what's you favourite (not necessarily best) ever hardtail?

Realising that hardtail are more fun than full bouncers I’m getting rid and returning to hardtail hoots. This has got me thinking about all my favourire bikes from my past.

What’s yours?

Something in steel with Bombers!

Cotic Soul!

Favourite bike from my present, too.

Another Cotic but this time the BFe. Regret ever selling that one.

Probably my old 466 Summer Season, such a hoot with 6″ travel bombers on.

My Spooky Metalhead was the absolute bollocks back the 90’s.

Got the most use out of my Charge Blender which was my only bike for nearly 4 years.

Currently on a Bfe and it’s technically the best as it does everything the others have done just much more efficiently. And I got a purple one to give it some character so at the minute it’s top of the list.

Steel 456!

Seems like alit if love for the steel, thinking about it all my favourites are steel too. I had a limited edition inbred 453 and that was so much fun, my first race bike.

Yelli

My Stanton slackline ti…once its replaced or repaired! :0

NS Surge. Way too small for me and killed my back every time I had to pedal anywhere, but so much fun for blasting round the woods!

Evil Sovereign. Still got a soft-spot for the Inbred I sold years ago too, but after a couple of rides on the Sovereign I knew I’d own it until one of us was dead.

Jumpin jack flash…

’95 Marin. Steel, of course.
XT driven by X-Rays
White Industries
Mavic wheels, shod with green Wildgripper semi-slicks

bontrager privateer, in rasta. bombers and arch rivals. perfect bike.

I thought Evil Sov was great too – learnt to ride on it, learnt to crash on it too. Bombproof.

456Ti, original Lynskey version – still been ridden 7 years later.

/thread closed 🙂

litespeed Kitsuma
Pikes U turn Coils
Hope wheels
Magura Louise Brakes

Close Marin Pine Mountain 96
Prince Albert with Pikes and 2,5 tyres

Most fun – dialled Alpine with… Are those… BOMBERS!

Best all round – Cotic Soul. I think in this I’ve found my long term hardtail having gone through many.

Dialled alpine with 160mm forks.

853 RM Blizzard

Last rode it 2 years ago and still miss it…

My Scandal 26er on Rebas, 1×10 with a Thomson Dropper.

Just a lovely bike.

This one.

Had it ten years. Still love it.

Off for a respray in a few weeks

Still riding a 456 SS with 140mm forks, not changing it any time soon it’s pretty much perfect for me…
Still miss my old Trailstar, but that might be nostalgia making it seem better than it really was…

Poor man’s Klein Rascal for me. It an ace bike.

I wish I could say my Cove Hummer which was brilliant, but my best memories were on an 853 Dialled Bikes PA. Closely followed by a DMR switchback. Should have kept at least one of ’em!

My favourite was a trusty 1999 ZaskarLE. Bought the frameset brand new and it went through many builds before finally being sold (regrettably) last year.

1998 Specialized Rockhopper.. best bike in the world!

Just had it stripped and powder coated.. and here’s how it looks now.. first ride back on it on friday… can’t wait!

for me it was my P7 circa 2003, full XT and fox forks. Now it would be my Charge Cooker. My dream would be a Dekerf.

1995 Orange P7. (in Zinc).Sold it last year. I regret that.

Bontrager Race – been my ‘main’ bike for 15 years…

Reynolds Sovereign.

Nothing has meant the same to me or given the same thrill as the 1993(?) 16″ explosif pro that I had at 17 years old. XC pro groupset and RC35s.

Despite my best efforts of rekindling that experience, I never will. I’ve given up. That was the best bike ever 🙂

Evil Sovereign too. Not sure what it is but it just feels so right.

Ragley Blue Pig if you can find a straight one!

Although those Stantons, Privee Shans, BTR and Alpines look the real deal maybe even a Dartmoor Hornet (Ali) cheap as chips.

Got a BFE looks the part but not clicked with it yet.

I love my 1998 Sarace kili team….

Reynolds. Tange and custom drop outs.

Need to repaint it. It’s a proper mix of shite including an ox silent clutch cassette. But I love it.

I was faster on that than my full bounce. Need to shake the fear….

My xtc advanced which got stolen last year. Way more capable than I thought it would be, and decently light too.

There is only one answer and it is the Evil Sovereign. Every other answer is misguided.

My next one…….I hope!

92 Kona Explosif.