Forum menu
@stanley - how are you getting on with the Raw? My Bro (Roadie really) fancied one to go with his Bokeh. It looks like a fast, well sorted "adventure bike" which I think would suit him. He's not into doing much techy stuff.
I love hardtails, especially my Moxie:
Although a big slack (quite heavy) 160mm singlespeed hardtail makes no logical sense, I don't think I've ever enjoyed another bike so much and so consistently, whatever I do with it (apart from road miles, it's rubbish on tarmac!) If I was badass enough to ride it all the time then I would. As it is my Levo gets used for the daily commute, gnarlier away trips and lapping steep stuff - but I ride the Moxie as much as possible!
@stanley - how are you getting on with the Raw? My Bro (Roadie really) fancied one to go with his Bokeh. It looks like a fast, well sorted "adventure bike" which I think would suit him. He's not into doing much techy stuff.
I love it! I've used it for loaded bike packing adventures and unloaded for xc jaunts over the last 2 or 3 years. Often get positive comments when I'm out on it... Always nice! Great company to deal with too 👍
I love hardtails, especially my Moxie:
Although a big slack (quite heavy) 160mm singlespeed hardtail makes no logical sense, I don't think I've ever enjoyed another bike so much and so consistently, whatever I do with it (apart from road miles, it's rubbish on tarmac!) If I was badass enough to ride it all the time then I would. As it is my Levo gets used for the daily commute, gnarlier away trips and lapping steep stuff - but I ride the Moxie as much as possible!
Love the colour
Post-plummet winching. This taken after I headed back for a bike swap after snapping the Dekerf. The Philcentric EBB I had on the Dekerf has been since been swapped over in place of the tensioner.
When I bought this, I thought I was hardtail4life corelord, but a couple of years later, I realised I was mid-forties and asked myself exactly how much longer I should build my skills on a HT before enjoying the pleasures of a FS.
I've had a Norco Optic as well for 4 years. The Signal pushed the confidence and boundaries a ton from my old 26er Prince Albert (as well as having decent steep tech on my doorstep), and the Optic has done the same again.
On a good day on the HT, you remember what know you can ride well on a FS, it's just a matter of riding well enough that you don't need the safety margin*
*terms and conditions apply
Think I may have already asked this in the last hardtail appreciation thread we had here, but I've forgotten now so any thoughts/experience on mullet hardtails? I really like how my full 29er rolls over those momentum-sapping kind of bumps that used to annoy me on a 26", but having really short legs I can get the dreaded "arse buzz" on steeper trails. Quite like the idea of mulleting something like a Banshee Enigma, or that new BFe with the double decker dropouts, just don't really want to lose too much of that "momentum" I feel on full 29.
I've mulleted my Pace RC529 , I prefer the slacker head/seat tube angle and haven't noticed any particular downsides, I have fitted some slightly shorter (170) cranks to makeup for the slight drop in BB height.
I'd go mullet ion the Signal if the chainstay yoke allowed it.
I'd go mullet ion the Signal if the chainstay yoke allowed it.
“Love the colour”
Thanks! It’s not permanent though - after 3.5 years hanging vertically in my garage with its semi-transparent roof it’s turning into a pink fade, lightest on the front of the head tube! Hard to see in that recent photo so maybe it’s not as severe as I thought…
Regarding mulleting, I’ve not tried it on my hardtail but it’s been fantastic on my Levo. Andrew Major on meat engines has written a fair bit about it - I think he noticed it wasn’t so good on his bigger forked (170mm) hardtail but worked really well on his rigid bikes. But he’s in Vancouver so the trails are steep. My gut feeling is that it’ll be less good on flatter rooty trails and general XC but better for pumpy jumpy trails.
any thoughts/experience on mullet hardtails?
No experience. I've toyed with the idea of mulleting my FS bike (Bird Aeris AM), as I do sometimes experience some slightly unnerving bum-buzz. But, had assumed that on a HT, the rear wheel is a fixed distance from (behind) the saddle so wonder if it's as much an issue? TBH, I've not done the same steepness of stuff on a HT as I do on the FS, so probably need to try it.
I've a pink SS Moxie also (I might have mentioned it / posted some pics up here over the past couple of weeks), and it's ability to carve turns is way better than anything I've ridden before, so from that POV, don't feel I need to mullet the Moxie. But will review once I've had it on some steeper stuff.
Hardtails are ace, love my Ragley Bigwig. It always takes afew rides to reacquaint myself after riding the FS most of the year. It's not as fast on the descents but feels it and that's what matters, can be hard on the knees though.
Anyone fancy a hard tail meet up at the Golfie over the holidays?
Anyone fancy a hard tail meet up at the Golfie over the holidays?
I would absolutely love to. Sadly, I’m a 9 hour drive away.
Anyone fancy a hard tail meet up at the Golfie over the holidays?
I'd be up for this after the new year, also a long drive for me from South Wales but I've been wanting to go to Scotland for a good while.
Brilliant idea though, I've seen plenty of "ebike only" rides but didn't think to set up a "hardtail only" one. 🤣
Anyone fancy a hard tail meet up at the Golfie over the holidays?
Sure, hoping to get a few festive spins in...
I've had loads of great hardtails in the past but its been a few years whilst I dabble with plastic bikes, bikes with suspension, bikes with motors. So I'm off to pick up some lovely Reynold 853 Hardtail goodness this afternoon.... You lot are a bad influence that pushed me over the hill with the decision!
Anyone fancy a hard tail meet up at the Golfie over the holidays?
I would absolutely love to. Sadly, I’m a 9 hour drive away.
6-7 hours for me otherwise I would've been up for it as well! Been years since I've done a forum ride. Maybe something around either the Peak District or something more accessible from the Midlands would be good though if anyone's around that area!
I've not owned a full suss in 15 years. Most of my local riding is woods/ singletrack that is testing enough on a hardtail. Trips are a little more challenging (Wales or places further afield) but I'd much rather the challenge of being slightly under biked than too frequently over biked. 
Tom it’s a BTR Ranger. My second one, my last was one of the reader’s rides that Hannah ran a few years back. This one is 29” wheels, with the old skool X-brace gussets. Love it. There’s a few pictures of it/build on BTRs Instagram page if you’re interested..
Also snapped up a Stif bargain to replace my 5yo Orange Crush. The Squatch is a lot of fun, but I've yet to try it on some proper climbs & descents.
Pretty much only ride my HT now here in the lakes, as my son 'inherited' my fs. Love it!
any thoughts/experience on mullet hardtails?
Mine back up ^^^ the page is a mullet. Only really did it through laziness/cheapness and a small amount of curiosity though. I had a decent 29er fork and front wheel already and didn’t fancy paying out for more new parts than I needed just to get the bike rolling.
Personally I like it, the bike rewards being a bit more aggressive and getting forwards to weight the front tyre. Obviously it does slacken the bike a bit more (how could it not?). But then the benefits seem worth it to me, the front rolls over stuff a smidge better, I can still clear a 2.6”+ rear tyre for a bit more cushioning. Climbing it’s fine and feels pretty efficient to me still (I am more of a ‘wincher’ than ‘attacker’). It’s more stable at speed than I remember my old 26er HTs ever being (never had a 27.5er before) I can chuck it about a little easier than my old 29er FS and/or my rigid 29er, it’s just a slightly different handling bike, an aggressive trail HT, the trade off for not having rear suspension is a tighter chainstay while still having a more forgiving back tyre. YMMV of course.
Love this thing. First bike I built from frame up, really quite enjoyable, suits the riding I do (XC mincing / bikepacking / mucking around in the South) a lot. This from an afternoon out on the SDW over the summer.
Steel makes so much sense for these sorts of bikes.
any thoughts/experience on mullet hardtails?
Mine back up ^^^ the page is a mullet. Only really did it through laziness/cheapness and a small amount of curiosity though. I had a decent 29er fork and front wheel already and didn’t fancy paying out for more new parts than I needed just to get the bike rolling.
Personally I like it, the bike rewards being a bit more aggressive and getting forwards to weight the front tyre. Obviously it does slacken the bike a bit more (how could it not?). But then the benefits seem worth it to me, the front rolls over stuff a smidge better, I can still clear a 2.6”+ rear tyre for a bit more cushioning. Climbing it’s fine and feels pretty efficient to me still (I am more of a ‘wincher’ than ‘attacker’). It’s more stable at speed than I remember my old 26er HTs ever being (never had a 27.5er before) I can chuck it about a little easier than my old 29er FS and/or my rigid 29er, it’s just a slightly different handling bike, an aggressive trail HT, the trade off for not having rear suspension is a tighter chainstay while still having a more forgiving back tyre. YMMV of course.
Kinda what I expected the compromises to be like then 🙂 it's quite flat and rolling where I mostly ride - Woburn, Chicksands and a couple of local bike parks with jump/flow trails. It's only when I get time to go further afield that I end up on the steeper stuff. So full 29 might be a better choice to hold the momentum. Been meaning to get a cheap 27.5 rear wheel just to try it on my bike, though without any means of compensating with the geometry I'm not sure if it'd give it a fair try! But at least could see how it rolls and get a bit of a feeling for it.
Been meaning to get a cheap 27.5 rear wheel just to try it on my bike, though without any means of compensating with the geometry I'm not sure if it'd give it a fair try! But at least could see how it rolls and get a bit of a feeling for it.
I suppose the difference here is I’ve jacked the front of a 27.5” bike up with a 29” fork/front wheel, where you’d be dropping the arse end of a 29er with a 27.5” wheel.
Mine benefits from the shorter stays (425mm)(IMO/IME), the BB went up by maybe 5mm (static). The inverse would apply to a 29er, your BB will drop a smidge, you’ll still have relatively long stays, offset somewhat by the option of a cushier rear tyre.
Anyway cheapo 27.5” rear wheel option if you fancy:
£60 from sport and leisure (for now)
I’d go have a poke about on Banana industries for a 2.6” or wider tyre.
If you don’t like it, you’ll still probably break even eBaying the wheel off next summer.
Hardtails in the wild today at GT. So good 🤓🤜
^the Switch9er looks great too! One of those frames that just looks "right" 🙂
@cookeaa I'm thinking that because my bike is fairly middle of the road and not very progressive geo-wise that I might just about get away with it, at least to try it out. 428mm, reach 66* HTA and 61.5mm BB drop (all unsagged) so it's not like it should make it -too- raked out or low. Thanks for the wheel link - looks like a good buy. Too skint before Christmas to buy now but hopefully still available after December pay day!
I was at GT today but ended up having give my Bird to a friend's kid when the spindly rear axle on his Trek snapped and I walked it back down to the bottom.
Living in the flatlands of East Anglia a geared HT is often overkill.
That said they are fun … even with XC amount of travel …
Love that green colour and the gold accents 🙂
Speaking of back to basics, and hardtails at Golfie, I just found these looking for something else on the laptop: a couple of vids from my first and (so far) only day biking that way.
This week 19 years ago, I snuck round the Traquair Red at Innerleithen before it got dark again with my then-girlfriend. It was my first holiday with my now wife, and her first proper mountainbike ride. Icy and a challenge, but I had fun because she had fun, and vice versa. She's a keeper, I thought.
She's just come back in from her Friday ladies' bike ride with a big smile. (Hardtail - Singular Swift)
Moxie MK3 and my old Yeti ArcC are my 2 MTB's. Massive weight difference between the 2 and certainly different ride characteristics, but happy with them both for my type of riding.
Only ever had hardtails in the Frutbat household. Recently built up a pair of Solari for me and Mrs Fruitbat.
