My collection is almost complete, with 2no ebikes, Ti FS, winter HT, gravel bike, pub bike.
I fancy a bling 'Sunday best' HT (not that it won't get used properly) - leaning towards Ti to keep the weight down and the bling up, but would consider the right steel HT
Erring towards the aggro side of things - would a mile muncher fill agap? I don't do big miles in the saddle, so probably not for me
Radical Chilli Dog currently tops the list. Could also go Stanton Switch9er Ti, as I have the FS - but they haven't released the Gen V yet
On the steel front - the Pace 629 looks nice. Is a BFe special enough??
What would you get - albeit I'm expecting more suggestions on the downcountry side of things one here? Cost not so much of an issue, but won't be going ridiculous
These are nice - as are the guys behind them.
https://www.pedalsbikecare.co.uk/pages/pedals-downshift-titanium-hardtail
@benji - you should get one in for a review.
These are nice - as are the guys behind them.
That does look pretty nice - I'm not a fan of curved seatstays though. That said, as far as curved seatstays go, they don't look too bad
Design your own, get Waltly or Titan to build it and get exactly what you think you want?
I'm with you on the Radical. I was tempted by the steel version before deciding to go electric.
Singular Spitfire in ti (if aggro enough) or Fairlight Hoolt in steel.
@oldfart has a lovely Curtis.
Singular spitfire is a great shout, go custom geo if you want. Gussets available, I'm sure. Fancy finishes available. The olive drab fade on the demo bike is understated and beautiful.
Or Sonder Signal Ti, which frees up a slice of budget for blingier bits. I've got one, ridden big chunky tech and medium jump lines. It's been Singlespeed for a bit, and since I've put new Barzos on it, it's flying!
I'd avoid Stanton personally. Had a crap experience with one of his Ti frames. A rolling "6 weeks" ETA, for 11 months. Frame arrived with an ovalised head tube (1.2mm longer than it was wide) sent it back, he claimed it was fine, he tried putting a headset in and it went in fine. Frame back or refund? Got the frame back and there was still tape a few mm from the top of the headtube, so unsure whether a headset got tried or not. Rather crap from start to finish.
But of a crap time for him as well, by all accounts, but still, I wasn't impressed with the comms or the service or the attitude.
Bling Ti you say?
These guys are about as bling as I've seen in a long time - and they do custom frames too if you have the money...
https://www.jlaverack.co.uk/contour-range/
Bespoked is at the end of April in that London. Should be some inspiration there.
Failing that, Dawley or a BTR.
You have plenty of competent bikes, go ridiculous. A Stooge with more frame tubes than it needs and some silly handlebars. Maybe wait for a 32” version though.
Bespoked is at the end of April in that London. Should be some inspiration there.
Or do that, have a day out and see what takes your fancy.
I have a Laverack road bike - not sure how their MTB would ride for what you want, but they could make it as wallet emptyingly bling as you like!
Could also go Stanton Switch9er Ti, as I have the FS
I opened this thread totally expecting that would be a candidate.
You seem down with Dan's vibes - I personally wouldn't touch Stanton with a ten foot barge pole, and that's coming from someone who owns one of their bikes and loves it (bought a loooooong time ago). Terrible customer service, horrible ethics, attracts total nobbers, etc etc
Based on no knowledge other than that acquired by looking at my phone you should buy a Pipedream
This is based on this review
https://bikepacking.com/gear/2024-bikepacking-gear-of-the-year/
The Moxie is steel so you’ll need a Siruis
https://bikepacking.com/bikes/pipedream-sirius-s5-review/
I've got a large unbuilt Curtis XC9 with matching fork I'm thinking of selling as moving into London and it's unlikely to be ever ridden 🙁
Just a word of caution to the OP if you go the Curtis route make sure you follow the seatpost regreasing advice every 6 months.
I've got a Unused, current gen, last year paint, Large, Cotic BFe up for sale if you are near North Yorkshire?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/157652991189
The previous generation BFe Max I had was the best hardtail I've owned, and I've owned more than a few. Wish I'd not sold it TBH but had no time/space to ride it. I've no experience of anything fancier or more bespoke though to compare.
Love my Mason Raw. Steel, built and painted in Scotland. Fairly rare. Maximum fork is probably 130mm but I find mine plenty capable with a 120mm fork... although I think I'm going to try it with a more "rowdy" 130mm in there. Always fiddling with these things!
https://masoncycles.cc/shop/categories/raw-bikes
Not rowdy but I have a Turner Nitrous frame to be built up, which should scratch two itches - a Ti HT and a Turner. Need to spec accompanying bling bits for it but I am so far off the tech radar I don’t know where to start -for example, LBS says SRAM but I have always had Shimano but can’t find much on their wireless shifting stuff, what light wheels, and I have never had a dropper seat post, where to start?
Bird forge looks like it would fit the aggro remit
https://www.bird.bike/product/forge-stainless-frameset/#configuration
Design your own, get Waltly or Titan to build it and get exactly what you think you want?
This 👆
@ivandobski has some lovely examples from them.
I’ve got a sonder signal ti. A bike I always thought just looked right from the first time I saw it. It’s sold as aggressive ti, but the geometry hasn’t been updated for sometime. May sound odd, but I don’t think of it as bling, but I do love it. More at the trail/xc/bikepacking end of things for me
For my riding, a bling ti would probably be a Moots Womble
This is one of the nicest hardtails I've seen on here...
https://singletrackworld.com/2022/05/readers-rides-toms-ra-410/
On the steel front - the Pace 629 looks nice. Is a BFe special enough??
'Special enough' for what i guess is the question? I'd have a BeFe - or perhaps a Solaris - in a heartbeat, Cotic are great to deal with and their bikes ride really well. As a bike to ride I figure it would be spot on. Maybe not the rarest or most coveted or most niche and not made of titanium, but isn't it all about the riding? Spend the cash you save from not buying ti on some really nice components and just go ride. That would be my take anyway and it's what I'll probably buy to replace my beaten up Transmitter. Then again I'm not particularly fussed about 'bling'.
Personally I've been eyeing up the latest Solaris, it's slightly less aggro in terms of fork travel and angles than some but still decently slack and plenty of tyre clearance so you at least have the option to run it as fast or feisty as you want within reason. The gloss limestone looks lovely or you can go as blingy as you like with the custom paint. Being a Cotic hardtail it'll be absolutely ace to ride as well, so less of a gamble than some.
Mason Raw and Fairlight Holt look just as special, but I think more at the XC/Bikepacking end of things for what it sounds like you want?
This is one of the nicest hardtails I've seen on here...
https://singletrackworld.com/2022/05/readers-rides-toms-ra-410/
😊 naaaww.
You’d have to get in touch with Rå, but I’m not sure he’s making them any more
I'd want an awesome colour, the right geometry, and tubes that have the right balance of stiffness and flexibility. If you're curious about hardtails the Hardtail Party youtube has loads of great reviews where he digs into the feel of them, and also bikepacking.com have done loads of super-detailed reviews of everything from rigid gravel bikes to big forked hardtails.
I'd probably buy a BFe if I was getting a new frame now - although I'd rather have a brighter colour.
Then again I'm not particularly fussed about 'bling'.
Well yeah when I say 'bling' I just mean something a bit special say compared to my Ragley. It's not going to be dripping in Chris King
If we're following the established internet tradition, I have a Pipedream Moxie and a Stanton Sedona, so I guess that's what I recommend 🙂 Actually, I think they're both fantastic frames for the niches they fill and compliment each other perfectly.
Outside of what I have, Cotic always seem to do a great job, although they tend to have pretty long ETT measurements for relative size, which is something I struggle with. I also always fancied a Dawley Eponym and I see he's about to relaunch that model as a mass produced item.
chiefgrooveguru's recommendation of Hardtail Party is a fair shout too. He hasn't done some more recent frames due to health issues and I always felt you needed to bear in mind he was testing mostly in rocky Sedona (not UK slop) and is very short (I'm not), but Steve is the uber hardtail nerd and from the bikes I've experienced, I mostly agree with his reviews. His design on the Sedona really delivers on his promises too.
although they tend to have pretty long ETT measurements for relative size
ETT is pretty meaningless these days. Check out reach, stack, angles... then test ride.
It's not going to be dripping in Chris King.
Treat yourself. Get the headset. No regrets here.
I’d look at Sour bikes too. I forget all the weird names, but they all look great and they do a lot of similar but slightly different hardtails - so you should be able to find one that suits your geometry preferences.
Think it’s munrobiker who has one and that’s my favourite hardtail on here. Just looks right.
In the finest tradition of STW, I've a Yeti ARC. It's not steel or Ti, but it is perhaps the most versatile and comfy HT I've ever owned. It'll genuinely do everything from mile munching, I used mine to do a 3 day tour of Calder Valley last year, and at the same time, it's capable enough to send it down some pretty rowdy trails. And honestly they look pretty sweet built up
I know carbon hasn't the cache it used to have (if it ever had it in the first place) but I can't see getting rid of mine any time soon. It needs a slack-R headset to er...slacken the head angle a bit, two that I know off (mine and @Chipps) have both been trouble free.
BTR Ranger. Fantastic bike.
I guess the question I’d be asking is what is this bike for? What’s it going to do better than other bikes you own?
A dedicated winter hardtail for me would have a shorter fork (maybe rigid), maybe narrower rims, sticky knobbly tyres, front mudguard (and maybe rear), maybe singlespeed, as compliant a steel frame as possible, and with the geometry it would depend on location but low BB for easier two wheel drifts, long enough chainstays to balance those drifts, maybe not quite so slack.
A summer hardtail seems more confusing - is it going to be a light fast almost XC thing for sunny miles or twisty singletrack, is it going to be big slack enduro-bike-chaser for shredding the gnar on steep fast rocky trails, or it going to be a play bike for doing a bit of everything with flow and style and jumps? Very different geometry, wheels, tyres, forks, frame stiffness and weight (and material) between those - and could be geared or singlespeed.
Bling is nice but if it doesn’t ride better than your other bikes you’ll never use it.
Mattrockwell what's the Sedona like? Not many reviews out at all? on paper it sounds like a great idea and I do have a lot of time for the hardtailparty guy.
Moots Womble. Thread Ended.
I have a custom Marino frame, it's not fancy by any means but I love it because it's unique as I chose all the geometry/spec/colour etc and build kit. Being able to choose your own geometry means there's no compromise. I chose numbers I thought would work based on limited experience but I ended up with a bike that rides incredibly well (64° HTA, 77°STA, 140mm travel 29er).
You seem to be able to pick up a Forbidden Heathen frameset in the UK for around the £2500 mark (anything over £500 is bling in my book). I'd imagine that this is a bit more burly and the Spitfire.
I was looking for a hardtail to give me a more modern geometry and sizing to replace a ~2015 Orange.
i was tempted to build a steel HT with similar parts to my Atherton. Then I saw a Whyte Sekta in red in large at Leisure Lakes and got that. About 1/3 to 1/2 of what I thought I’d spend and it is AOK. Long. Low. Slack. Modest travel on its Psylo OEM fork and modest Shimano components but it has worked fine in the Peak over the last couple of weeks and isn’t a worry when locked up in the city for a short while.
I'd be looking at custom, personally. Having seen a few Aeight bikes in the flesh, I'm considering having a ss frame made, once I've got the cash.
“Then I saw a Whyte Sekta in red in large at Leisure Lakes and got that.”
The geometry on that is bang on - super close to the geometry on my Moxie which rides better than any other hardtail I’ve encountered. Bargain!
@kelvin You're preaching to the choir - I don't just look at ETT stats and I appreciate all geo figures matter and still a bike can feel quite different once you swing a leg over it. Saying that, I think you can get some ball park info from raw data... for instance, my Moxie feels like it was made for me and claims 510mm reach, 77.5 degree seat angle and a 650mm ETT, whereas the Cotic BFE in my size claims 494mm reach, 73.2 degree seat angle and a 697mm ETT. Generally, the frames I've owned or tried I like best claim something around 650mm. But regardless of figures, my body shape doesn't really like being stretched out when I'm seated.
is it going to be big slack enduro-bike-chaser for shredding the gnar on steep fast rocky trails,
That's generally my philosophy, with an added dose of trail schlepping.
I have a Kingdom Vendetta, but they don't get made anymore.
If it broke tomorrow, I'd go out and buy a Chilli dog straight away.
@WildHunter2009 I rate the Sedona very highly indeed! I should've done a NBD by now, but I've had various teething issues with the build (mostly) unrelated to the frame.
TBH it does deliver on exactly what Steve claimed it would. Feeling light and playful, living up to his make easy trails feel fun idea. Loosely speaking, the front triangle is a Sherpa tube set with a high stack, but with a Switch9er rear end. The result is the most compliant hardtail I've ever owned, but with a short/tight rear end that feels sprightly when you sprint on it. I'm not the greatest at manuals, wheelies or bunny hops, but they're so much easier on the Sedona - the front wheel lifts SO easily and the rear will eagerly follow with just a minimal forward weight shift.
Mine's running fast rolling XC tyres, because I think they accentuate it's inherent strengths and I've ended up with the suggested 50mm stem and 120mm travel fork after trying a slightly shorter stem and forks at 130mm - a bit more weight over the front wheel balances out the short chainstays, improving cornering. Same for the fractionally lower BB height with the shorter forks I think.
It does everything from woodland laps, XC rides to gravel bike type rides and feels great everywhere. I've set it up for how I use it (and do have a Moxie too) but it would only take a change of tyres to make it way more capable on rougher and faster terrain. Actually, a Sedona with two sets of wheels/tyres is probably all the hardtail you need.
Negative points: The daft dropper routing is a faff, it made me very mad briefly as I don't need those few extra mm it affords and it's a bit of a process. But it was done within an hour, never to be touched again. Also, the dropper cable running through the down tube goes through a hole too small to add that cable silencer foam tube, so does occasionally rattle a bit.
Most annoying to me though is the bottom bracket has no drain hole (maybe no Stantons do?), so after just two wet muddy rides, one wash and a fortnight sitting unused, my new bottom bracket locked up and once freed, felt like a pepper grinder. When I took out the BB to replace it, enough water to fully submerge it poured out onto the floor! Water, both rain and hosepipe, had entered through the dropper cable hole and had no way out. I've now carefully added a DIY drain hole, plus the dropper cable port has a bit of silicon tubing in it and I've had no problems since.
^^^ I was all set to buy one of the Sedona launch frames in the nice sandy colour and then watched the video on Hardtail Party where even he admitted it was a faffy idea. It's a small thing really as you say, you should only ever need to do it once, but it was enough for me to go and find a second hand SolarisMAX instead (and also I'm impatient).