[Closed] 'Hardcore' hardtail....advice for a purchase please....

kona five-0. it is a great bike all round! i have had one for 2 years! no changes too it. i love it.

Dialled Alpine all the way

Get one made out of steel!
Far more forgiving than any of the Aluminium "burly" hardtails. I had a Planet X Armadillo and thought it was quite good until I decided to get a PA. Now that [i]IS[/i] fun

456

Cove Stiffee ... the best!

Recommend the Stiffee again. Simply amazing!!!

ns bikes

Subzero.

Nice one here... http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/offers/

Relatively expensive, but of all the bikes I've ridden (and there have been a LOT), full suspension or hardtail, XC or DH, this is the most versatile and without doubt the most fun bike I've ever owned. I'm genuinely excited to ride it every time i go out. It's an Evil Sovereign, but the Dialled Alpine is similar (and slacker, which may well be better for you).

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for sale, by the way....... 😉

LOL @ ton - are you joking ? You're not are you ?!

rolfharris - you missed a trick there - you should have just posted the photo with the caption "can you tell what it is yet ?"... 😆

for sale, by the way....... [:wink:]

ton in 'buys new bike, sells it 5 days later' shocker 😉

I've just ordered an Alpine for the same type of riding.

Genesis Alpitude is a great bike
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ooh I like that richieboy...

*wanders off thinking about if the trance is really all the bike he will ever need*

i might keep the stiffee now.........
for the 1st time in my life i am in fashion.............. 8)

456 Summer is good with 130mm forks. Also cheap so you have no hang ups about trashing it.
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thumbie, how tall are you? Are you sure you really need an 18" subzero. I've got a 16" SZ and I'm 6'1", it is a short bike but it is ok for all but long all dayers.

The standover height on an 18" subzero is limited to say the least

What ever happened to mrnutt ? he would have been all over this thread.Maybe he got a life,unlike the rest of us.... 😉

Another Stiffee vote here.

😉

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Lovely, versatile, direct. Hardtails with long forks is the future 🙂

I do like that Alptitude, obviously not as much as my dialled alpine of course, but its very nice all the same 🙂

Stiffees are legend - the only alu HT I would recommend!

other than that cotic Soul

ns bikes surge. Absolutely mint. Cheap too.

For (very reluctant) sale:

I have recently built this (had a handfull of rides!) - frame bought of this very forum and built using parts from my Yeti. We have just had a very unexpected acceptance of an offer we made on a house so this is up for very reluctant sale, COLLECTION Only from Leeds - Full-Bike ONLY - all in Great condition and just serviced!

Spec:
Frame: Evil Soverign (Amazing Argos paint-job in B/R Green with superb Evil decals - cost prev owner £200+ for paintjob looks a peach!)
853 steel - VGC - Its a size: 'Long'
Forks: 2005 Marzocchi Drop-Off Comp (130mm travel / Air)
Headset: Cane creek TANK - (As New)
Brakes: Shimano XT 4-pot (160mm / 180mm)Disc brakes
Wheelset: HOPE Bulb Silver Hub's / Mavic XM Silver Rims / Silver spokes (Tyres : WTB)
Drive-Train: Truvative Cranks ISIS / 36T Ring / DMR Chain-guide / SHIMANO XTR R/mech / 9-speed Chain / Deore 9-speed cassette / XT cable-set / LX Shifter (although is running 1 x 9 , there is cable-stops in place for a front mech & front gears) / EASTON CULLY Flat's included
Finishing-Kit: Syncros AM Stem (60mm) / Raceface Diaboulous bars / Lock-on Grips / Control tech post / SDG Camo TI saddle / Hope QR's

£750 COLLECTED (Leeds)

What about the Orange crush? Looks similar-ish.

http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2009bikes/bike.php?model_id=89

dmr exalt. if i could find the pic of mine i`d post it - its fun and (was when i bought mine) cheap.

lets not forget the chromag samurai

what about Marin Rocky Ridge or Voodoo Bakka - funnily enough Im selling one of each...

Another vote for Cove Stiffee here. My mates prefer me to ride my full susser as I "ride like a man possessed on the Stiffee".

I do find that the Stiffee encourages you to ride fast. I always seem to be pedalling on the descents on the Stiffee rather than just using gravity. Great fun to ride and solid/stable too.

This is on my 'WHY DO I NOT HAVE ONE OF THESE???!!!!!!' list:

http://www.transitionbikes.com/TransAM.cfm

Only one bike I'd consider...

http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/reviews/pdf/WMB59_toughest_bikes_Feat_P7.pdf

This is how a proper 'Hardcore' hardtail should look:

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They are so versatile. I've put 120mm forks on mine and lighter wheels and taken it xc racing and its been pritty fast but then as abov I used it for a while as a cliff hucking freeride SS hardtail and it was brilliant at that. Put a decent build on it with 140mm forks and wide handlebars and can't go wrong. This is how it looked most of its life:

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I've just got a Marin Rocky Ridge after considering all of the ones above. It's a) amazing b) a bargain.

That transition looks spot on.

Would you have a Hardcore HT over a 140/150mm full suss, for say peaks, trail centres & pratting about on 4x and mini DH courses?

I would have thought running anything above 140mm, would be better suited for steep DH stuff. 4X etc seem to be better with shorter travel. trail centres certainly don't need owt over 140mm IMO

no hardtail [/i]needs[i] over 140mm really )

isn't 6.2lbs pretty heavy for that Transition?

what's "need" got to do with anything?

The new Sovereign should be released soon ish???? Lighter, lower and a bit more slack, although I never had any real complaints about the old one being steep??? 68 ha I think...

As far as travel goes it ends up where I left the travel adjust dial last... so anywhere between 100 - 150 mm, all good!

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all these pics of hardcaore hardtails in peoples garden, haha.

quite hard to take a photo when you are riding

i'm only jealous because i don't have a garden

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...but i do have flowers on the wall and there is every chance that the carpet has a biomass equal to it's original weight and contains it's own mini eco-system.

You think gardens are bad, my sov is getting a hamax childs seat on the back tomorrow for a ride round the woods.... how hardcore is that!

Sick. (probably down my back...)

Alpine here. Luv it. I do like Evil's though and that one for sale seems bargainous...

Aye I reckon that Evil is a dead good price...

Wow - high-fives fellow VRO user!

I am safe to out mine on my RC305 I reckon!

Summer season. It's nails when everything else pales.

high five-in you back Mr Dummy....

good, aren't they? makes a big difference on long climbs, esp with adjustable fork and the saddle pumped up.

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where did you get yours BD? didn't think they were imported to the UK....

Thanks everyone for the replies & advice - very much appreciated.

Some lovely looking bikes too 😉

AndyPaice - I'm 6ft so I appreciate your comments on Sub Zero sizing.
steve_b77 -

Would you have a Hardcore HT over a 140/150mm full suss, for say peaks, trail centres & pratting about on 4x and mini DH courses?

Will keep looking, although not much longer.......

AndyPaice - I'm 6ft so I appreciate your comments on Sub Zero sizing.
steve_b77

The one I posted a photo of is a mates bike and it's currently for sale. Drop me an email to a_paiceAThotmailDOTcom if you want some details.

My contributions 😛 I've had a few 😉
1st one; Cove Stiffee, it's an amazing bike, if you're looking for fun don't think - buy, costs a mint but you reap the rewards. Got nicked from Sheffs in October though (sheds tear). The most fun HT DH you can ever have.

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Secondly (Stiffee Replacement after major pimpage ;)) Well it's a bargain bike, cost me £800 new (orange crush). It was fun with the 140mm, well not so much fun, but it rode a lot faster for an all day bike, as opposed to a Hardcore Hardtail, it was ok, but lost the all day characteristic after I shoved the 160mm forks on and wasn't much fun. Put the parts on a Reign X frame and it's a beaut!

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Thirdly... It's just been finished today so jury's still out(older pic a week ago), but a Dialled PA, it seems a nice frame, not very flicky or anything unlike my Reign, but it jumps ok and goes down alright (had a few runs on it so far), I think it'd be far better with pikes perhaps, but I guess from my comments if you want a hardcore hardtail, go for the stiffee with pikes, or I had a friend with lyrik/chameleon set up and that was an equally fun play bike and a little less harsh, again possibly could lean towards all day as opposed to thrash bike 🙂
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Don't know if my ramblings help but that's 3 reviews in 1 😉
Long live the hardtail!!!! (got a trailstar too but that's not in an off road outfit at the moment).
If you want any ideas for sizing I'm 6ft and had a 15.5" stiffee, 15" Crush, 17" PA, 16" Reign X. I like the bike smaller and more manoeuvrable.

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ti456 is my hardcore choice - the hummer can't cut more than 125mm ime.

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My hooligan steel h/tail's got 160mm Nixons on the front. Works perfectly.
But then, it [i]was[/i] designed to take up to 180's...

456 summer season is proving much fun indeed here.

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It's looking good in that Rivvy shot CHL.

Are you up for the Howgills STW ride?

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SLX 2 ring crank and easton vice stem brought this bike to life, 2.5" big earl tyres are fantastic all rounders. This bike is now my first choice for trail centres. The Tora fork does an admirable job when you consider the cost but I've got a Manitou Nixon fork with a 20mm QR on another bike and am just waiting for a good excuse to stick that on the Norco.

My Cotic BFe is fun...
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Pretty decent XC bike, but good at more 'hardcore' activities too.
Rides best with 140mm forks... Anything more is a waste of time IMHO.

Whyte 19 Trail.

BRRRRAAAAAAAAP!