The greatest 26inch hardtail ever made

Was the Ragley Ti the (then) up-to-date spiritual successor?

Pretty much. The original mmmbop, the Blue Pig and the Ti all shared the same geometry, which had evolved from the 456. We sold loads of mmmbops from The Bike Chain, such a good frame to use your existing components. They were also bloody cheap. Paint was a bit “soft” though. Fewer Blue Pigs, though still a decent number. And only a handful of the Ti versions. That’s definitely one I regret selling, even if it made sense at the time.

My Lynskey Ti456 is still going strong. It’s now my son’s commuter. I really liked it but it was a bit too small so I didn’t love it any more than the steel 456 that it replaced. The steel one was special because it took me away from a very racey Orange E6 which was terrifying on anything steep and showed how much more fun you could have on descents. And the frame only cost £125, forks were another £225 I think. Bargain.

A Cove Ti would be pretty good as lots of people have said, or a Kona Hei Hei.

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.

That thing looked fast standing still. Radical (for the time) geometry, rigid P2 forks. 😍

Honourable mention too for the GT Zaskar, one of the first truly all-round hardtails. That in a ball-burnished silver with yellow RockShox Judy XC (or a few years earlier, RockShox Mag 21). That’d do rocketship XC to near enough full on DH depending on the build.

BTR Ranger. Incredible bike.

Pace RC200 F5, the best bike before the sub genres bred

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.

Can’t believe so many can be soooo wrong.

Steel Kona Cindercone from 1996 is the correct answer.

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…

easily my favourite hardtail 2005 UK only steel Lava Dome, the only steel one with discs (and sliding dropouts)

so many adventures

super comfy ride, descended so well,

sadly stolen

1. 

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.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166633869038?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=iY9jyarfRly&sssrc=2524149&ssuid=iY9jyarfRly&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

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…

Ooh, what about the original poo brown Specialized Pitch, they were awesome

Because it wasn’t a HT 😉

Oh and the Enduro was better

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

@Daffy

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.

Stanton switchback

Original ragley mmmbop

Raleigh budgie when I was 4

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)…