I love hardtails. I mean, for me, yes, but I also love them for other people. People riding around with blown dampers* 50% sagging their way up local climbs no matter how much they overinflate their rear shocks. Kids whose bikes are half their body weight, where it’s necessary to stand to pedal them up the steepest pitches. Busy folks balancing more time in the forest and less time performing maintenance.
*{I try not to be ‘that guy’ when I’m enjoying the forest with my bicycle, but I have witnessed some setups so shitty that I have at times considered riding with a stack of SuspensionWerx and Fluid Function business cards in my pack.}
Add anyone trying to maximize their mountain biking experience per dollar. Anyone with the space and monetary pressure that will have them running errands or otherwise ATB’ing their MTB. Anyone who is going to be riding with groms, since they should probably leave their f***ing MEGAtower at home.
Anywho, I hadn’t even started typing and I was already writing the sequel – Three MORE Missing Hardtail Options – in my head. But I’m going to keep this tight. For obvious reasons of model use case comparison I haven’t tried to be creative with naming conventions. Another title for this piece could have been ‘Three Full Suspension Bikes I Wish Were Also Hardtails.’
Forbidden Druid HT
Okay, forget everything I said about budget balancing for a moment. I’ve ridden all over Vancouver Island, and I cannot wrap my head around how the Cumberland-based high-pivot witchcraft folks aren’t also making a unique long, slack, fast, carbon trailduro hardtail version of their “Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing.“
Grab that Druid geo chart, apply The Rule Of -2°, keep the size-specific chainstays, 150mm fork spec, and that gorgeous lilac colour and we have an all-mountaining hardtail rig with a {static} head tube angle (HTA) of 63°, seat tube angle (STA) of 75°, and a 480mm Reach for a size large (S3).
Going from size S1 through size S4 the rear centres grow from 423mm to 437mm, to 452mm, to 466mm. I would copy these numbers, and the Reach numbers, straight across to the hardtail version of the Druid although, with the stapler-effect in mind I would also understand if Forbidden slightly shortened the Reach and increased the Stack for the Druid HT models.
Maybe, more importantly, said hardtail frame would fill a high-end niche by combining the tuning capabilities of high-end carbon fibre manufacturing to maximize compliance, durability, and weight. It’s max-maxing as opposed to min-maxing, but there’s a market for that.
I’m picturing a rig that could line up at a chunky mid-island XC race one day and then with a wheel swap {chunkier rims & tires} hammer out some hard all-mountain laps the next. It’s a fantastic-plastic bike that I really want to ride.
Specialized Status HT
The Specialized Status 2 140 is one of the more interesting budget-friendly-ish aluminium full-suspension rigs on the market. A quality frame, Shimano Deore M6100 HG+ shifting, Marzocchi Z1 fork & Bomber air shock, TRP Trail EVO brakes, X-Fusion Manic dropper, and even good tires right out of the box in the form of a T9 front and T7 rear Specialized Butcher Grid Trail.
For an SRP of CA$4500 {currently on sale for CA$3800} a size medium example is going to sit around 35lbs with pedals and a full water bottle which is very reasonable for a ready-to-ride all mountain package in this price range.
On the other hand, Specialized doesn’t have a hardtail in the same category. The Fuse is disappointing in terms of spec and geometry, though it is probably due for a refresh. While the Chisel HT frames look fantastic, they’re very clearly XC-race rigs {and don’t start me on the spec/dollar}.
I’ve listened to the argument that a hardtail version of the Status 2, with the identical spec minus rear suspension {shock, bearings, kinematics, fabrication} would be too expensive for the market but I’m unconvinced. It costs significantly less money to make a hardtail frame and the ensuing package would compete with rigs like the Trek Roscoe and Kona Honzo lineups but with an eye to min-maxing better-performing fork and brake spec.
If the price point proved impossible there are also smart downgrades like a LinkGlide U6000 drivetrain instead of the HG+ Deore that would lower the cost without downgrading the fork, brakes, and tires.
Chromag Minor Threat HT
It’s always been weird to me that Chromag released full suspension grom bikes before a hardtail. Oh, and, of course, I’m not counting the pint-sized (20″ & 24″ wheeled) version of their pump & jump Monk that Chromag calls Juice. I’m talking about the hardtail equivalent of the Minor Threat.
Now, in hindsight it sort of makes sense. At least, now that the Whistler, BC brand has released an aluminium dirt jump frame – the Signature. Aluminium makes a lot of sense for kids’ frames in terms of the strength to weight but it would have been weird to have a fully 4130 hardtail lineup but for one aluminium model for tykes-through-tweens.
One could rightly wonder what Chromag would bring to the 24″, 26″, and 27″ youth hardtail world that isn’t already delivered by other brands and my argument is down to spec and reputation. Spec, Chromag doesn’t have the same price point pressure as mainstream brands which results in horrible specs on expensive-to-replace items like cranksets and wheels. Reputation, folks trust that the premium price of a Chromag is reflected in excellent geometry, manufacturing, and component choices.
If you have a chance to check out a Minor Threat in person the frames are obviously made to a higher standard than many kids’ full-suspension rigs. And, more importantly for our MT-HT discussion, any of the Minor Threat bikes are well appointed.
Maybe none of those rigs are as keenly in front of {my} mind as seeing a refreshed Kona Unit {or a new Unit ESD model} or seeing where Chromag is going with 27″ wheels* with the Samurai discontinued and both the Stylus and Wideangle fully sold out. But, {and what do I know?} I think all of the above options would be interesting and would carve out a niche within the existing hardtail market. And that’s some musing for your Monday.
*{I’m a firm believer that dual 27″ setups are going to make a solid comeback for riders of most heights in many locales. Specifically more less-XC applications.}
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