Despite me saying I wouldn’t go back to a hardtail, well, I’ve kinda got a craving for one again haha. I’m starting to want to do more pedally rides than just DH and I hate riding my Voltage up hill so I want to switch to something different for a bit. Not selling the Voltage as I’m bound to want it again in a few months!

I’m about 5’9″ so would be looking at the 16.5″ – is it long enough with a 50mm stem for climbing ok? I care more about the descent but I’ve always had bikes that have sucked for climbing (trailstar & blender) so it’d be nice to have one that isn’t awful at that.

And how do they ride with a 160mm fork if I don’t set it up too divey? I don’t wanna get rid of my Lyrik in case I feel the need to go back to my FS and I’m not sure if you can lower the solo air versions more than 160?

I’m also considering a Blue Pig if I can find a 2nd hand one with big headtube anywere but they don’t look as fun, more of a barge. Also considering an NS Surge Evo but the small seat tube puts me off on the small and I have a feeling the large would be too long?

Yes!

Im 6ft on a 18″ swapped from a 55mm stem to a 70 as it wanted to pop its nose up when climbing. Mine has 150mm Pikes on and now feels just as good up as down. Its quite happy ragging around the woods or stretching its legs on longer rides. Just a superb bike.

[/url]2015-05-04 12.37.16 by Richard Lockwood, on Flickr[/img]

In time honoured STW tradition I’m going to ignore your original question and recommend what I have.

I am also primarily a DH rider who has embraced pedalling. My previous hardtail was also a Blender. I loved the Blender but it was damn slow when you had to get anywhere.

I’m currently riding a Cotic Bfe as I liked the purple paint and I couldn’t find a second hand Slackline. Running a 150mm Revelation, 50mm stem and 2.3 tyres. I find it does everything I need it to and doesn’t hold me back on the fun stuff i.e. jumps and drops (like most xc bikes do). So yeah, it’s got the same kind of fun style of the Blender but crucially it’s shaped like a proper bike and I can pedal it around all day long.

It’s good fun for thrashing the smooth stuff in the trail centres and the geometry isn’t bad for attacking stuff flat out. Even I can get up hills on it and it feels great descending if you can keep your feet on the pedals. Depends how rough your local trails are.

I do love the simple charms of a hardtail but I’m swinging back the other way at the minute. I really miss my Stumpy Evo. There’s nothing like thrashing berms and popping off lips on a jumpy hardtail but most of the time I just want to charge much harder in the tech stuff. Planning to get another bouncy bike next year.

I’ve just reduced my forks from 150 to 130 because it’s not too hilly around here.
Nothing will out corner it!
Around the time I built it up I got a respectable (in my mind) Strava top 13 on Barry Knows Best, respectable because I wasn’t fit and get dropped on the pedal bits.
It manuals beautifully.
I’ve been on hard tails for about 8-9 years now and I thought it felt like a full suspension but I doubt it would feel that way coming from a bouncer.
There’s a Stanton owners group on facebook.
Around the time of buying it I’d narrowed my choice down to a cotic or the slackline, the Dirt 100 swayed it (and cotic had no stock).

I had an older BFe before and it was nice but a bit dead feeling. And they’re quite expensive, looks like you can pre order new Slacklines for under £200 now! The electric blue looks lovely. sharkattack I very rarely ride tech stuff (most of my riding is currently at Woburn) but I tend to prefer the balanced feel of a fs in general.

That £200 is the deposit, there’s another £200 to pay once they’ve got them. It tricked me for a minute too.

Yes, mine’s awesome. Wish I could have a Ti one.

Best size wheels too!!

That £200 is the deposit, there’s another £200 to pay once they’ve got them. It tricked me for a minute too.

ahh bollocks well that changes things then haha

Brilliant, simple little bike and very tough. Sadly at 6′ I find it just a bit too short in reach. The geometry is brilliant but for me the reach needs to be about 20mm longer for the kind of riding I like to do here in the Lakes.

That said on the rare occasions I go to a trail center it’s great for throwing around. It’s also a great long XC ride bike and is terrific for towing my kid in a trailer as it has normal rear drop outs like we used to have years ago!!!

In short, if you are tall, it may be short!

I’ve just built up a hardtail after a few years of 150mm full suspensioness and I really love it. So quick to accelerate and is so fun for ‘ technical’ climbing , hooning around, manuals wheelies 180s in the car park etc.Really impressed, I thought a hardtail would be lame but not at all. Ragely Piglet 2 with 140mm forks . 18″ as I’m 6ft. Front end pops easy though so I went with a 70mm stem. But yeah I’d love a slackline

Used to ride a Blender, 4X/DH and XC, ace fun but climbed like a Pig, I didn’t realise until I changed the frame for Five (I was new to MTB coming from a BMX).

Recently rebuilt the Blender for local XC but was not right so brought a Slackline (ti).

Ace bike ace fun and climbs very very well, run it at 130mm but want 120mm (found it a little wondery at 150 on the climbs). At 5 10 I have the 18 amazing but quite as ‘chuckable’ at the Blender, considering 16.5 but scared that what I gain in chuckability I will lose in climbing prowess.

One thing though as much a I love it for smoother trails (better than the Five) the Five is much more fun on the rough!

Currently keeping the Blender for 4X but may have to let it go…head says sell, heart saws keep!

Yes they are.

I had a 16.5 Slackline 853 which I loved, but it was just too small for me. Here it is…

I had a BFe before it (swapped frames with a local chap), and the 853 was loads nicer to ride. It just felt more lively, springy and fun really. It made me realise that the Cotic was a bit dull, dead and leaden. I’m a smidge under six foot and it was too short for climbing, great fun for honing about though. What it did do though is reawaken my love for hardtails…this ended up being my go to bike over my Rune, despite the fact my knees wanted to explode on climbs. I preferred mine with 150mm forks.

I’ve now replaced it with a Switchback which fits me and is now my go to bike. The Rune is pretty much a garage queen unless I’m don’t DH trails.

You want something that climbs better than the Voltage, but does it have to be a HT. I’ve been enjoying my Solaris, but in all honesty the only advantages I can think of for a HT are: cheap, marginally less maintenance (although that only amounts to a few hours difference a year) and looks (although that’s subjective). Still, each to their own.

does it have to be a HT.

Not at all, the only reasons I’d want one is for the points you mentioned really. I do like the solid feeling when you stand up to pedal as well. It’s mostly the initial cost and cost of repair/service on both the bearings and shock that make me want a HT.

I didn’t realise the Slackline was an extra £200 on top of the price they state on their site though, so for £400 I could probably get a decent 2nd hand all mountain type fs frame.

The cost you save in bearings is offset by repairing wheels…

There are loads of 2nd hand Ragleys on eBay at the moment, I have a Piglet and it’s great. Some are frame only and some are complete bikes for around £400 with really good specs (Revs etc) which is a steal!

Frame only for your £200 I’d be going for a Dartmoor Hornet, slack angled, tough bolt through rear axle, takes up to 160mm forks, light-ish as they’re aluminum too….have a look at them?

Not sure about the 631, but the Ti one I had was a great allrounder. Even pikes set at 160mm wasn’t too wandery.

Replaced it with a steel switchback