[Closed] What 29er hardcore hard tail du jour?

On One Parkwood would seem the obvious choice at £200.

^ yep the scandal replacement

Id add Stanton Sherpa...quite a bit more money mind

It's not exactly a scandal replacement other than its an aluminum hardtail
Completely different beast, but exactly what the op is after I reckon.

Or for a few more quid, a kinesis ff29.

Another vote for the Stanton Sherpa here,i love mine,well worth the money.

Kona honzo...

It's not exactly a scandal replacement other than its an aluminum hardtail
Completely different beast

Hardly completely but thats by the by...it is the Scandal replacement given they don't do the Scandal anymore and the Parkwood fills the gap left 😛

Sam's got medium Buzzards for £200 but only in medium.

Zealous division ftw..

Another vote for Zealous Division - replaced my Honzo with it (which is still for sale... :wink:).

What size is the Honzo?

Rorschach - it's a medium.

i'm just using a cheap cube frame singlespeed, nothing hardcore round here but loving 29er too.

Got some hope hoops on order, but wondering what's a decent go-to frame nowadays? I'm out of the loop in this sector, so suggestions appreciated!

Is buying a bike purely based on wheel size, when you don't have a clue which frame you actually want, what we do now?.

[b]2Souls QH:[/b]

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Yup. That or colour.

hell yea thats looks robust

My lbs sells those zealous, look a real good buy.

How hardcore are you talking? Batter down rocks or big jumps and drops? If the former then most any 29er with room for big tyres and non-scary geometry has got a pretty decent shot, if the latter then that's a bit different.

If it helps you're welcome to have a go on my solaris, with big tyres and wide bars it might give a you a starting point for comparison. You're south downs area iirc?

of the ones I've ridden (a reasonable number), the zealous would be the one I'd go for. the honzo is pretty good too as is the yelli screamy.

the zealous was by far the most fun though (but I'd not want it to ride all day on, it's a stiff old thing...) - poppy, agile, easy to play around on.

Would suggest a ROS9 but Niner prices are [i]frantic[/i].

This is a 'sector' that died before it really got started cos of 650b

I guess the list is honzo, buzzard, niner, parkwood, krampus(?), I'm sure there are others but not much.

Charlie the Bikemonger is currently selling Vassago Jabberwocky's off at £250. Whilst not a hardcore HT, I've smashed mine all over the place and it has never broken.

There's more slack/120mm+ fork 29ers than 650b (probly).

Nobeer...
Pretty much 😉

I hardly ride the meta nowadays as the scandal is so capable on my local trails, and the meta feels sluggish in comparison.
I know I prefer the bigger wheels by a long shot, so really I'm after a scandal, but 'slacker and harder' for play days....
The parkwood looks good value..

DrP

Inbred, a bargain and a shit load of fun.

This is a 'sector' that died before it really got started cos of 650b

huh?

This is a 'sector' that died before it really got started cos of 650b
huh?

I said

THIS IS A SECTOR THAT DIED BEFORE IT REALLY GOT STARTED BECAUSE OF 650b

Another Zealous Division vote here. Top notch fun that can take a hell of a thrashing.

Has anyone said Trans Am 29 yet?

I've be having a hard look at the singular buzzard at that price. I'd have thought the medium would be spot on zone wise.

This is a 'sector' that died before it really got started cos of 650b
huh?

I said

THIS IS A SECTOR THAT DIED BEFORE IT REALLY GOT STARTED BECAUSE OF 650b

HUH?

As STW is normally suggest what you have.... Kona Taro. Fun bike, geo same as Honzo but £500 cheaper!

I'd go for a Buzzard at £200. I love mine. It's not subtle but it is big fun.

I'd give a buzzard or a Parkwood

Both not available in large/xl atm

What are you looking to do that you can't on the scandal? I ended up looking at a fs 29er because I screwed my knee chasing fs bikes at bike park wales on a hardtail. If you really want cushioning in the rough, while I'm a big fan of the ability of hardtails in general and 29ers in particular to manage a much faster line than you might expect, they won't actually look after you like your old fs will.

Well the scandal is ss, fast, and racey -is Mr race bike.

Really in looking for similar, but for gears, fat tyres, longer forks, dropper...
I'm looking the buzzard, but a kilo heavier than the parkwood.... :-/

DrP

I'm sure it's not a kilo heavier really. Are you looking at internet weights?

The geo on the Buzzard is better than the Parkwood IMO. I've got a Buzzard and have had a quick go on a Parkwood and I'd say they're both good but the Singular edges it (and looks prettier).

If VFM's important and you fit a medium, gotta be the Buzzard, it's what I'd buy in your situation, good doctor. It's an absolute no-brainer for two hundred quid. (I didn't, I have a Canfield, but that cost a chunk more, not necessarily justifiable).

For the riding the bike's designed for, I'd choose steel over aluminium. A tad more frame weight is no biggie, these are fun bikes not weight weenie bikes.

Well the scandal is ss, fast, and racey -is Mr race bike.

A 140mm trail build Buzzard will be a very different bike to this, you're not duplicating your fleet.

Only ridden a parkwood from the suggestions so far but it was brilliant. Aggressive but relatively light, cheap as chips.

Im loving my Banshee Paradox. Fab capable bike here in N Wales

That buzzard is really nice looking, to be fair. My only thought was, before you spend too much money, why not try the scandal with a dropper, some gears, big tyres and wide bars, just to get an idea of what you're looking for and what you like/don't like? That way you're making a more informed decision on the frame.

OP.
If you want something that you appear to be really asking for forget the VFM bit and go for the Yelli/Quarter Horse/Nimble9 options.
You'll not regret any of them. They're all awsum handling responsive hardtails that just happen to have the advantages of big wheels.

If you want something that you appear to be really asking for forget the VFM bit and go for the Yelli/Quarter Horse/Nimble9 options.

Ah well that's a whole new thread.

A mate just got an excellent Niner Ros9 rolling frameset via ebay.