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

I’m hoping that this will be, although on its maiden voyage last Friday I seemed to spend more time picking myself up off the ground than riding the bloody thing… 🙄 I rode like a complete malaka.

And then there’s this one in Greece, which was ace last summer. It’s waiting there for me now, poor thing.

Loved my Sanderson Life,
it was an amazing frame, 853, 100mm fox, perfect marathon bike, so comfortable.

I’ve had my Bfe alomost a year and it is with out doubt the most fun to ride bike I’ve owned so far! It’s evolved since the picture with a set of 34’s and few other bling bits but you get the picture…

There’s an important theme running through this thread: people need to stop selling their favourite hardtails.

🙂

Azonic DS-1 with some Marzocchi DH 3s on. Saved very hard for that from around 13 years old until I was 15

Loved it

My ’90’s steel Kileaua, was just lovely. From selling my Orange P7 in nickel and buying this, this tried to kill me for the first couple of months. With P2 forks, which I changed for Judy SL’s in yellow with Englund cartridges. Just wish I never sold it, as I look back. Hateful Curve components, such as brakes and cranks, made way to a full XTR groupset, which then all went on a Kona King Kahunna Ti hardtail build. But it wasn’t the same and the steel bike just rode nicer.
Also, although a rigid bike and have had it for 9 years now, my Pipedream Modro singlespeed is just lovely and a bike for life.

I loved my Blue Pig X. It was a wonderful bike. Sold to get a 29er and regretted it. Sold the 29er and got an Evil sovereign and do not regret it at all.

The Blue pig is just ahead of it though but I haven’t had the Evil that long and still trying to get it feeling just right.

Best ever hardtail for me was a Whyte 19 steel I owned, loved it and now miss it. One of those just felt right bikes.

Would agree with all those saying Evil Sovereign. I have a Ti slackline now and sold another frame to buy it but the sovereign is hung up waiting to be reborn. Having said that the Ti slackline is still my current favourite, its got that hooligan edge that the sovereign has but with less weight and can take tapered steerer forks.

1994 Ibis Ti Mojo, still going.

My DMR Switchback…

Or my DBR Axis TT…

Had both for 10 years now.
But then there’s my old Salsa…

’98 Kona Hei Hei here, bought new after I’d stared at it in the shop window like the Wayne’s World guitar. Still going strong with a bit of Scotchbrite once a year.

My old Sov

The thing all these bikes have in common – they just look ‘right’*

except for that haggard looking Evil frame 😉

Gary Fisher Big Sur was a good one.
On-One inbred 29’er SS still going strong,even after South Downs and two trips to the alps.

My old Holeshot. Still wonder if it was the right thing to sell it, although it was a tiny bit short. Superb bike – I only hope the new owner is enjoying it as much as I did.

July mountain biking in the UK. #mud #wet by NeilCain[/url], on Flickr

I never liked any of my hardtails but I haven’t had a long travel one maybe that would be more fun.

both my kinesai (??) … xc120 was a hoot,
sold and replaced with an xc130. even more of a giggle 🙂

My current bike,

Having said that,nothing has ever felt as good to own as my first ever bike. It was a fully rigid 1991 Saracen Andes,Orange with green forks like the one in the pic below.
Jesus,look at the length of that stem.

Kingdom Bikes Project Brigante

I’ve never had so much fun, and felt so confident, riding down stuff*

*stuff = 4-passes route in the Lakes. Ti hardtail frame meant hike-a-bike climbs were easy too.

I loved my old Pace’s (RC200 and RC300) but nothing was as good as my old Orange elite (2011 edition), loved that bike so much. Undoubtedly prefer 29er’s now but my dream bike would be a 29er version of that elite- keep hoping orange will do that one day.

Andy R, that Genesis Alpitude with white wheels and white Marzocchis is incredible, I’d ride that down anything…looks really confidence inspiring.

As others have said, something about a HT looks ‘right’….no fussy linkages, no absurdly long wheelbases, no excess weight etc etc….get the angles right, bolt a burly set of forks to the front and it’s still the most fun mountain biking in my opinion.

The 456-evo I had was a gem, I got all fashion conscious about the lack of a large or tapered headtube, the 27.2mm sestpost making a Reverb impossible and the lure of bigger wheels…sold it to fund a 45650b that wasn’t half as good….now back on 26 inch wheels with a Ragley and all is right with the world, I’ll post a pic later when I finish work.

ah ha … knew i had piccies somewhere 😉

Hardtails are ace. I realy like them with long travel forks.

My Stantons were/are great but thining about it I’ve loved most of the hardtails that Ive had.

My ’97 Kona Koa was ace – first bike with bouncy forks.

Loved my ’99 Chameleon built up as a jump bike in 05 even though it was properly short. The later one in a sensible size was an awsome bike and one that I regret selling (it was that or my DH bike which I kept instead).

I had an Orange Sub Zero which was reay good until it craced. It was more forgiving than the Chameleon that replaced it.

There are some lovely bikes on this thread – surprised that a Shan in gold colours hasn’t appeared yet.

For me its one of these, but not in single speed.

Rode beautifully, although you did take a bit of a battering through the arms.

Still stand by my original suggestion of a Sov (missed my chance to post a pic too, so here’s an early incarnation just after I put it together):
P1020898 by warpcow[/url], on Flickr

I can see that a Blue Pig might be quite nice though too. Bought a cheap Mmmbop recently and loving the ride of it even if it is ridiculously stiff. Definitely seems to need a bit of welly to get the most out of it, but it begs you to anyway, so it’s not such a problem.

Always had a soft spot for my old GT Outpost.
Destroyed everything on that bike but the frame outlasted everything.

I rode like a complete malaka.

😆

Heard that lots while living in Greece.

Love this, had the frame since new in 97, it’s been through the twin crown fork phase, commuter phase and finally it’s actually back to something sensible.

I’m *considering* retiring it though. 😥
Round here a 29r is just a better solution most of the time.

Raleigh Strika. The early one with pedal back brake. Loved it!

My Bianchi Mutt with Rocksolid carbon forks. It was so light and fast it just devoured climbs. It was no downhiller but I always said if I could only have ONE bike – including road – this would have been the one.

My Mmmbop was a nice HT alternative to a full susser, but was a drag on anything that wasn’t up or down.

Jumpin jack flash..

I have two in the attic should you be feeling…in need of one.

Would have to be my Chameleon, won it in 2007.

Orange Sub Zero with 36s and then 55s. Brilliant fun, decent all-rounder.

Bontrager Race. The head angle is (apparently) too steep and the wheels are (apparently) too small but it’s the one bike I can’t see me ever selling.

…it’s the one bike I can’t see me ever selling.

Is that because no-one would buy a bike with a steep head angle and small wheels? 😈 😉

I would like to ride my old 92 Explosif ,just to see if it really was as good as I remember.
Very happy with my Tuareg and it hasn’t cracked yet 🙂

AD +1
My old Fuquay custom build – whenever I ride it there’s always that moment when it just seems to surge with acceleration.

xc120
Frosty ride – winter hill by D0NK[/url], on Flickr
My most favourite-ist HT ever. Short lived but I loved it, could proper rag it around, mmmbop that replaced it wasn’t quite as good – could be urged into action but took a bit more effort on the riders part. My carbon 456 could possibly equal the 120, it is nice, but that’s setup a bit more cross country style (and no gears), quite tempted to do a lairy c456 build, we’ll see. But for the time being I’ve binned off the “fun hardtail” and got my heckler frame back out of the attic – that’s even more fun than the 120!
Crash by D0NK[/url], on Flickr
Gone but not forgotten.