For the past 25 years the Santa Cruz Chameleon been a tough hardtail that can still be comfortable and light enough for longer rides.
Hardtail
Cotic BFe Max Review – Another Cotic Classic!
Cotic BFe Max review! Cotic takes the BFe name made famous 16 years ago and gives it a 2021 29er spin. There are a few bike models that have really shaped the modern mountain bike industry and I feel that the Cotic BFe is one…
Review: Patrol C091 a carbon hardtail with all the gear for just $2199
Low-cost, huge value mountain bike options are drying up fast, so perhaps the Patrol C091 is just what the mountain bike market needs. It seems like just a couple of years ago when the we filled headlines with news of budget bikes, and shops had…
Production Privée celebrates downhill WC entry and motorsport history with 2 new ‘universes’
Production Privée’s new steel bikes celebrate downhill racing and motorsport history. Any rider with just a passing knowledge of Production Privée will be well aware of the brand’s love of motorsport. Over the years the Andorran brand has produced some spectacular bikes featuring some of…
Review: The Pole Taival Frameset is long but not unwieldy
Earlier in the year, Andi took delivery of a Pole Taival frameset, a bike that has helped rekindle his love of steel hardtails once again. I’ve had a lot of history when it comes to hardtails, and it’s only been the past 5 or so…
Ribble launches 2 new hardcore hardtails that are ready to rip!
Ribble Cycles has just hit us up with news of a couple of alloy hardcore hardtails with top geometry and premium finishes. When it comes to a hardcore hardtail, UK brands seem to have it nailed with plenty of choices when it comes to steel,…
Andi’s purposely alternative, accidentally purple Pole Taival build
In a world where the usual bike parts are as rare as hen’s teeth, Andi set out to see if he could build a bike using parts from the less obvious suspects. You probably know as well as we do that getting hold of parts…
New Stif Squatch Launches – The All-Round 29er Hardtail
It’s taken three years of design and tweaking, but the steel tubed, Stif Squatch is finally here. It features 29in wheels, a 78° seat tube and 64° head angle and its designed for a 130mm, short offset fork. Just don’t call it ‘a 29er Morf’…
Review | Orange Crush MX Pro LTD hardcore hardtail
Do the mixed wheels of the Orange Crush MX make this THE hardcore hardtail to own in 2021? Andi climbs on board to tell all. The continued evolution of the Orange Crush means that this alloy hardtail is now available in every flavour from 29er…
Why so Sirius? Pipedream announces the return of a classic
Made famous with the Moxie and currently trending with The Full Moxie, Pipedream Cycles has announced the return of the original Sirius hardtail. Think Pipedream and a bright pink Moxie is likely the frame you conjure up, but before the Moxie there was the Sirius…
Patrol’s latest carbon hardtails cost from just £1300
Patrol Mountain launches updated C09 carbon hardtail range for 2021 with new geometry, specs and great pricing. For a brand that’s generally pretty quiet internationally, Patrol Mountain has been making a lot of noise these past few weeks. It all kicked off with the announcement…
Orange Crush MX – New 140mm Travel Mixed Wheel Hardtail
Orange Bikes announces an addition to its hardtail line up: the Orange Crush MX. The Orange Bikes range of hardtails currently includes the Crush and the P7, both available in 27.5in and 29in wheel sizes. To the mix is added the Crush MX – a…
DMR Rhythm | Jumping to a new beat
The new DMR Rhythm is a 26” wheel aluminium jump/pumptrack/4X/play frame, built for big airs, endless laps, and elbow to elbow antics. When a bike model gets bigger wheels for an update, these days that usually means it becomes a 29er. Not so the DMR…
Merida Big.Trail 600 First Ride Review | All the hardtail you’ll ever need, for just £1500
It’s no secret that the writers at Singletrack love a nice boutique hardtail. The lure of a custom steel frame, painstakingly brazed together by a bloke who looks like he got lost on the way to the Glastonbury Festival in the 1970s in his garden…
Kona Honzo ESD first ride review: Kona’s classic hardcore hardtail gets an update
On one of the hottest days of the year, Andi takes out one of the hottest new bikes of the year. Here are his first ride impressions of the Kona Honzo ESD. There was a time that all I rode was steel hardtails. Now and…
BMC Two-Stroke Hardtail – Not (Just) For Racing
Today, BMC launches its new hardtail, the BMC Two-Stroke. It’s a 100mm forked hardtail designed for going fast, fast, fast, but it’s not for racing. Or rather, it’s not really designed for XCO, UCI World Cup cross country racing. BMC acknowledges that the best bike…
Yeti Launches Yeti ARC Production Bikes For Those Without Nine Grand
Recently, Yeti Cycles celebrated its 35th anniversary with the launch of an eyewateringly expensive, commemorative Yeti ARC 35 hardtail, complete with colour-matched components and a pretty top-shelf spec. The bike itself was so far over most people’s price ranges that we didn’t really pay close…
Orbea Alma | Superlight hardtails from £799!
The latest Orbea Alma hardtail offers impressive race ready weights at a price to suit every pocket. Orbea gets 1/3 of its revenue through its XC bikes, so it should be no surprise that they’ve put some effort in to modernising their XC hardtail, the…
We’re feeling hungry for Pipedream’s Titani-Yum Moxie
With just 24 being produced the 2020 Titanium Moxie hardtail is set to be one of this year’s most exclusive frames. It was teased just a few weeks ago and now it has been made official! Pipedream is bringing back the Titanium Moxie hardtail as…
Cotic Solaris MAX 2020 | More Sparkles, More Bottle Bosses!
Cotic has revealed the latest update to the Solaris MAX, their 29er hardtail which they say can do everything from enduro to bike packing. This latest edition of the Cotic Solaris MAX features a slightly steeper seat tube, but that’s not what going to catch…
Commencal tweaks the Meta HT hardtail for 2021
Commencal’s tweaked Meta HT hardtail released with 2021 build and a couple of frame updates. Think Commencal and you will probably picture downhill race runs, enduro wins, and aggressive full-suspension bikes, but full-bounce isn’t all they do. The Commencal Meta HT has been a regular…
Specialized Rockhopper | The Classic Gateway MTB Gets Redesigned
The classic gateway drug of MTB, the Specialized Rockhopper, gets a redesign for 2021. For many, the Specialized Rockhopper will have been one of the first mountain bikes they ever rode. It’s been the gateway drug, affordably priced but specced like a ‘proper’ bike, and…
First Ride Review: GT Zaskar LT Expert
We’ve had this mossy green-coloured hardcore hardtail in to ride for a few weeks now, and Chipps has been able to take it on enough of his local trails to bring you this first-ride review of GT’s most dramatic new hardtail in years, the Zaskar…
The new GT Zaskar LT – Is This GT’s Definitive Hardcore Hardtail?
The GT Zaskar is one of the mountain bike world’s longest-running names and one of the most versatile. Introduced in 1991, the Zaskar has seen World Cup victory in downhill, cross country, slalom and trials. And now, GT is introducing a more playful, almost UK-spec…
Salsa Rangefinder | A New Hardtail Joins The Updated Timberjack
Salsa is introducing a new hardtail, the Rangefinder, plus brings new build specs and colours to the existing Timberjack. The new Rangefinder is designed as a confidence building trail hardtail, ‘to deliver thrills on local singletrack or venture into unknown territory without hesitation. With modern…
British Steel Bike Test | 3 Hardtails, Made In The UK
This article was first published in Issue 127 of Singletrack Magazine. Three contemporary steel hardtails made by hand in the UK from 18 Bikes, Shand and Stanton. And we mean made, not just assembled. Something interesting is happening to the UK’s bicycle manufacturing industry. Rewind…
Stanton Switch9er | Made In The UK, Aggro-Ready Geometry
First published in Issue 127 of Singletrack Magazine, this Stanton Switch9er was reviewed as part of our British Steel test of steel hardtails built in the UK. Stanton Switch9er Price: £699.00 (frame only) From: Stanton, stantonbikes.com Dan Stanton launched his namesake company back in 2012,…
Shand Shug | A Classic Hardtail or Radical Animal?
First published in Issue 127 of Singletrack Magazine, this Shand Shug was reviewed as part of our British Steel test of steel hardtails built in the UK. Shand Shug Price: £995.00 (frame only) From: Shand, shandcycles.com Shand has been building custom steel frames in Scotland…
Ragley BigWig Custom Build | Amanda's Steel Hardtail V2
Back in February I bought my first hardtail frame; a Ragley Piglet. Steel, 130mm travel, 650b, green… and I LOVED IT. I didn’t have any particular reason for choosing steel, I just wanted it. It turns out steel is heavy, much heavier than the carbon…
18 Bikes No 9 | Sheffield Steel Hardtail
First published in Issue 127 of Singletrack Magazine, this 18 Bikes No 9 was reviewed as part of our British Steel test of steel hardtails built in the UK. 18 Bikes No 9 Price: £900.00 (frame only) From: 18 Bikes, 18bikes.co.uk 18 Bikes is a…
Scoutin’ About | Now That’s How You Ride Leeds Urban Bike Park
We know that many of our readers have ridden Leeds Urban Bike Park, and plenty of you are big fans of its variety of trails, tracks and jump lines. We can’t help but feel a little inadequate having seen these guys from Nukeproof show how…
Carbon, 12-Speed Voodoo Bizango Carbon costs just £1000!
Joe Murray brand launches the Voodoo Bizango Carbon for £1000 with SX 12-Speed Eagle, RockShox forks and more! The £1000 price point is producing some really stunning bikes these days. Bike brands are competing to release mountain bikes with quality components, and real MTB geometry…
A Bike Love Affair | My Ragley Piglet
The day my new Ragley Piglet frame arrived I washed my hands before opening the box. I didn’t want to put any fingerprints on it before I’d applied the EcoCoat ceramic glaze. Because god forbid I scratch the paintwork on a steel commuter, right? The…
2019 Cotic BFe First Ride Review
James Vincent grabs a first ride on the new Cotic BFe hardtail. When launching a new bike, some bike companies whisk a select group of lucky journos off to some exotic location on the other side of the world, wine them and dine them, and…
US Custom Builder Sklar Introduces Sweet Spot – for those with deep pockets.
US custom frame builder Adam Sklar introduces an off-the-peg steel do-it-all hardtail. Perhaps better known for custom made titanium and steel mountain bikes and all-road bikes, US builder Sklar Bikes is going a little more mainstream with a stock build, trail-focused mountain bike: the Sklar…
Review | Ti Hard – Sonder Signal Ti
Our very own Bruce Willis lookalike, Andi Sykes, tested out three titanium hardtails from Kingdom, Nordest and Sonder for Issue 122 of Singletrack Magazine. Here is his review of the Sonder Signal Ti. As I’m sure you all know, but Sonder is the bike branch…
Review | Ti Hard – Kingdom Vendetta X2
Our very own Bruce Willis lookalike, Andi Sykes, tested out three titanium hardtails from Kingdom, Nordest and Sonder for Issue 122 of Singletrack Magazine. Here is his review of the Kingdom Vendetta X2. Kingdom Bike is based in Copenhagen and like many other brands from…
Viathon – The new brand poised to take on the USA
From Impact Sun Valley in Idaho, Hannah brings us a look at Viathon, a new brand with some big hitting financial backers. You could launch a new bike brand in a blaze of publicity and radical geometry, or you could fairly quietly develop just three…
Meet the Banshee Paradox – An alloy hardtail that rides like steel
The Banshee Paradox is an ultra-rare alloy hardtail that has been designed to ride with the spirit of a steel bike Banshee bikes aren’t exactly ten a penny in the UK. You might bump into a Spitfire now and then but they’re not the usual…
First Look | This 2019 Pace RC529 hardcore steel hardtail is 65mm longer than last year!
For 2019, Pace has really pushed the geometry to the next level on its hardcore, steel hardtails. Take a first look at the 2019 Pace RC529 to see what we mean. Back in November, we received an email from Pace Cycles telling us all about…
Chris Chance Unveils Fat Chance Yo Eddy Titanium At The Sea Otter
Chris Chance is celebrating moving the Fat Chance workshop from the Bay Area to Medford Oregon by announcing a full, US-made titanium version of the legendary Yo Eddy hardtail. He was at the Sea Otter Classic to launch it and to meet up with fans…
2019 Production Privée gets a Martini Makeover Shan No.5 now 29er
Andorran steel frame supremos, Production Privée, has revamped its range of steel Enduro frames with iconic motorsport livery, and 29er option for the Shan No5. If you’re a fan of hardcore hardtails Production Privée will be a name that stands out above the rest. The…
First Ride Review: 2019 Sonder Transmitter First Impressions
Sonder’s popular Transmitter alloy hardtail returns for 2019 with a fresh lick of paint and updated geometry, but how does it ride? We sent Andi to the woods to find out. Just over a week ago we reported that Sonder had refreshed the popular Sonder…
Video: Craig Evans Shows Us What The Carba-Carba-Carbon Chameleon Can Really Do!
You’ve seen the launch video for the Carbon Chameleon, Oh, you’ve not? Well, you can watch it here then come back. Ok, so now you’ve seen the launch video for Santa Cruz’s new carbon hardtail, now it’s time to see just what the bike can handle.…
First Ride Review: Santa Cruz Chameleon C SE 29 Reserve
There can’t be many models of mountain bike out there which can claim to have the longevity of the Santa Cruz Chameleon. It’s been around since 1996, when it burst onto the scene as one of a small handful of hard-hitting hardtails, boasting the capability…
The Return Of Ragley – Old favourites, favourable pricing
Riders around Singletrack Towers are familiar with the likes of Mmmbop and Blue Pig as local trail names. However, thanks to their origins with local designer Brant Richards, these are also bikes in the Ragley (Woods, to us locals) line up. Old favourites that have…
Review: 2018 Cube Reaction TM – a ready to roll package
Cube has a reputation for well priced bikes – you get a decent amount of bike for your money. It’s a brand you’ll find in many a local bike shop, and as a result you’ll probably see a decent number of them out on the…
Christmas Countdown Day 14: Win A Lapierre Edge AM 727
Wow, today we’re giving away a whole bike! This is surely going to make someone very happy. Hannah is certainly rather excited about it in the video. Read on to find out what you could win, and how to win it… Holy mackerel! A whole…
We’re Giving This Bike Away On Saturday! Lapierre Edge AM 727
Are you the kind of rider who enjoys exploring the mountains, heading to the trail centre, and tackling sumptuous single track? Of course, you are, you’re a mountain biker after all aren’t you? Now just because you enjoy clearing challenging terrain doesn’t necessarily you enjoy…
First Look: Radon Cragger 29er Hardtail
Another week, another direct sales German test bike! Following on from the Propain Hugene that arrived a couple of weeks ago, we’ve just had this Cragger 130mm travel hardtail arrive from German brand Radon. Aimed squarely at the trail bike market, the Cragger is available…
First Look: Genesis Tarn Keeping It Real With UK Steel
Made from steel, the Genesis Tarn is a dedicated 27.5 Plus bike for riders wanting the spring of steel, the boing of chunky rubber and the confidence and stability a modern geometry offers. We’re not sure how the bods at Genesis went about developing the…