I’ve only ever ridden hardtail or fully rigid, I’ve ridde them from 87 to today. I’ve currently got 3 bikes in 2 continents and my favourite is a ’97 Cannondale Beast of the east. So good I bought 2. I’d love to be involved in a feature to give a a clear British ridden , hardcore hard tail winner. Any hardtail or rigid from’ 92 to 2020. Points for retro jerseys and pointless accessories.
Spooky Metalhead or Brooklyn Machine Works Park bike.
Both trendsetters in a similar timeframe in an anti factory / rider owned / BMX subculture way whereas the Zaskar under Hans Rey was a good frame but was very much part of corporate big bike company nylon uniforms polished image culture.
They both rode well and were purpose built for ‘hardcore’ riding that had started to branch away from XC style riding.
Legend has it that a Kona Hoss will break rocks before itself. Same goes for the early Orange Crush. So named because it will crush granite. Allegedly.
Can I vote both an alu and a steel? Ok then 😋
Alu: Marin AXC (Wildcat, Rocky Ridge, B17 etc)
Back in the noughties I sold my 04/05(?) Marin AXC (B17 variant) to a riding buddy, and he liked it so much that after a few years of riding it he bought another of those (same coffin-tubed) AXC frames (this time an 06) to save in store as a ‘backup’. He hasn’t needed the backup to date and still rides the old one today! I’ve seen it take some unintended punishment.
The stiffee survived 11 years with me. I only retires it as the chainstay were properly gouged from chains suck. Not the bikes fault, I didn’t know you had to change chainrings when they wore out.
The trailstar was the hardcore hardtail of the 90’s but I had a Club Roost Stinger and loved it. The Curtis SuperX was awesome. I had a Blue Pig from around 2011 and it was a horrible, hateful thing.
My current bike, a Chromag Doctahawk is something else in the hardcore stakes, I don’t think there are many hardtails as hardcore.
Spooky Metalhead for me. It was the first built for purpose, actual hardcore hardtail which launched a thousand imitations including the DS1, Trailstar, Chameleon, plus entire brands like 24seven, Identiti etc.
I can’t think of another frame that changed the mtb landscape as much as the Metalhead.
The Zaskar was cool but it was still a generic XC frame shaped more like a road bike even if it was a bit tougher than average.
I reckon the original incarnations of what would go on to be the “genre” of hardcore hardtail was probably the Santa Cruz Chameleon and the Cove Stiffee.
Frame only, built up to the specific requirements of each individual rider.
The GT Zaskar probably gets a nod in there for being able to fit into that category. After that came all the off-the-peg models (like the Kona Hoss mentioned above) and then other niche manufacturers took it on for a bit – the Cotic BFe for example.
Kona Chute must be in there. First one was 98 I think, I had a 2000(?), the first year they changed to the square Easton RAD tubing. The seat stays and chain stays were massive square sections with zero give, It had Hayes Brakes, a Marzocchi Fork, short stem, raceface cranks, big risers, and big tyres. It was awesome.
Don’t BTR have an absolutely mental DH hardtail?
In terms of my genre defining the Santa Cruz Chamaeleon and the Stiffee both stand out. Always rather wanted an either.
Pretty sure a mate had an Orange Subzero that was an absolute monster.
Honorary runner up for those Marin axc frames as I had one… Although I think really the first gen with the tribal graphics.
Sharkattack.
That’s a Bandwagon not a Metalhead.😎 *
A mate had a Metalhead around the same time a had a MK1 Chameleon with a disc convesion.
I ended up getting shot of the Chameleon and buying a Stifee. The square chainstays on the Santacruz were brutal.
*Not quite the same. Metalhead came first and had adjustable dropouts.
Sharkattack.
That’s a Bandwagon not a Metalhead.😎 *
How embarrassing. I couldn’t spot the difference on my phone screen.
I actually had a Bandwagon as I couldn’t afford a Metalhead. I think they were £650 vs £400. Unfortunately it never got the use it deserved as I drifted off to BMX. When I came back to big wheels I had a Charge Blender which was ridden to death. I bloody loved that thing.
DMR Trailstar. Doesn’t hold up to modern geo but it’s still a hoot.
Also need to remember that the Hardcore just meant it could be ridden hard thanks to “long” 110-130mm travel, not that it was impossible to ride uphill. Your Minutemen, Imperials, Tankasses etc. were all DH HTs and never intended to go up.
Orange MsIsle for nostalgia, had one in petrol blue with Psylo forks and hope brakes, was like riding a metal roof truss!
I do think the original Hardcore hardtail has to be the Santa Cruz Chameleon though, had one of those in red with the original Pike Coils, what a bike! It eventually died an honorable death, in a big stack coming down Y Wâl at Afan. Rock strike on the BB cracked the shell.
Whoa that Nicolai up there makes my ankles hurt just looking at it, can’t imagine what that was like to ride. Agree that the Metalhead was the one that started it all, but the stiffee was really popular a few years later, loads of them about back then.
A mate had a Zaskar with 100mm z1s and monster wide azonic bars that pretty hooligan at the time.
Always lusted after a dekerf implant although looking at it now I’ve no idea why, it’s absolutely minging.
Spooky Metalhead – still got mine albeit not built up – still got the Z1’s that were on it as well. Loved that bike and it took an absolute kicking, raced DH on it, dirt jumps etc etc.
Crazy how short all these DJ bikes were, knees hurt just looking at them!