Entry-Level Hardtail Shootout

Choosing your first bike can be tough. There are a lot of options out there and everybody has a different opinion about what is best. First let’s clear some things up: For the most part the name is the frame, that’s it. Almost all, if not all of the other components on a bike are made by another company that makes the same components for the other bike manufacturer. A lot of people get stuck on a name and think that a certain bike name means quality, but the real key is to try to get the best components for the buck. If you don’t know much about bikes this can be tough but I’m here to help. Here is a quick guide to few different hardtail bikes out there. The full-suspension shootout is coming soon. If you aren’t sure what you want check out the Hardtail vs. Full-Suspension article on MTOBikes.

2008 GT Avalanche 2.0 MSRP $629

Good value. Triple triangle frame is very tough but a little bit on the heavy side. This one is great for more aggressive or heavier riders.

GT Avalanche 2.0 Product Page

2009 Trek 4500 MSRP $689

This is a great entry-level cross-country bike. It is light compared to others in it’s class but not built for anything overly aggressive. Perfect for fast singletrack.

Trek 4500 Product Page

2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc MSRP $770

Usually I find Specialized to be overpriced, but this model is a pretty good value. It costs a bit more than the competition, but you get paid back with some better components. This will definitely outlast the competition by a bit. If you want a solid all-around performer with a longer life, this is it.

Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc Product Page

2009 Mongoose Tyax Super MSRP $649

Not a bad combo. Uses a lot of off brand components like Promax and SR Suntour which means a decrease in quality but for $649 you get a decent hardtail with hydraulic disc brakes (they make a world of difference) and a remote lockout for your front fork (cool feature for riding on hardpack or streets).

Mongoose Tyax Super Product Page

2009 Kona Blast MSRP $699

Solid setup overall. Not much else to say.

Kona Blast Product Page

2009 Gary Fisher Wahoo Disc MSRP $659

I’m very impressed with this setup. Solid drive train including, nice mechanical disc brakes, and a decent wheelset. If you are looking for the best bang for your buck this is it!

Gary Fisher Wahoo Disc Product Page

Buying tips

Avoid buying online or used, I’m not saying don’t consider it, but be very wary.  Check out our MTOBikes article on buying used bikes for more details.

Look for last years models in bike shops, you can often get a great deal.

Ride before you buy. Different manufacturers use slightly different geometries and sometimes this is the most accurate measure of a good bike. Think of it this way are you buying a bike or are you buying fitness, a new hobby, thrill, etc.?

You will need a lot more than just a bike, plan a hundred or more extra and see if you can get a deal on some of your accessories (this is where bike shops usually have the most margin).

Hardtail VS. Full-Suspension: Which is Right for You?

The battle of the hardtail and the full-suspension is the stuff of legend. It is a burning question of both newbies and seasoned riders: Forum flame-wars are started at the mere mention of it. Everybody has the friend that swears a hardtail is the only way to go if you want to climb, and another that tells you there’s no way but the full-suspension way. So what is the difference really?

The battle is changing constantly. Bikes have progressed greatly since the fore-fathers of mountain biking created the sport back in the 1950’s. Today new materials, designs, and fabrication techniques flood the market from an immense source of innovative manufacturers. Back in the day when the full-suspension bike was a new idea, it was heavy, cumbersome, slow, and inefficient; today many of those original stigmas are history. Nevertheless the hardtail still has a strong foothold in the market and for good reason.

Let’s Break it Down:

The Details:

That should give you a basic overview, but let’s look at this in a little more detail. The weight factor can be an issue with the full-suspension vs. hardtail battle, however with today’s technologies, several sub 20lb. fulls exist, if you are willing to dish out the cash. Dollar for dollar you will commonly get a hardtail that is a few (2-5) pounds lighter than a full-suspension. Now you may be asking yourself, how much does a couple pounds actually matter? The honest answer is it depends on what you are doing. A lighter bike will lend an advantage to climbing as well as a small advantage to handling (the lighter weight allows easier control and quicker response). A couple pounds can make a bit of difference, but it is not the only thing to consider.

Agility is better on a hardtail because of a typically shorter wheel base, lighter total weight, and stiff rear end. If you are looking for a bike that has a fast handling response a hardtail might be the answer, but don’t decide yet. When it comes to handling in technical situations, with lots of loose rock and other obstacles, full-suspensions excel. Good technique can get you through a lot of tough terrain on a hardtail, but you may come to situations where you just aren’t going to make it through. The full-suspension not only absorbs the impacts of obstacles but allows for more traction to be transferred to the ground on technical terrain. This means that although hardtails are better climbers in smoother terrain, in severely rocky terrain a good cross-country full-suspension will far outperform it.

In the beginnings of the full-suspension bike maintenance was a big issue. With today’s technology many of the problems with seals, bad bushing/bearings and breakage are gone. On a full-suspension you have a rear shock and pivots in addition to all of the normal components. The shocks of today rarely fail when adjusted properly. The worst you will see is a failing seal, and that should only occur after many years of use. The pivots can sometimes trap dirt and water and creak as the rear triangle moves. By taking these pivots apart and regreasing the problem is easily remedied. Nevertheless it can still be a nuisance, and some frame designs are more susceptible to this than others.

The general rule of thumb is the more technical the terrain the more travel you need, but always take the time to consider your personal riding style. I am a hardtail fanatic, yet I still take on technically challenging trails. There are times on the trail when I wish I was on a full, yet I love the tight handling and speed that only a hardtail can deliver. It is the difference between driving a rally car or an off-road masher. Each has benefits and costs. Pick the one that is best for your situation. Find a good bike shop near you that can let you feel the differences in each option. There are many choices out there, with numerous suspension designs, travel options and frame materials. A good bike shop is the best guide. Happy trails!

First Ride On My Fully Rigid Singular Swift SS Mountain Bike

Homeboy’s skiing blog provides you skiing tips & tricks, road-trip stories, movie and book reviews, technical information, competition watch, resort reviews, news and photo sessions. Our main focus is to provide you how-to-information, such as how to ski in different conditions, how to fix your equipment and how to organize your ski trip. In the summer time our main sport is mountain biking and you will find quite a lot of mountain biking related content on the blog at the moment.

I recently wrote a short article about converting my 29er hardtail to fully rigid single-speed. Carl from Made-to-Order Bikes found my text and asked me to feature here on this site with a post about my Singular. Well, I found this a good opportunity to promote our blog a bit. I was also just about to write a first ride report with the new set-up, so the timing suited me very well.

My Singular

I guess the Singular brand is not the most well known in the USA. So, I start with a brief introduction of the manufacturer:

Singular is a small frame manufacturer from UK specializing in 29er bikes. A quote from their website tells the following:

”Singular Cycles brings you bikes for the type of riding you do. A blend of modern concepts with proven design and materials makes for beautiful bikes, which ride like a dream.

We’ve become disillusioned with ever more fragile bikes and components which offer no real benefit to the everyday rider who wants a bike which rides sweetly, looks lovely, and doesn’t need replacing every year.

Singular Cycles - singularly distinctive bicycles.”

The company also has a nice blog – check it out for more detail about e.g. product development, race results and customer’s bikes.

I have ridden the 29er now for a bit over two seasons. Before my current bike I rode (the original) Gary Fisher Rig for about one and a half season. I bought the Singular last November and didn’t ride it much during the winter months. I was pretty happy with the original hard tail set-up in e.g. this endurance event. However, having enjoyed the excellent rolling features the 29ers offer, I started to think that maybe it is the rolling and the geometry that weight more when defining the good riding characters of a bike than the suspension per se (Especially when thinking about cross-country/trail bikes).

With that said I was still a bit nervous about this project. After all, I pretty much learned to ride a mountain bike on a full suspension rig, as I already wrote in my original blog post about this issue. This feeling got stronger as the day for the test ride came – as the first notion on the morning was “damn, it has rained the whole night before…” (This means slippery with capital s on our trails…)

We rode some five miles to the trailhead and paused to let some air pressure out of the tires. I pumped the tires (Panaracer Rampage 2.35”) to about 3 bar (around 42psi) for the road and tried now to adjust them to about 2.5 bar (around 36psi).

The trail started with some series of technical short climbs. Which were not easy for me – I should have probably let even more air out of the tires as the rear wheel kept slipping. (I’ve read somewhere that Rampages are not the best wet-conditions tires anyway?) Also the bigger factor after riding gears for couple of months was sprinting for some square-edged “steps” on the climbs: I think I just got used to the seated/geared climbing again, and now the single-speed riding style just wasn’t immediately there. The 38-18 gearing felt a tad heavy; previously I’ve had 32-19, which suits maybe even better to our rooty/quite technical trails. (I think I keep it like it is though, because now the transition to trail head was bearable. With any lighter gearing the roads would start to feel total PITA in my humble opinion.)

However, the flatter sections of the trail were ok and the 29er wheel rolled nice and easily just like it should. With the rigid fork your hands are going to feel more impacts for sure but on the other hand lifting the front wheel and/or making small corrections were very easy and accurate – a pretty cool and new feeling to me.

Then we got to some nice steep rollers. Whoa, I never believed an old-school rider friend that blasted how rigid fork is actually very good on steeps as the geometry never change during the descent. Check the pictures, I really dug to ride these slick rock sections, and was surprised how well it all went.

After that the trail got easier and I found the rigid bike very fun on some mellower, faster sections. After all, weight savings over a suspension fork must feel somewhere. Rigid bike, mellow up-hill and single speed – you don’t need any “pro pedal” set-ups, right?

Typical Southern Finland Singletrack

It was only when we hit one particular slippery part of the trail with big, wet roots when I got in trouble again. I wasn’t attacking the obstacles aggressive enough and kept slipping around – frustrating for sure but next time I know I should just pedal on and not hesitate…(funny how easy it always sound at the desk!)

Also, after about two hour of riding, I really started to feel the impacts on the arms, especially when the speeds got higher in the downhills. Today’s loop wasn’t much longer than that thought. I’ve yet to see if I can take some four-five hours ride with the rigid fork – at least you get some decent arm pump if nothing else…

At the end I also have to praise the Singular on some well thought design. Their rigid fork that is designed to go with the frame offers very good handling. The fork is quite long for a rigid one (485mm A-C) and has a rake/off-set of 48mm (that’s a good amount of it folks!). But this combinations just works – riding this bike will keep you smiling. Check this review from MTBR for further proof. It seems like riders way better than me liked the bike too.

And at last, I’d like to thank Carl for an opportunity to write on this excellent site. Happy trails and just keep pedaling! I hope you enjoyed my review.

Janne/ Homeboyski Team

Just another shot from today’s ride