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

Loved my old ’91 Fisher Supercal.

I’d stayed retro for years with that bike and a rigid steel Fisher too. When I finally gave in to modern bikes (the Supercal died) I spent the next few years on various HTs and a FS looking for that ‘just right’ feeling.

However my current HT, a Cotic Solaris, has finally ticked that box for me. I love it.

Right now: close win to my old Chameleon with 36’s over my mk2 Soul on 32’s. The Soul is a lovely springy, fun and playful companion, but the Chameleon is just an all-conquering monster of a bike.

I’m really hoping my soon to be Soul 275 will honestly take the honours, especially as I plan to let the 26ers go once the new bike is Fact…

Currently this:

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Yes the hoses need tidying up and yes the brake discs are too small, there’s no dropper, the forks are old coil spring items, it’s still running 2 x 10, it’s on obsolete 26 inch wheels etc etc…

….but i love it!

It’s bombproof, nothing ever goes wrong, i can ride it through the worst of winter and just put it away and not get precious about it…i have larger rotors to go on in the summer, i’m not riding fast enough at the moment for the small 160mm rotors to be a problem anyway….

….its so good that i have the frame, wheels, bars, brakes and forks for a 2015 Giant Trance build currently sat around the house and i have no great urge to get it built…i can see the full suss still being in pieces in the summer such is the pleasure i get from this hardtail! 😯

My Airborne Black Widow on day 1 (2003).

And last weekend still running the same Pace RC31 forks (2015).

I’ve nearly let go of this bike frame so many times on the classifieds but thankfully no biters. I think its found its perfect owner.

pics because everyone else is! The old trailstar, bike I learned to jump on and rode everywhere before I tried a full sus and can no longer go back.

My first Blender with Pikes, perfect match

No Fatbikes yet?
Surly Pugsley(s) for me
Perfect bike for myself and my local back yard of Beach, sandy singletrack, regular xc trails. I got 3 built up now over 7 years,
All similar but all quite differant with wheel/drive chain (Gears,IGH. SS)and tyre sizes 🙂

18th Jan; 014 by coastkid71[/url], on Flickr

ECR style KramPug 29+
18th Jan; 008 by coastkid71[/url], on Flickr

Alfine 8 spd ratbike for commuting,shop,pub fat loaner bike,
18th Jan; 012 by coastkid71[/url], on Flickr

And ridgid 29er hardtail, 29+, and 4″ fat with a wheel swap…
17th Jan 023 by coastkid71[/url], on Flickr

17th Jan 020 by coastkid71[/url], on Flickr

Rorschach – Member

Yelli

This.

No Surly 1×1 love?

Might be the cheapest bike in my house but one I couldn’t ever sell on.

First bike I built up for/by myself.

My Dekerf Generation, bought a year old and mint in 2000.

Bought to replace a nicked Cannondale Beast of the East, loved it straight away. I probably had some journo’s words ringing in my ears about it being a “loveable fountain pen in a world of bic biros.

It’s always handled beautifully, and always feels like it rewards and magnifies pedaling effort. some bikes seem to suck the energy and dump it somewhere else and you end up sitting and twiddling, because what’s the point? I always try on the dekerf, because it’s always worth it.

Been through the original Z2 flys, some marz comps, a respray (blue again) and headtube reinforcing rings at Roberts, some Reba teams, and now another respray (green) disc mounts and Cromoto forks and a drastic reduction in gears.

It was my only bike for 10 years, now it’s got some company, but it’s still the favourite.

dp.

But while I’m on, the Dialled PA Classic is pretty nice too.

Another vote for the DMR Trailstar here, here’s my LT

My cromo Sunn Tzar is the nicest bike to ride I’ve ever owned but my DMR Exalt is more fun to mess about on cos it’s easier to hop and manual-

Tzar-

Exalt-

I did have a steel GT Chucker a few years ago which was quite good fun, and this (although rigid) is also a hoot-

Definitely the Stiffee. Sold cos I wanted a decent a dropper on it and later got a Brodie Holeshot. Reckon I prefer the Stiffee though 😕

Cannondale Taurine (Team colours of the day – white / black / orange) with matching mango CK Iso hubs on Olympic rims and Magura forks – 6 years old and still brings a big smile to my face every time I take it out – brilliant bike!

I didn’t really own it. All the kit was mine, but the frame was on loan for a while.
I’d say it was the best hardtail I ever rode, as it was absolutely unreal. Did XC races on it, and took it to BPW for a day, and it took it all. Then I rode the new one a few weeks later, and it blew me away. Should have bought one. Might still…

1998 DeKerf Team SL, Pace RC36s, XTR & RaceFace Turbines

My ’95 Kona Lavadome – this was its final iteration as a mountain bike – now a rigid commuter (with P2 fork) – must have done more miles than any other bike I’ve ever owned. Currently enjoying my 18 month old Soul. At some point I’ll probably get on this new fangled full-sus bandwagon… only been riding mountain bikes for 28 years….

[/url]Kona Lavadome by drjbscott[/url], on Flickr[/img]

[/url]Kona Lavadome by drjbscott[/url], on Flickr[/img]

had a few on-one variations over the years, but recently just can’t
stop riding this one. i know old skool geometry, old skool wheel sizes
and old skool straight steerer but so much fun … 🙂