lot faster then you need a bike that can handle the speed. And a [s]long travel hardtail[/s][b] full suspension bike[/b] will allow you to ride faster and more aggressively than a [s]29r[/s] [b]hardtail[/b].

That's better

Long travel hardtails are awesome. Fact. Any fork under 120mm travel is for ****s.

I can't tell the difference between my summer season with 100mm forks on and my old 456 with 140's

there. I've said it

You'll love it when its built Rorschach. My Yelli is running better than ever with 140mm. LTHTs forever (29ers or 26ers)

Anyone selling a nice reasonably priced LTHT frame in a size which would fit an adult? (not 29er though) thanks

Most long travel hardtails are cack. The head angle changes so much when going round corners that it messes up the handling.

A guy I know builds downhill hardtail frames that have a stupidly slack head angle. He is faster than most people on DH rigs. This is the exception to the rule.

Surely the head angle changes by the same amount per inch of travel on any HT I'm guesstimating about -0.5deg' per 1/2" of fork compression is about the norm... Obviously not the case on an FS as you tend to get both ends squatting together at a similar rate in any given corner....

but surely the key is being able to adapt to a steepening HA rather than write off all LTHTs, otherwise are you suggesting you need to go to a ~60 degree static HA to produce a sagged ~64? that would be a very specific DH HT not a general riding LT HT IMO...

Don't suppose your mate would be Paul Burford would it?
I remember him being pretty rapid and I'm sure I heard he was fabbing up a DH HT...

this is not a silly thread you need to be riding the right kit to do the job ..and of cause look the part lol

coarse ^

Most long travel hardtails are cack. The head angle changes so much when going round corners that it messes up the handling.

Don't suppose your mate would be Paul Burford would it?
I remember him being pretty rapid and I'm sure I heard he was fabbing up a DH HT..

Yeah it's burf. He is pretty handy on a bike.

I don't like long travel hardtails, due to the bigger changes in geometry as the fork compresses. A bike with 5 inches of fork travel will have less of a change in geometry and and not have the wallowy feeling you get with long travel hardtails.

I had my talas 36's on my hardtail about a month ago as my revs had blown a seal. At full travel the bars were at the right height, but the bike handled terribly. Drop the travel to 130mm and instantly the handling improved. I put up with the low bars.

It is personal choice at the end of the day, but I think they handle like 3 legged donkeys.