Are Hardtails dead?

[Meezo]

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bike-frames/413135/ragley-bigwig-frames-with-rockshox-reba-120mm

[BaGearA]

Noice

[Snaagi]

I've wondered the same thing for a while, personally I think it's because the hotel market is becoming so expensive you may as well buy a fully.

 

My favourite bike in the last couple years has been an octane one prone 27.5" with a 140mm fork.

 

Every time I went to a park guys would ask where I got it because it's such a cool bike.

 

I just don't think people remember how cool hard tails can be. I went back to it, because I'd become lazy and ended up having more fun on it.

[Snaagi]

Haha hard tail market....not hotel market

[Super Sywurm]

When I ride a dual sups bike, it feels like it's me and the bike.  When I ride a hard tail bike, it feels that I am the bike!  I had two dual susp bikes in my life, sold both of them and went back to hard tail.

[daveno7]

When I ride a dual sups bike, it feels like it's me and the bike.  When I ride a hard tail bike, it feels that I am the bike!  I had two dual susp bikes in my life, sold both of them and went back to hard tail.

was looking at a basic model trek hardtail today and i was so thinking....i need another HT as an N+1...

[Super Sywurm]

was looking at a basic model trek hardtail today and i was so thinking....i need another HT as an N+1...

DO IT!!!

[Headshot]

Ya, as dead as a dodo. LOL.

[Me rida my bicycle]

Have to say this weekend at Jonkershoek I felt a little under biked on my HT on some parts. Given I was the only HT between the trail bikes 3 Trek EX and a ???? Spez Stumpy.

But when it came to round 2 back to the top I was smiling.

But trying to "race" the others is fun and makes your rear go like a rabbits nose.

[TeamBaja]

I work, a bike shop in USA, I can assure you they aren't dead. Is the most popular bike still, some have comeback to hardtails. Most full bikes are cheap in quality or really heavy for the money. To be honest very few people really need a full. But I sell whatever the customer needs or wants. 

 

I only ride hardtails, I like them can do what I need and keep me sharp.

[Hairy]

Have to say this weekend at Jonkershoek I felt a little under biked on my HT on some parts. Given I was the only HT between the trail bikes 3 Trek EX and a Spez Stumpy.

But when it came to round 2 back to the top I was smiling.

But trying to "race" the others is fun and makes your rear go like a rabbits nose.

If I recall your HT is more XC focused .... have you given a more trail orientated HT a spin yet .... these things can still hammer on a DH trail!

[CAAD4]

I work, a bike shop in USA, I can assure you they aren't dead. Is the most popular bike still, some have comeback to hardtails. Most full bikes are cheap in quality or really heavy for the money. To be honest very few people really need a full. But I sell whatever the customer needs or wants.

 

I only ride hardtails, I like them can do what I need and keep me sharp.

Welcome

Do you guys sell any exotic, or less commonly seen brands, or any recent beauties that you have built?

[Hairy]

I work, a bike shop in USA, I can assure you they aren't dead. Is the most popular bike still, some have comeback to hardtails. Most full bikes are cheap in quality or really heavy for the money. To be honest very few people really need a full. But I sell whatever the customer needs or wants. 

 

I only ride hardtails, I like them can do what I need and keep me sharp.

Are you selling more trail or XC hardtails, what sort of spec (decent forks and wheels) are the most sold bikes coming with, and out of interest what are your local trails like?

 

I imagine in the USA you have a better range of decent hardtails vs us in SA where most bikes are duallies, and very XC and marathon focused .... though saying that, trail and enduro has certainly taken traction over here the last year or two, but still nothing compared to our XC and marathon bikes.

[Me rida my bicycle]

If I recall your HT is more XC focused .... have you given a more trail orientated HT a spin yet .... these things can still hammer on a DH trail!

yes it's a Scale with little love to make her even more fun on the trails.

A 120mm fork is what I am looking for, would bring the H/A to 68 and with the dropper and fat rubber she will still be well under 11kg.

Thing is our Ave rides are 50-70km 1200-1800m elevation and the Scale is comfy and even makes my big size fast up the hills and keep up with my riding partners.

Around D'ville our usual trails where I know the trails she is great but obviously not knowing what's coming and you can't just smash through things like on dualies it gets a bit tricky.

 

PS : at least I didn't do this ????????

[Dirt Tracker]

So here is a question. What is considered to be a good head angle (okay I know a bike is the sum of it’s parts but it’s a good start) for a HT.

 

There are a lot of longer / slacker HTs about but if you look at the Momsen steel it’s ‘longer slacker’ is about 69 degrees, the big wig is 68 and quite a few new frames sit in that 67 / 69 range.

 

I think that a 66 / 67 is a good start for a trail bike an 67 is almost a magic point for ‘fun’ bikes. You have to work hard as a frame designer to be good around 64 degrees.

[Hairy]

My mindset is that a HT should be slacker than a comparative travel duallie.

 

A duallie under sag and compression will see the head angle and seat angle remaining reasonably constant with eachother.

 

A HT sees the HA steepen drastically under sag and compression with the seat angle also steepening.

 

My Dartmoor Hornet had a head angle of 65deg with a 160mm fork, and she was certainly not a pig on tighter trails, or felt cumbersome in any way.