Are Hardtails dead?

[gummibear]

Depends on the hardtail (cos there's hardtails and hardtails..).

I'll take any excuse to show this off

My only MTB now is this steel Niner, I use it for long events (100 miler etc) and for blasting the singletrack around The Cape. I had two other Niners, an Air9 RDO which was lighter and a Jet9 RDO which had 120mm/90mm. I'm a few secs slower up the long climbs than on the carbon HT and faster downhill than on the FS. Overall faster all round. It's more comfortable than the carbon HT but way more forgiving and it's more direct and responsive than the FS but just as capable. I sold both other bikes, as the ROS made them redundant to me. Admittedly, the spec is quite high end which helps keep the weight down, it's now at 12kg ready to roll. 

The spec, to those interested:

Niner ROS steel frame

SRAM XX1 Eagle

RS1 fork

Tune hubs

AM Classic 3834 rims

Maxxis Ardent 2.4

RS Dropper

Fizik Tundra2 carbon

Niner RDO carbon bar and stem

Formula Cura brakes

Damn nice looking bike.

[BaGearA]

Thought about it today , I'd rather ride A mid range steel hardtail with nice fork and brakes ( gears or ss up to you ) 

 

than the bottom of the line stumpjumper st with hond_k@k suspension , wooden brakes and exploding drive train 

 

and i think many others would too 

 

but so mnay bike shops in this country aren't out to get A customer on what would suit them or would give them the greatest pleasure it's about how heavy the bill at checkout could be  

 

 

whoooooosa

[Grease_Monkey]

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

A hardtail's rear wheel gets hung up on rocks and ledges and potentially loses traction while a dual suspension's rear wheel moves up and out of the way of obstacles allowing it to maintain traction. The climb will be smoother on the DS.

 

Of course, I am generalizing a bit because there are many climbs where a HT will be faster, and I am assuming we are comparing a very efficient dual suspension bike rather than a enduro or trail bike with lots of pedal bob and/or extra weight.

Edited January 27, 2020 by Grease_Monkey

[henningvr]

Hardtails are far from dead. Horses for courses, I say.

 

On a similar note, I just bought a 1992 Diamondback steel frame hardtail for R500. It's a rigid single speed (cro-mo fork) with cantilever brakes. This will be my daily commuter/shack bike/coffee shop bike.

 

I'm 49. I should not be allowed anywhere near a full sus.

[MORNE]

We've all heard it. "The apocalypse will not be motorised people!".

 

Similarly - squish, pivot bearings and linkages wont survive either. 

What you'll need is a cockroach...

A real bike...

A rigid bike.

 

 

 

[nonky]

Sell what's on the truck.

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

 

Yip, Spez SA didn't even bother to import the new Fuse (trail HT 29er).

 

I suspect the dealers are still trying to shift the previous 27.5 fattie models that were imported in 2015/6...

[Me rida my bicycle]

so which one are you riding now? The rm?

the Scott Scale, I am still to find something it can't do for my riding and skill level I love this bike. The RM was not a all day ride HT.

[Me rida my bicycle]

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.

it all depends on the HT most of the big brands have some sort of gimmick to soften the rear to increase comfort and grip Scott with the SDS and Cannondale with SAVE is the best in my opinion and with fat rubber you are still miles away in terms of weight. Riding style also plays a big role, I am way faster on the climbs and only a tiny bit slower on technical decends on the HT than dual so less effort in the climbs means I can ride more in one day and that's why I love my HT.

[Me rida my bicycle]

Yip, Spez SA didn't even bother to import the new Fuse (trail HT 29er).

 

I suspect the dealers are still trying to shift the previous 27.5 fattie models that were imported in 2015/6...

because even with massive rubber those fuse frames would shake you apart.

[wildwindfr]

Not dead.

Never owned or ridden a dual suspension.

They have always been out of my limited budget.

Would love a steel or Ti hardtail.

[Grunder]

People in Stellenbosch are chops thats why ????

 

Hard tail kicks ass

[Jewbacca]

I will say it again... You get Hardtails

 

And you get Hardtails...

 

You guys are talking about Spez and 'Dale etc but in reality there is a whole industry out there full of bike manufacturers who spend most of their time making hardtails.

 

It's like talking about VW and Toyota and forgetting to even look at Bugati's and Aston Martins or an Ineos Grenadier.

 

BTR, Kingdom, Shan Production Privee, Kona, Ragley and more all make hardtails that would leave the large production companies dead in the water.

 

So if you want a hardtail that can be built under 10kg and used to race, rad.

 

But proper ones are made for hooning and none of the 'big brands' have dipped their toes into that

Edited January 27, 2020 by Jewbacca

[daveno7]

Hardtails are a great entry point into MTB riding...the trails are in SA are unique and world leading...

 

What I would say from my personal experience it that riding an entry level hardtail can let you become a better rider....and they are great fun...i still love mine as i do my full-suss for more aggressive riding in our trails here...

 

hardtails are great bikes....and don't forget lighter...

[BSG]

What about the Trek Roscoe 8? Looks like a nice ride.

[Super Sywurm]

I currently ride a dual susp bike, but I still prefer hard tail. My next bike will be a hard tail again, probably one of the Giant XTC bikes. But this will only be in a couple of years.

[eddy]

I will say it again... You get Hardtails

hardtail1.jpg

 

And you get Hardtails...

Hardtail2.jpg

 

You guys are talking about Spez and 'Dale etc but in reality there is a whole industry out there full of bike manufacturers who spend most of their time making hardtails.

 

It's like talking about VW and Toyota and forgetting to even look at Bugati's and Aston Martins or an Ineos Grenadier.

 

BTR, Kingdom, Shan Production Privee, Kona, Ragley and more all make hardtails that would leave the large production companies dead in the water.

 

So if you want a hardtail that can be built under 10kg and used to race, rad.

 

But proper ones are made for hooning and none of the 'big brands' have dipped their toes into that

Apparently one doesn't put a SID on one either....