My hardtail journey

[slackboy]

I like hardtails.

Great thread. I'm surprised you never tried a cotic in your journey. Some of best bikes I've ridden.

 

[stevet1]

Saw a video a good while back where a guy seemed not that happy with the quality of a Kingdom hardtail frame.
How is yours?

Fine, it's not quite as nicely finished as my old slackline Ti but it's stood up to plenty of hard riding without an issue. The rear end doesn't feel as compliant as my old slackline either - could be a combination of 12mm bolt through, the seat stay angle or the tubing or just in my head. It's not a deal breaker though and the geometry and standover clearance make up for it.
What were the issues in the video?

 

[rigidftw]

Fine, it's not quite as nicely finished as my old slackline Ti but it's stood up to plenty of hard riding without an issue. The rear end doesn't feel as compliant as my old slackline either - could be a combination of 12mm bolt through, the seat stay angle or the tubing or just in my head. It's not a deal breaker though and the geometry and standover clearance make up for it.
What were the issues in the video?

I think the BB threads were misaligned. As in either side was fine on its own, with the BB face perpendicular to the thread, but the faces themselves were not parallel. This resulted in issues with the bearings. It was that Hambini guy. He must have taken the video down. I did not manage to find it.

 

[rigidftw]

Great thread. I'm surprised you never tried a cotic in your journey. Some of best bikes I've ridden.

Good point. A couple friends have or had Cotic bikes, so I know them quite well. They never appealed to me that much, though.
They come across a little too polished, I think.

 

[brocklanders023]

Was running a Maxxis Rekon not too lang ago and that was not up to the task.

Horses for courses I guess mate.

 

[rigidftw]

Horses for courses I guess mate.

Indeed.

I just remembered another hardtail that I totally forgot about!
This one now has a Maxxis Crossmark II out back and it's absolutely fine.

It's a 2002 Brodie Kinetic. Some details changed since I took this photo, of course. I got that one before the Trans Am. Frame was dirt cheap at 40€. No rust, no dents, original owner used a paintbrush to touch up the head tube decal.
It's currently hanging in the garage under the ceiling in need of some attention. Drivetrain does not seem too happy.
Fork used to be NOS

 

[shedobits]

Great thread and great bikes everyone, liking the chain tensioner on the Brodie too.

 

[2manyoranges]

I have not seen Stanton frames come up for sale used much at all, let alone Ti frames.

Got any photos of your bike(s)? Feel free to share them in this thread.

Sold one stanton ti 26er last year - many many timewasters - I wept when it went out of the door...but dried my tears on the seat of the replacement Switch9er ti. Yum.

 

[2manyoranges]

Great thread - hardtails. The biz. Taught the Grom on hardtails. Now he's on 160-200 both ends. And good. Very good.

1983 Dawes Ranger. Bedstead. Farm gate.
1985 Cannondale M600 - nasty little thing in the end. Stolen. Not sad. Back to steel.
1986 Marin Palisades. People laughed when I put a new fangled Manitou fork on it. Then they couldn't keep up with me. Hah!
1991 Marin Rocky Road. Manitous. Alloy. Shortlived.
1991 Klein Pinnacle. Procircuit forks. What was i thinking. Punishing. Fast. Shortlived.
1992 Bontrager Race OR Pace rigid forks. Finally - a place to be.
1994 Marin Team Steel Manitous. Oh yes.
1994 Marin Team Ti 1990 Frame oh oh oh!
1994 Orange C16R noice Judys. Orange P7 cherry metallic.
1994-2009 just lots of riding on steel....then the long low slack thing happened and I knew I was behind the curve...
2009 Cannondale F7 for a bit of a larf. Horrible. Karma'd on here.
2015 Stanton ti 26 yum yum yum
2018 Cotic Soul III 26, Cotic roadrat small. Cotic roadrat medium. Cotic roadrat SS.
2019 Ragley mmmbop Manitou Mattocs - alloy! harsh! - fast! wonderful! Slack! Running Pikes while Ms are at TF Tuned.
2020 Cotic BfE Max
2020 Stanton switch9er ti - Lyrics, Industry9 zzzzzzzttt!
2024 Cotic BfE last gen 27.5

Want to ride - Pole hardtails, Chromag, Pipedream....

That's the hardtails

(and....there are quite a few FS in the mix too...Transition, Transition, Canyon....but hardtails are where it's at, really...)

 

[rigidftw]

(and....there are quite a few FS in the mix too...Transition, Transition, Canyon....but hardtails are where it's at, really...)

I have to agree.
As for FS I‘ve had a Mondraker Foxy, TR Scout and a Production Privee Shan No5.
The TR Spur is the first FS that I want to keep.

For summer holiday I pulled the TR TransAm out from storage. Such a fun bike!