Dreamy Long Travel / AM Hardtails

[Hairy]

hijack on

 

i've got a santacruz 5010c. its a great bike and i love it to bits, but i must say i've started to develop a real itch for a ti frame hardtail...

 

i ride a bit of everything, so I was thinking to trade my bike in for a slack geometry hardtail with at 140mm fork to handle everything from a non-technical multi day stage race to rough stuff like the odd enduro race or even a mild DH course... questions:

 

1)  How does the ride quality of a well specced AM hardtail (like most in this thread, specifically post #548 from Hairy above) compare with what I have now?  Will I miss the rear shock or feel that the bike is less capable straight away?

 

2)  Does one go with plus size, or are these machines a dying breed?

 

3)  Where does one buy a boost ti frame in SA, and how many options does one have?  I like the Van Nicholas frames quite a bit

 

4)  Is there any way or place where one can test ride a machine like this?

 

hijack off

there is also Kingdom bikes

 

 

[Hairy]

[Hairy]

[Hairy]

[Hairy]

 

[Hairy]

[Hairy]

[PhilipV]

hijack on

 

i've got a santacruz 5010c. its a great bike and i love it to bits, but i must say i've started to develop a real itch for a ti frame hardtail...

 

i ride a bit of everything, so I was thinking to trade my bike in for a slack geometry hardtail with at 140mm fork to handle everything from a non-technical multi day stage race to rough stuff like the odd enduro race or even a mild DH course... questions:

 

1) How does the ride quality of a well specced AM hardtail (like most in this thread, specifically post #548 from Hairy above) compare with what I have now? Will I miss the rear shock or feel that the bike is less capable straight away?

 

2) Does one go with plus size, or are these machines a dying breed?

 

3) Where does one buy a boost ti frame in SA, and how many options does one have? I like the Van Nicholas frames quite a bit

 

4) Is there any way or place where one can test ride a machine like this?

 

hijack off

Hate to be a wet diaper, but don't.

I have (had) both a lekker trails bike and a lekker trail hardtail. Giant Trance as my darling, and a sweet Dartmoor Primal as my Rooikop Skelmpie.

I rode both equally ito kms (according to strava,) so I didn't have a favourite, and it was refreshing to get on the other bike after about 3rides on a particular bike.

But then I cracked my hardtail frame on day 1 of the Simonsberg Contour. "Not a problem," I thought, " ek het mos twee fietse." So on day 2 I rode my Trance. And halfway I realized that I'm having a bucket load of fun on the Trance. And thar I'm not riding fast enough to really motivate having a hardtail as my only bike. Now it's three months later and I'm still only riding my Trance and taking time to replace the hardtail.

 

So I won't swap the Santa if I were you, that thing is amazing. Rather save up and build the hardtail as a second bike with bits and bobs and second hand stuff. That way you have the best of both worlds. Sell something that you don't use ie from a hobby that you never really got started in if needed.

You'll miss the Santa when it's gone. You'll miss the squish on rough days. You've walked a long road with that bike, don't let it go to satisfy an itch. If you trade it in, trade it on another bike like itself, but a better one.

Edited April 15, 2018 by PhilipV

[Grease_Monkey]

Hate to be a wet diaper, but don't.

I have (had) both a lekker trails bike and a lekker trail hardtail. Giant Trance as my darling, and a sweet Dartmoor Primal as my Rooikop Skelmpie.

I rode both equally ito kms (according to strava,) so I didn't have a favourite, and it was refreshing to get on the other bike after about 3rides on a particular bike.

But then I cracked my hardtail frame on day 1 of the Simonsberg Contour. "Not a problem," I thought, " ek het mos twee fietse." So on day 2 I rode my Trance. And halfway I realized that I'm having a bucket load of fun on the Trance. And thar I'm not riding fast enough to really motivate having a hardtail as my only bike. Now it's three months later and I'm still only riding my Trance and taking time to replace the hardtail.

 

So I won't swap the Santa if I were you, that thing is amazing. Rather save up and build the hardtail as a second bike with bits and bobs and second hand stuff. That way you have the best of both worlds. Sell something that you don't use ie from a hobby that you never really got started in if needed.

You'll miss the Santa when it's gone. You'll miss the squish on rough days. You've walked a long road with that bike, don't let it go to satisfy an itch. If you tease it in, trade it on another bike like itself, but a better one.

I tend to agree with this. I ride a Stumpy as my primary bike and a steel hardtail about every 3rd or 4th ride. Both medium travel, burly bikes - so same purpose.

 

I have to say that although the hardtail is a nice alternative ride, it will never replace the dual suspension bike. I'm much faster on the Stumpy, and tire slower on descents, amd my back doesn't take the beating it does on the hardtail.

 

I'm a big proponent of the AM hardtail, but in my opinion you'd be making a mistake in having it as your only bike, especially knowing what you will be giving up.

[Grease_Monkey]

Edit: Double post.

Edited April 15, 2018 by Grease_Monkey

[Patensie]

I have a 5010 and an OnOne inbred 26er. Granted, the inbred is not a proper almtn hardtail, but its fork is set at 120mm. It serves as the skoolbus - i take my laaitie to school on it - but ride proper trails in the afternoon back home on it. On my off days when my wife takes the klein k@k to school , i jump at the chance to ride the 5010. There are stuff that i will not ride on the OnOone and some stuff that the 5010 takes in its stride is damn right scary on the onbred.

[Eddy Gordo]

Those Kingdom Vendetta bikes,..........

[Skott5]

There is nothing sexier than a long, slack hardtail ripper, and they are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

 

But I agree that as good as they are, a properly dialed full squish will still win out if you had to have only one. Hucks to flat, and rough trails tire you quickly on a hardtail. On manicured trails and smooth transitions a hardtail will make you giggle like a school girl.

 

That's why you have to have both .... what's the point of having cake if you can't eat it ..

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Headshot]

There is nothing sexier than a long, slack hardtail ripper, and they are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

 

But I agree that as good as they are, a properly dialed full squish will still win out if you had to have only one. Hucks to flat, and rough trails tire you quickly on a hardtail. On manicured trails and smooth transitions a hardtail will make you giggle like a school girl.

 

That's why you have to have both .... what's the point of having cake if you can't eat it ..

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep what you and PhilV said is spot on. My HT is huge fun but has its limitations. On tight twisty and even bumpy trails it can be quicker, but at a cost in terms of physical strain on your body. At higher speeds, funnily enough the difference feels less noticeable ( I have a 160mm Pike up front) and it skims over the rough stuff pretty well.

 

The problem is at those medium speeds where the dual sus adds comfort, smooths out your pedal input and saves your legs. I have just tweaked my Enduro with a lower than advised fork pressure and it has made the thing even more comfortable and grippy in the corners than before.  

 

One advantage of two bikes is that you can save the high maintenance one form the worst weather and still get a ride in. 

[Hairy]

Yep what you and PhilV said is spot on. My HT is huge fun but has its limitations. On tight twisty and even bumpy trails it can be quicker, but at a cost in terms of physical strain on your body. At higher speeds, funnily enough the difference feels less noticeable ( I have a 160mm Pike up front) and it skims over the rough stuff pretty well.

 

The problem is at those medium speeds where the dual sus adds comfort, smooths out your pedal input and saves your legs. I have just tweaked my Enduro with a lower than advised fork pressure and it has made the thing even more comfortable and grippy in the corners than before.  

 

One advantage of two bikes is that you can save the high maintenance one form the worst weather and still get a ride in. 

pppffffffttttt.......... the answer is simple ... ride fast all the time

 

easier said than done

[MarcBurger]

Honestly, after putting together my own long travel hardtail I can come to the following conclusion:They aren't particularly good at or for anything.

As an N+1 bike that sits among your quiver of purpose-build bikes, it doesn't descend the best, climb the best (nor was it the cheapest by far) and it just rips my old-man knees and ankles apart.

I'm not going to do a sani2c on it, nor a Harties downhill run on it. 

 

But holy balls is it a sexy machine, and a load of fun to ride too. To the extent that it'll probably see the most butt-time than any other bike I own.

 

 

Edited April 16, 2018 by MarcBurger