Are Hardtails dead?

[Grease_Monkey]

 Does anyone even stock the Slade? 

 

Been looking around and can't find one, except online  

 

Out of stock in SA at the moment. I got a second hand frame recently after phoning every soul that stocks Silverback in SA and had no luck. 

 

A good alternative is the Nukeproof Scout 290 from Chain Reaction Cycles, a bit pricey, but nearly identical geo to the Slade.

[BSG]

I've spoken to 2 shops locally, Mosselbay and George and both said the Slade is out of stock and apparently new ones will be in stock from mid 2020, otherwise we can call the shop in George, they will have news of stock by end of next week.

 

George Cycle and Sports Rob 0448732982

Mosselbay Monties Luther

0446912828

[Skubarra]

If sales of the Silverback Slade is anything to go by then surely this answers the OP's question?

 

Maybe the opinion of the young sales guy in the S'bosch Specialized store is not the most reliable source to base this odd theory on...

[PhilipV]

Maybe the opinion of the young sales guy in the S'bosch Specialized store is not the most reliable source to base this odd theory on...

Sell what's on the truck.

And if there are no hardtails on the truck, then you tell the customers that hardtails are dead

[eddy]

Buck the trend and get a steel 29er hardtail 

 

I should not have sold my P29er.  but at least I still again have my Swiss Cross.  

 

 

Horses for courses and to each his own.

 

I can get out to the spruit/Delta/Alberts/Northcliff tower for a quick hour or two every so often when I can't ride elsewhere and for that a DS is completely overkill. For me the ideal bike is my Cotic steel HT SS because without the mechanical advantage of suspension or gears I can in get a proper workout in a very short space of time.

 

I also have a steel Niner MCR HT with proper XO 3x9 gearing I bike pack with. 

 

Neither of these applications suit my dual sus bike which even lives at a friend's house after she did J2C on it last year and I haven't needed it yet.

 

I know it is different for everyone, but the two kinds of offroad riding I do don't require suspension. (even though I have given up on riding rigid after a eye watering K2C one year and the SID went back on).

[Jewbacca]

 

 

I know it is different for everyone, but the two kinds of offroad riding I do don't require suspension. (even though I have given up on riding rigid after a eye watering K2C one year and the SID went back on).

Putting a SID on my steel bike would make me cry way more than the corrugations.....

[Dadbod Racing]

i hope not because if ht is dead i am a necrophiliac

       

 

You win the internet today! 

[Butterbean]

OT sorry

 

you'll never look at morticians the same way again

Just as easy as cracking open a cold one...

[Hairy]

Just as easy as cracking open a cold one...

You also into spirits?

[T_Boss]

I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one that still enjoys a hardtail.

 

To be honest the post was a bit tongue in cheek, but I was interested to get the other users here’s opinion.

 

I must say I was shocked when the guy at the Spaz store said no one buys hardtails anymore...... and I felt like telling him it’s probably because they aren’t exactly trying to sell them. But it does also seem to be a brand decision from Specialised. The Stunpjumper hardtail used to be a fun bike, but it’s been dropped from the lineup all together.

 

I know there are other brands better suited to trail hardtails, but even then, the shops do seem more inclined to push DS bikes. I wonder why? Is it more work for them with one backs on shock services, or do they make more margin on the DS bikes.

 

I would imagine there would be more margin in it for the shop to sell a decent specced full XT or XX hardtail, than a GX or Deore specced DS. But I may be mistaken.

 

Just glad to hear HT is not dead

[Longbarn Killer]

In the days of 26ers, I remember reading an article in either Bicycling or Ride magazine that hardtails were going to become obsolete.

 

Then 29ers were born. The first 29ers were hardtails. People were saying that full suspension bikes would die as the larger wheels on a 29er had the same effect over bumps as a 26er full suspension.

 

10 years on and neither the hardtail or full suspension are gone. Both seems to be alive and well.

 

The same cannot be said for soft tails though. Other than the BMC, I don't know of any other soft tail on the SA market.

[Hairy]

In the days of 26ers, I remember reading an article in either Bicycling or Ride magazine that hardtails were going to become obsolete.

 

Then 29ers were born. The first 29ers were hardtails. People were saying that full suspension bikes would die as the larger wheels on a 29er had the same effect over bumps as a 26er full suspension.

 

10 years on and neither the hardtail or full suspension are gone. Both seems to be alive and well.

 

The same cannot be said for soft tails though. Other than the BMC, I don't know of any other soft tail on the SA market.

your first mistake was believing anything said in Bicycling Magazine .... unless you want to do a sub 3hr Argus with 2 months training or want rock solid abs while eating a diet of fish and chips.

[Skubarra]

In the days of 26ers, I remember reading an article in either Bicycling or Ride magazine that hardtails were going to become obsolete.

 

Well to be fair, in the days of 26ers the hub wisdom also dictated that 29ers were a temporary marketing fad and that wheel size doesn't make any difference...

[Grease_Monkey]

I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one that still enjoys a hardtail.

 

To be honest the post was a bit tongue in cheek, but I was interested to get the other users here’s opinion.

 

I must say I was shocked when the guy at the Spaz store said no one buys hardtails anymore...... and I felt like telling him it’s probably because they aren’t exactly trying to sell them. But it does also seem to be a brand decision from Specialised. The Stunpjumper hardtail used to be a fun bike, but it’s been dropped from the lineup all together.

 

I know there are other brands better suited to trail hardtails, but even then, the shops do seem more inclined to push DS bikes. I wonder why? Is it more work for them with one backs on shock services, or do they make more margin on the DS bikes.

 

I would imagine there would be more margin in it for the shop to sell a decent specced full XT or XX hardtail, than a GX or Deore specced DS. But I may be mistaken.

 

Just glad to hear HT is not dead

 

 

It's a Spaz SA thing... not global. Specialized have revamped the Fuse platform last year, and it is a ripper, seriously capable bike - but I have not seen it in any of the concept stores yet.

 

As for the Stumpjumper hardtail, it was always their XC race bike, it hasn't been dropped - the naming convention just changed to Epic hardtail to align with the DS platform.

Edited January 27, 2020 by Grease_Monkey

[slickjay007]

I bought a Specialized Chisel Expert 1X hardtail from Bell's Cycling in Nelspruit (they are a Concept store) two years ago. I see they are still selling them. The only difference is that the new model now has NX components, where mine has GX, and the new one is 1x12 where mine is 1x11.

 

If you look at the specs, this is a good bit of bike for the price: https://www.bellscycling.co.za/product/2019-mens-chisel-expert/

 

After two years, mine is still going strong.

 

If you get to that Spez store again, ask them if they can get you a Chisel Expert 1X

 

Pricey for an Aluminium frame but otherwise specs are good

[thisismyotherbike]

Didn't read your whole post, but no, most certrainly not dead. As an XC bike they don't make sense to me - they are uncomfortable, and slower than dual suspensions on everything except for smooth climbs.

 

But as a hooligan trail bike, nothing is more fun. Of all my bikes I reach for my trail hardtail more than anything else just because it is so dam fun. Long, low and slack HTs are very capable, low maintenance, and make even mellower trails more lively. They have a next to cult following - but you are right, they are not as poppular as they once were, and the reason for that is simple - full suspension bikes are faster (whether that is climbing or descending) and more comfortable.

 

Although my HT is my favourite bike, it would not be the bike I would choose if I could have only one bike.

 

Could somebody explain to me why full suspension bikes climb faster on non-smooth climbs?