Modern Hardtails

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by John H.

Since Specialized stopped offering their better hardtail, I steer folks to the Cervelo Z-HT.
Right now you can get the cheap one for $3000 or a nicer one for $5700. Hard to beat that-

Is the Epic hardtail not better enough for you?

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ep...=362022-220863

I want this green badly.

[m_sasso]

Originally Posted by boomforeal

full suspensions bikes are more fun to ride than hardtails. anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about or is lying (maybe even to themselves). yes they require more maintenance, but replacing bushings and bearings and servicing shocks is maybe 2-3 hours of work a year? peanuts

edit: imo, beyond being cheaper towards the bottom end, the only thing hardtails have over full suspensions bikes is aesthetics, and maybe some conceptual stuff

Sorry can't relate with your concept of fun or mindset, are motocross motorcycles more fun than full suspension mountain bikes?

[m_sasso]

Originally Posted by rothwem

I don't want to Jinx myself, but my Epic Evo hasn't had any pivot issues and I've been riding it hard 2-3x a week for a year now--every ride has several creek crossings and our trails don't close for rain. The shock has been maintenance free also--I plan on pulling it off and having it rebuilt with my fork, but neither of them have needed it yet.

I will guarantee your bike is under riden or poorly maintained. The service interval for shocks is no more 125 hours of use and that is on the long side, most manufacturers are going to recommend basic service every 50 hours..

[lorenbike]

Originally Posted by fourflys

lots of great info!

I would buy an MTB with the terrain of central Oregon in mind (Willamette Valley/Salem area).. I'm not that versed on what is there as we are planning in settling there in two years when my youngest graduates.. anyone know the area and want to comment? BTW- I don't see me doing much jumping or large drops.. just not my comfort zone or style..

if your watch the Dustin Klein (everything's been done) videos, that's kind of what I think I might enjoy and hope is what's in the area we settle in..

*also, I agree with the comments that I assume climbing on a 180mm fork hardtail would suck..

I lived in OR for a few years and rode all over the Willamette, Bend, and Oakridge, all with a hard tail including at Black Rock.

I had a 27.5 plus set up with a 130mm fork, until I cracked the frame then ended up with a newer gen Surly krampus which I still have as my MTB today.

In OR, at the time I didn't have a dropper post because most of the riding was a 10 mile climb up then a long downhill, but since then I've added a dropper and wouldn't ever go without one yet.

My main criteria for a hardtail:
-Dropper post
-Clearance for 29x2.6 tires (I currently run these and have tried up to 3" plus tires and think 2.6 is the sweet spot)
-120-130mm fork
-Mid school geo
-ability to run singlespeed

For the last points, I figure any more travel than 130mm fork and the very long/slack geo I'd much rather be on a full suspension bike. Singlespeed is also a nice option to make terrain more interesting if you ever get sick of riding the same trails.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by PacNW2Ford

Note: “Central Oregon” and “Willamette Valley/Salem” are not the same place. Central Oregon is generally high desert and drier. The Willamette Valley is the wetter side of the Cascades.

fair enough, guess I meant central from a North/South perspective along the I-5.. I wonder if Oregonians are sensitive to that? like folks who live in Orange County blow a gasket if you say they're from LA..

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by m_sasso

I will guarantee your bike is under riden or poorly maintained. The service interval for shocks is no more 125 hours of use.

I’m beating the crap out of mine on a similar schedule on very rocky, technical trails and haven’t touched it once as we approach a year. I don’t ride in wet stuff though. It works perfectly fine and is not poorly maintained. I clean it after every ride.

I don’t buy the argument a hardtail is so significantly less maintenance given it’s the same minus some pivots and a rear shock. It still has a front shock that needs maintenance.

I was beyond 50 hours after the second month…maybe I’ll be stunned when I finally do service but could probably buy new suspension with all the skipped services each time it’s recommended at 50 hours for a similar cost!

[PacNW2Ford]

Originally Posted by fourflys

fair enough, guess I meant central from a North/South perspective along the I-5.. I wonder if Oregonians are sensitive to that? like folks who live in Orange County blow a gasket if you say they're from LA..

Not a sensitivity thing. You are asking for a MTB that fits the terrain, but described two different areas. And I lived in the OC and it’s part of “LA” (ducks). Hope you enjoy Oregon if you move here.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by PacNW2Ford

Not a sensitivity thing. You are asking for a MTB that fits the terrain, but described two different areas. And I lived in the OC and it’s part of “LA” (ducks). Hope you enjoy Oregon if you move here.

thanks! the sensitivity comment was just a joke.. I appreciate you setting me straight on the different areas!

[nmrt]

Yeah, the fat tires are slow-er. But I ride for fun. And nothing is more fun than 2.6 in tires, well, except 2.8 - 3.0 inch in 27.5+.

If I want fast, I'd get an Epic or the Cervelo HT. But then again, they;re no as fun as the 2.6 in and the 2.8 - 3.0 inch in 27.5+.

Originally Posted by rothwem

Bro this is *so* 2017. Don't you know that long stays and 2.4"s are back in style again?

(only half joking, really only short people like short stays and super fat tires are sloooooow)

[John H.]

Right- But that is the top of what they sell. The similar Cervelo is only $3k and they have a really nice one for $5700.

Originally Posted by rothwem

Is the Epic hardtail not better enough for you?

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ep...=362022-220863

I want this green badly.

[PJN]

Oakridge is really really great.
44 trails on the NE side of hood is great too even if it is a little far from Salem (DKline and Ron from OMTM post stuff riding here often).
Blackrock is OG freeride - really special but maybe not where you will be riding often.
I've never ridden around hoodoo but I'm sure there is good stuff.

I would not buy a hardtail designed for more than 140mm of travel. Anything more and the bike becomes really unbalanced. The guys in the chromag videos ripping long travel hard tails are mutants. Riding like that is like riding a bucking bronco and takes some serious skill and beats the hell out of your body.

Hardtails are really fun but for the terrain you'll have close to you I think a full suspension bike will suit you better. I ride my 140mm chromag surface 3x a month but my sentinel at least 3x a week (when it isn't snowboard time).

If I were you I would be searching for a 130/140 full suspension trail bike. The intense bikes at Costco seem to be pretty hard to beat or I'd look for an older transition smuggler if you want a 29er. If you're under 5'7" or so I still think 27.5 is the way to go and you should find a transition scout.

You will be blown away by how good new (post 2018) bikes are for the terrain you will ride in central/western Oregon and even more blown away by how ****ing great the dirt can be.

[fourflys]

^ Love it, thanks!!

[lorenbike]

Originally Posted by fourflys

^ Love it, thanks!!

Yeah I echo that some of the best mountain biking and even gravel riding too.

I wonder if it's worth getting a cheap used hardtail first and once you get out there and get to know the trails and where you will ride to go from there. If you're leaning towards long days with logging road climbs a hardtail works great. If you end up more into the shuttling and some of the Enduro type trails a full suspension is probably better. Like I wrote above, I never felt limited on a hardtail at the Mac Dunn, Alsea, or Mary's peak with most of my riding. But I was also going for 40-50+mile plus loops for the day with lots of logging road climbs and mostly moderate singletrack.

[Stonerider]

I love my Epic hardtail with big 2.4 Rekon Race tires ran at low pressures. So much fun and a little over 20 pounds. With some lightweight tires it could be under 20 pounds easy.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by m_sasso

I will guarantee your bike is under riden or poorly maintained. The service interval for shocks is no more 125 hours of use and that is on the long side, most manufacturers are going to recommend basic service every 50 hours..

I'm coming up on 150 hours on mine--my plan was to upgrade once this shock went kaput but it keeps working so I keep riding it.

Originally Posted by John H.

Right- But that is the top of what they sell. The similar Cervelo is only $3k and they have a really nice one for $5700.

Ah, I see what you're saying. I don't ever buy the top of the range so that's not something I'd even consider. I was thinking that this one is pretty well equipped--I'd probably only want to slap a dropper and some carbon wheels on there and ride it. Maybe a carbon handlebar.

The cool thing about a lot of Specialized bike's niche products is that typically the frame is the same throughout the whole product range--my 2021 Crux with Apex has the same frame as the S-Works model, they changed that the next year when the Crux went more mainstream. Same was true with the Epic HT last year--if you buy the crap one with NX, its the same frame as the one with XX1 AXS. The current Epic hardtail looks pretty similar to last year, I wonder if its the same as the S-Works from the previous year?