Show me your Long Travel Hard Tail Builds please… It's friday after all

Great thread – I'm looking for exactly this type of bike, but too much choice! Normally ride an 07 Enduro SL, FS. Quite a 'long' bike, but I love it and it suits my *cough* I think there's a medium framheavier frame. Have a craving for a similar 'style' (burly?) HT, get back some skills etc. Not having much knowledge, had been looking at Orange Crush – maybe P7, but obviously much more out there. Any suggestions for a good buy? Prefer ready built, and prefer way under a grand….

I also have an SL and my seocnd bike's a Marin Rocky Ridge. I love it,
I think there's an 09 medium frame for sale in the classifieds for £150!
Bargain!

Does 130mm count?????

Bernaard – how does 130mm feel on the old Wanga? I run mine rigid and am toying with putting my RC40 on when weather improves to run at 100mm. I's have thought 130mm made it a bit "chopper-esque" n'est pas?

Mo DMR fo yo.

My old Switchback. Now with a talas 140mm & even better. The camo has gone for a home respray, shortly to be done again for fun.

Go on then, my new Evil Sovereign with 140mm Magura Thors

My old Alpine, my mates using it now

Don't think 130mm is long travel, but:

I have a few other bikes,but this is the one I enjoy the most.

that Evil looks rather nice and balanced! also liking the alpine… some great responses, keep em coming!

By the way how many are running a 1×9, 2×9 or a 3×9? considering dropping one ring or possibly 2

is that a rumble? they seem good value, look like a nice little frame too.

Any excuse to post the frankenbike… Orange Sub Zero with Specialized E150 (110-150mm travel)

Really need to get round to taking a pic with proper tyres on and out on the trails somewhere! 😆 Soon to have a proper set of gears added to the rear; the alfine/hammer combo is just a bit too heavy and you can feel the drag in the system when in overdrive, it's hard work!

Also has a gravity dropper seatpost now for uppy/downy fun 8)

It is a Rumble, newer ones are a bit different as they have swapable dropouts so you can run with gears or ss, have only seen one other which is a pity as they are a great frame

For me LTHT is about going slower but having as much fun.

You need so much more skill to ride a HT as fast as a FS on the same terrain – I've hardly used my FS since getting a HT as it made my trails too easy.

I'm not sure that a FS is needed on 90% of the trails in the UK. I think everyone would benefit from taking a step back from technology and improving their skills – spending a few grand on a bike versus a few hundred on skills – I know I would spend my money on the later as it is much more worth it in the long run.

JonEdwards – loving the BFe – would love to hear more about it. you got an email I can email you some Q's on?

Difficult to remember what it was like having white grips that aren't brown..

My well loved P7

realman thats a great chameleon, always like to see a pic of it.

here's my original lt-ht, in fact the very same lt-ht that managed to get more runs in at cwmcarn than the susser-riders as mentioned by the OP way back on page 1.

unfortunately i was blinded by shiny toys and went on to go through a number of sussers in the name of bling. now i am hanging out to get my HT back on the road so i can plow through rock gardens feeling my teeth rattle loose, i can climb up hill and get to the top feeling like ive collapsed a lung, and most importantly end up looking good when sat in the pub with the biggest fekkin grin on my face from a day on my bike!

long live the hardtail!! and down with those who take this sh*t too seriously, were playing ffs!

A mr Soul…. yep a lot of playing on here 🙂

a bikes a bike simple, just enjoy it but accept both have their pros and cons that eventually end up making them even.

Thanks all some really nice bikes out there, now any more for any more?

After taking the newer Trailstar/LT forks down the jumps, I can safely say that it's awesome 🙂 Dunno why people prefer short travel for jumps, I feel so much more confident with more. Maybe its more to do with the geometry of the bike now its a bit slacker though.

just finished building this yesterday. After canvassing opinion here I got a 16" (I'm 5'10") as the TT length is similar to my full sussers.

Parts a straight lift from a Kona Coiler (well it needed a f/mech and seatclamp). Forks are the 140mm variant of the 55R. My first HT in five years (previously given up due to back problem) and my first ever steel MTB!

CK headset bearings are as silky shmooove as they were when they were first fitted to the coiler 5 years ago.

REALLY looking forward to riding it.

My PA with pikes. Got slightly different kit on it now but still running pikes, all be it coil ones instead of the air ones in this pic. A great all round HT. Could fancy giving an Alpine a go though.

when it was new and clean

which now rarely gets used as i have succumbed to the darkside which is Lynskey pro29 🙂

that BFe is one sexy piece of kit

that Bfe is just right in so many ways!!

I'm just loving the picture from Walleater. Guessing North Shore, where abouts?

after 1 year of riding my BFe the only i've changed is the tyres. The mountain kings were a pile of sh1te so i switched to my favourite nobby nics. other than that i'm super happy with the frame and build

my soul after last week in brickhill.

cant wait to get my mits on my blue Bfe when it ships in mid march ,

Half of these 'Long Travel Hardtails' are a cop out – there just XC bikes with 130mm forks on the front

how do you post pictures on here? i would like to post my newly built lt ht lovelyness but cant figure it out!

if your pic is on the web i.e photo bucket or pinkbike etc right lick and properties, copy the url. Then type [ img ] PASTE URL [ /img ]

like that but remove the spaces 🙂

IT'S BEING EATEN BY HORSES!!!

horse… I call photoshop 🙂

Photoshop? Nivver! Look how it spurns the Jones in preference for my tatty old Cove and its well-travelled saddle. Long travel hardtails – they have the Highland Pony Seal of Approval. 🙂

is that the quantocks? sure i have seen that horse before, he tried to eat my intense…. 🙄

4130soul – Member
long live the hardtail!! and down with those who take this sh*t too seriously, were playing ffs!

Best quote ever!

Balfa Minuteman.

The BlackSpire seatpost is long enough to get me up to the woods, and sinks low enough into the frame for me to get really silly.

2.5" DH tyres on hardtails rule

Hope 6Pot Ti brakes enough for ya?

The Pike forks have blown up a few times on big landings even after I changed to a firm spring . I'm now running the "Push" upgrade and I'm happy on a Firm spring and enjoying the performance … must be the heavy langings to flat

It's a really solid feeling bike with this set up and really happy with it. I doubt I''ll manage to break it but that won't stop me trying

Gratuitous in use shot

I have other bikes but this is my workhorse which see's most of my stupid local forest action and almost never gets cleaned. Roll it out of the garage, ride it out hard, quick wipe with an oily rag, shove in garage, repeat. Local forest is a bike-breaker and my bikes have evolved to get tougher after breaking many frames and parts over the last 18 years of riding. I bit the bullet this year with new wheels and hand me down brakes from my big bike… I wish I had put better brakes on this years ago.

59 times the pain – Member

Half of these 'Long Travel Hardtails' are a cop out – there just XC bikes with 130mm forks on the front

i thought that, too…..

(owner of Sanderson Breath running 130mm Revs)