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

My ’96 Kilauea. Should never have sold it.

Prince Albert, by a long shot 😆

Probably my ’88 Stumpjumper Comp. The one with the U brake. I did some huge epics in the Cairngorms on it, we did audax rides and even toured on them.

The eagle eyed will recognise Kevin Dangerous from Escape Route in Pitlochry as the rider. He broke his and became a riding god. Mine broke a week later stair racing in Cockburn Street, Edinburgh. I became an honorary Dangerous Brother.

Charge Blender

2 pages and no one has mentioned a Santa Cruz Chameleon!?

Sooo much fun.

Litespeed Kitsuma

Not very blingy or niche but my 2003 Speccy Hardrock,with this bike I got properly into mountainbikes.I did two Isle of Man E2E’s on it,discovered the Marin trail,regular trips to Rivi & even over the border to Yorkshire.
Best £350 I ever spent 😀
This photo was taken in Wensleydale

Depending what mood I’m in, either my old Soul or my current Ragley Ti. The Soul was the better allrounder I suppose and has the benefit of rose tinted glasses, I learned to ride on that bike really. The Ragley’s balance is ridiculous, I didn’t think you could build a big slack bike that descends this well but still be such a brilliant technical climber, in the same year I bounced it down fort william then raced the glentress seven on it. Wish it was a wee bit “softer” and had a more dropped toptube, and let’s have a tapered headtube while we’re at it but still, superb.

Knackered old Prince Albert, just been usurped by my first full suss but will remain in the fold for as log as it survives

91′ explosif, the penny dropped. I worked my socks off saving for it. I was doing my A levels and living in the woods up a long track on Painswick Beacon, good riding buddies and lots of girlfriends. A heady combination that cruelly belongs to the memory of youth.

My current bike – Cotic Solaris

NS surge. Great bike. Could go flat out and it would be stable as anything. Bit of a lump all day rides though. Although I rode it single speed for most of the time I had it. Sadly stolen last year.

Dialled PA. Rode this everywhere. Amazing bike. A bit weighty, but I think this was components more than the frame.

Current ride – Cotic bfe. Built up with pikes, saint, 1×10 & expansion ring, flows. Much lighter than the other 2, and really suits my “less hooligan” riding I do now. Very capable, but less of a pure dh hardtail that the surge felt like and much lighter than the dialled.

Mongoose Iboc comp. My first proper mtb built up from scratch. I had knackered my previous falcon and my best mate knew someone who imported these. My mate got a carbon one with alu lugs and I went for the bonded alu one. I spent all the rest of my spare cash on an lx/stx groupset, a P2 fork, some zoom finishing kit and the longest stem I could find.

Looked great, rode great (I think!), weighed next to nothing and went like stink uphill.

Probably my Ritchey. I love it even though its a bugger finding forks for. When I’m rich and famous I think I’ll get some lefties for it.

I loved my old 456 as well before some scrote nicked it.

99/00 Barracuda subway was the business at the time. 08 STP now I’m an owd mayn.

Sov’s have some following considering every Evil hardtail frame ever designed was a complete mess for one reason or another. At least the Imperial looked AWESOMEZ 4HUXORZ 2FLAT ! 😉

remember kidz:

2 top tubes > one

And 3 rear wheels

14″ Azonic DS Evo Mk I (2001 vintage iirc)
1×9
Z1 wedges (125mm travel)
D521 on xt m950 hubs
LX V brakes
IRC Kujo f El Gatto r
DMR 3 piece cranks

First bike I bought/built over time with my own money, I swear I was quicker on that than I am now on the latest full suss carbon loveliness, but then I was 16-18 back then.

Interestingly at the time I bought it because my McDonald’s wage wouldn’t stretch to a chameleon, that has now changed and have just built a chameleon with a very similar build, but with contempary kit. See if I’m as quick!

mtbel – Shizzle that thing could survive a nuclear strike be used as an oil tanker anchor, must of weighed a ton.

Sons Trek 8000 from 94/96(bonded version)
Bontrager Privateer(95/6 1in steerer)
Mk1 Blue Pig

I’d have to say my old Blue Pig Mk2. There was something about that bike that just encouraged me to rag it everywhere and every ride would result in me grinning like a demented idiot at the end 🙂

Currently have a Mk3 Soul and although it’s lighter, better steel, better finished etc etc, the one thing it lacks compared to the Blue Pig is a Soul !

SC Chameleon. Just so much fun on any terrain. Wish I hadn’t got rid of it now.

mtbel>

Its not light…

Northwind – Member
And 3 rear wheels

26/27.5/29 futureproof! way ahead of the game 😉

2003/2004 Marin Wildcat Trail, ruddy awesome hardtail. I still have the frame and it will get a respray and rebuild when i’m back in the UK next year. I really really want a go on a cotic and a stanton though.

look on yer Dug’s pus kinda says it all wysiwyg 😉

Ragley mmmbop.

I have two and run them with 650b front and 29er front, 120mm and 130mm respectively, brilliant at everything. Even tried one with 29er back wheel and 2.00 tyre. It worked, just, but only going straight ahead.

Also love my Chumba HX2 29er with 140mm forks and single speed. Light and lovely.

davewalsh – With you on all points about the BFE it’s light, a better climber, better quality but not fun and doesn’t egg you on to go stupid/unsafe fast like a Blue Pig.

A couple of inches too small but with the seatpost down a little, it’s just pure fun.

It’s my wife’s now, but still affectionately ridden by me every so often.

Old Chromag Samurai

New Chromag Samurai65:

Special mentions to old Kinesis Maxlight-XC and Cotic Solaris too…

1995 Kona CinderCone,absolute blast to ride. Was gutted when the dropout snapped and it was replaced by an aluminum framed Pahoehoe,just didn’t feel the same.

’89 Kona Explosif with Tange Switchblades was a fantastic bike.

Although the 08 Salsa A La Carte I currently ride is also up there, but not quite.

I didn’t gel with my BFe, but I loved the Slackline that replaced it.

Unfortunately it was just a bit small for proper riding, so it’s been replaced with a Switchback. Not ridden it loads so far, but have really enjoyed it. I found that it rode better with 150mm forks than 130mm jobbies. Great little bike.

Both bikes mean that my big bouncy Banshee doesn’t really get a look in any more.

Used to really like the Chameleons that I had, but don’t have any pics.

Tricky one… close between my current charge cooker and my old Giant XTC29er.

The Charge has been upgraded with Rebas, carbon bits, XTR bits, Formula brakes, HOPE/Crests, Acros stuff, so isn’t a bad spec, rides well, climbs well…

But the Giant and me had a lot of brilliant days out and adventures.

Tough one…. tough indeed.

This beauty (Marin Wildcat Trail). On paper it’s nothing special but it went up, down and over anything i could find and more importantly, it got me hooked on bicycles again after an extended spell on motorbikes. It’s been superseded by a ‘better’ bike but i couldn’t get rid of it, so my eldest now uses it.

My ’98-99 Chameleon. L size with Z1s. 521 rims + IRC Kujos, 1×8 gearing and 60mm stem with Azonic bars. XC and jumps on the same bike. Brilliant bike, rode it till it cracked.

Had a lot of hardtails over the years but none that had the mix of riding characteristics the Chameleon had. The Core / Latitude got close, a bit more trail/XC though, but oddly my rigid 29er Jones has the closest mix of XC ability with ‘nippy AM’ sort of handling. Feels different generally, but so similar at times. Weird.

Dialled Alpine for me. It was way too small which meant uphills were a battle but it was fun going down. Lot of fond memories with that bike.

MK1 Santa Cruz Chameleons were a game changer, had 2 of them.
Spooky Metalhead was a great frame
Brooklyn Machine Works Park Bike was an absolute hoot but heavy
early Mk1 Bluepig – slightly flawed but the 2nd best hardtail I owned.Quality/styling/Brant issues on subsequent models.

Without a doubt the far and away best hardtail I’ve evr owed is an Evil Sov. Currently having a holiday whilst I build a full susser but I have a feeling it will be built back up soon.

Absolutely nails Sixtapod.

Haven’t seen it mentioned yet but I loved my Cove Stiffee, really regret selling that one 🙁

Rorschach – Member
Yelli

+1.

has to be my RL853 which I loved

closely followed my current Soul