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I had a Sanderson Breath until quite recently (well technically I still do but it's now a commuter, replaced by a Stanton Slackline for the fun stuff). For its time it had quite a long top tube and served me well for years of riding byways/bridleways and local trail centres.
Got a Sanderson Breath and a Mk2 Cotic Soul. Prefer the Cotic
Yo Eddy - A bit of an eye opener first time I rode it as it was VERY stiff compared to everything else I'd ridden. Very jumpy and springy, beautifully built and painted. Mine had been the demo bike at Interbike in grellow and purple. Just super duper to ride round the Surrey hills in the 90's.
Not the Bontrager OR. Mine was stolen a couple years ago. Very 'old ' geometry so good for old style NORMA courses but horrble on anything technical. Engineering wise tho' a thing of wonder
Not the Klein. I had one for not long as it was so stiff it hurt to ride it, but I'm short. If you're 6 plus it might be a different story.
It will definitely be one from one of the smaller brands mmmbop, Bluepig, Shan, Oka, Trans-Am, Sirius, Alpine, Blitz etc. The HT's from the big boys back then were dated frames, just churned out in different colours each year because people kept stumping up the cash for old shite with road bike geometry!
Production Privee Oka is 27.5 and 26 inch compatible with different dropouts! There were a few others that offered something similar.
Or just get an NS Bikes Eccentric 27.5 frame and put 26 inch wheels like I did!
Another vote for the DB Prince Albert with a 130mm fuel. Just gets on with everything with no fuss.
The Evil Sovereign was as good as it ever got. It was so much fun, and so versatile. It was just joyous to ride. I regret selling mine when I was hard up a decade ago.
Raleigh Activator.
I'll get me coat...
Any 90's MTB with no suspension. You pansies. Did Snowdon on mine. Young and stupid.
Still got it but its the heavy duty commuter now.
I've got a 26" Kent Eriksen Ti hardtail for sale on eBay just now that fits the bill and takes a 140mm fork.
Built to replace my Cove Hummer but to a higher standard. Beautiful welds and craftsmanship.
Did I miss a CRC 80% off deal on rose tinted eyewear?
I would like to nominate Kona Hei Hei original Ti model loved mine until it was stolen fom my car. The Ti Bontrager mine had been in Harry Halls when the IRA bombed Manchester, mine eventually broke. The Specialized M2 team fast and confidence inspiring on descents. I loved riding alpine descents on this.
My old Spot single speed I just love mine.
Mrs Bruce Suggests her old Kona Cinder cone which she prefers to more expensive bikes.
I've got a memory of an On-one Summer season being a proper slack geometry 26er before it was really a "thing". Probably not the greatest 26er ever.
Ooh, what about the original poo brown Specialized Pitch, they were awesome.
Mk2 Trailstar
Early BFe
(but I still have a hankering for a Metalhead that I don't think will ever leave me)
Cove Stiffee for me
I think you're onto something with the c 456 as you can use any fork due the headtube can't you? Lots of the other frames won't take a tapered fork.
I have a nice 26" Pike RCT3 if anyone needs one...
I think I had every inbred but my favourite was the pale/sky blue 456.
I wish I'd owned the Evil Sovereign and if we ever manage to get a local pump track built, I'd quite like DB Holeshot 🙂
The most fun 26" hardtails I rode were either one of Mk5 Chameleon...surprising comfy despite being built of girders, Privee Shan, a Gulf coloured version, if only the HA was less comically steep, or the Cove Hummer, although mine had heroic chain suck.
won't want to ride any of them now though, my Yeti ARC is streets well, whole towns ahead of them in terms of how capable it is...
I reckon if you’re looking pure XC, the Kona Explosif (mid/late 90’s). must be up there as one of the all-time classics
I still maintain that riding the Explosif was one of the most single biggest disappointments I've ever experienced in MTB, I was so excited to ride that bike, and it was dead. I mean OK it was spring in the Chilterns and the ground was drying out still, but it was a draggy lifeless soul-sucking lump of a thing. Very confusing.
Mk2 Trailstar
Oh yeah add this to my list. Great bikes!
We still have 2 Trailstars in the garage....wife's bike and a diddy one for the 10yr old.
Capability wise, a toss up between a 456 carbon and 456 evo 2 raw frame (iirc)
The carbon has memories embedded, being very fast and planted down hill with 140mm forks, and the metal frame just rode lovely.
Best ever to me though, was a 1999 Zaskar LE in cosmic sunrise. Loved that thing and wish I'd never sold it.
Independent Fabrications Ti or Steel Deluxe were much better bikes than the Soda/Soul, but much more expensive.
The Chameleon was the bike that convinced me on hardtails, but it also broke my back. A steel deluxe was the eventual replacement.
Klein attitudes (mine is an 05, which many will complain about) just ride superbly, BUT the geometry even compared to a Chameleon of the same vintage is all wrong.
Since this has descended into a retro nostalgia fest...
Best - SC Chameleon, raced dh, 4x and xc on that thing, also spend a day at the djs on it. Adjustable bb so could be run single speed too.
Honourable mention - Curtis SX26, limited uses but quality frame and mega thing to ride.
Worst - On One 456 carbon. Ugliest frame I’ve ever owned, back breakingly stiff, heavy for cf, just an unpleasant thing to ride. Accelerated well though.
25 years ago I had a Dekerf team, it was pretty much my dream hardtail. Probably too xc for the op but then so are a lot of these. Lovely floaty ride although to others it was a flexy piece of noodle.
A friend had a Kona Hot in canary yellow with orange z1s. It was 853. Very nice.
“Pace RC200 F8 – stiff as a stiff thing, and very fast XC bike. No more than 100mm forks though or the headtube would probably fall off“
Funnily enough, I knew someone with a rc200 that, while waiting for something to replace the rc36 forks that (inevitably) broke, ran a set of…wait for it…. Totems😳!! He was only using it as a pootle bike really and replaced them something more sensible, but it didn’t kill the frame.
The greatest I’ve owned (and still own). But not going to try and claim it’s the greatest ever.
Seeing as this is where the thread has ended up. Another picture of my Kona - '97 Lava Dome. Year 2000 X-Vert Supers, Use XCR suspension post
I still have an Indy Fab Ti Deluxe and I have never had any confidence in it's ability to descend.
See my previous post for the bikes I have owned and rated.
I've had 5 of the bikes named in this thread. Still have 3 of them 😊
Dialled Alpine (currently hanging on my shed wall)
GT Zaskar (had 2)
Dialled PA (shed wall)
Dialled holeshot (built up as a jumpy thing so never gets used)
Khs Montana (I've had a few - Pro, comp, team)
All excellent things, but the Alpine was just *chef's kiss*
easily my favourite hardtail 2005 UK only steel Lava Dome, the only steel one with discs (and sliding dropouts)
My favourite, of the hardtails I’ve owned was/is a Kona Steely of similar vintage.
Would have loved it more if it had sliding dropouts. It now gets used as a rigid pub/towpath/crappy weather bike.
Ragley Ti - I still have mine complete with an over-sized head-tube so it can run tapered steerer forks and a curved, over-sized down-tube. Light, compliant and with an uncanny playful thrashability that's hard to describe, but is unmistakably present. And ti has that really nice aesthetic thing going on that's light years away from pressure formed aluminium or carbon fibre, still looks like a proper bike.
It's still an ace counterpoint to my steam-rollering Sonder Transmitter and gets the odd outing on days when I just want to potter around on something that's light but still capable. Yes, it's short and tall by modern standards, but you get used to it again surprisingly quickly and you spend less time clipping your pedals in ruts.
Or the Cotic Soul - the missus has one and loves it.
Ignoring your rules - the greatest of all time is the Fat Chance Yo Eddy.
Taking them into account - Cove Stiffee/ Hummer ? (though not really my department, which is firmly in the above camp)...
I dunno. There's 26er hardtails and 26er hardtails which you can actually buy and might be in your size.
Maybe you need a stealth wanted ad?
But personally I'd be looking for a more modern geo frame I could make work with 26er bits. NS Eccentric is not a bad idea: I had a 29er one I ran as 27.5 for a bit and it was a good bike.
Not being a serial bike swapper, my favourite 26er is the only one I kept; kona kula watt but this is the Torq racing team build - one of the ten or so actually raced for only one season and professionally serviced by team mechanic after it's few competitive outings.
I loved my old SC Chameleon. It was like a sort of oversized BMX. A right old laugh. Its still probably the best do-it-all hardtail
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My old P7 is the one bike I'll never get rid of. I've had it for 14 years and done god knows how many thousands of miles. It has seen many different guises. Its now semi-retired and used for general pub/commuter duties and pootling down local bridleways. It probably gets used more than my 'proper' bikes
Ooh, what about the original poo brown Specialized Pitch, they were awesome
Because it wasn’t a HT 😉
Ha - I'm an idiot. A mate of mine had one, rode it like he stole it everywhere.
I'm going to set an eBay search up, I suddenly want one.
another Ti 456 vote. I bought one of the original Lynskey frames back in 2008.
Great bike and I spent best part of ten years rattling it around Wales.
Stanton Slackline is still on my lust list.
I've got a 631 frame sat in my garage. It road well with a slackset in it but an 18" was on the small side for me at 5'10" and once you're used to riding LLS 29ers it's hard to go back.
Product Privee Shan, Stanton Slackline/Sherpa depending on what you’re gonna do, Coptic Soul/BFe, something from Ragley.
GT Zaskar was my first thought. The first “hardcore hardtail”.
Mk2 DMR Trailster is in the conversation as well.
If we’re going XC then something from DeKerf has to there.
The 456 were fun handling bikes. The steels were harsh to ride though. The carbon IMO were completely void of feel, just a horrible dead thing, light, but that was it.
My choice would be the last Soul (mk3??). Great fun handling, lovely ride quality, dropper compatible absolutely joyous. You can run them with 140mm forks, but at their best with 120mm
