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Thinking about adding a hardtail to my stable.

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
So I ride an AC which is all dh'd out and weighs a bit too much to have fun on anything with lots of climb time. I am also getting more into urban, jumping, and trialsy crap that just doesn't work very well with a 170mm fork.

So what should I get? I dont want to spend lots of money cause this will be a secondary bike (think used).

Must be durable, good geometry, not too heavy, good wheels, 4-5 inches up front. Thats about it.

Reccomendations? I like the look of the Giant STP and the P bikes, but maybe there is something else out there that would fit the bill.
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
Get an azonic evoltion. Its a frame only. Its my only bike right now. I think its best with a 5" fork. I use it for dj, fr trails, dh race (soon), dual slalom, xc'ish trails and urban riding. It has aggressive geometry, but is okay for climbing. There is 14", 16", and I don't know the others. I am 5'4, and ride a 16", people say its to big, but it is stable downhill. I have a mazocchi dirt jump 2 (03'-so it has 5"). The other parts are in my signature.
 

mcA896

Turbo Monkey
Aug 15, 2003
1,160
0
Cape Cod, MA
if you want super bling, get a santa cruz jackal. expensive though. look into the konda scab, or the azonic steelhead
 

DH SB RIDER

Monkey
Aug 31, 2005
179
0
Santa Barbara
I had a 01 kona stuff for 4 years untill i got my DH rig. I think that the kona is a great deal. Although the jakel is an awsome bike, you could by a complete kona for that much!
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
naw, there's alot of choices man. Orange makes 2 nice hatrdtails, santa cruz as mentioned has a few nice ones as do the giants mentioned. Lots of really nice cheaper priced steel hardtails out there now as well.

Look around, find something that fits your budget and geometry requirements.
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
Isn't the santa cruz jackal just a big jump bike. I heard it was meant for dirt jumps and going big all the time. It doesn't have street/ trials geometry.
 

jake133

Monkey
Jan 21, 2005
373
0
SLC, Utah
get a pike and find a p frame some wear and build it up you self. i have a fetish cylces frame that i got of ebay for $150. so you could cheak ebay for one of those. i like mine except that the chainstays are to long. and set it up SS
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
You should also look into a Specialized Hardrock for a budget bike. The frames are pretty much indestructable and they work great with a 4-5" fork. They're probably one of the most underated bikes on the market.
 

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
hardrock is interesting, but how breakable are they? i cut my teeth on a rockhopper and loved it, but if i were on a stock one now, i suspect the wheels would go pretty quick.
 

Sir_Crackien

Turbo Monkey
Feb 7, 2004
2,051
0
alex. va. usa.
look in to the soul cycles loki frame. its simular to azonic EVO 2 and it cost alot less also. also i would look into a 4" fork for what you want to do. just noughto take the edge off of drops and thore moves
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,010
1,146
El Lay
5" is a pretty long fork for street. Unless you are just going to be doing big drops and stair set launches (emphasis on freeride over urban).

STP and P bikes completes sure sound like a great place to start to me; maybe a cannon Chase too.

I prefer steel frames, but then your options are more limited in terms of completes, unless you find a custom-built bike that is used. I've seen great deals on used DMR completes.

The parts get trashed quickly anyway if you're doing DJ/Urban, so maybe you can piece together a build yourself out of used parts for low-cash, especially if you go for a singlespeed build. I got a brand new Eastern DJ frame for $150 on ebay and a used '04 Vanilla from a buddy for cheap too. My total build would have been less than $500 if I hadn't decided to spring for a custom Hadley SS rear wheel.

-rob in Berkelyn
 

Bullit21

Monkey
May 14, 2003
198
0
Socal
Any of the Iron Horse Yakuza hardtails are great. Good spec, good geometry and cheap. My buddy Mandown has posted several times about this bike.
 

amydalayna

Turbo Monkey
Aug 16, 2005
1,507
0
south lake tahoe, ca
skatetokil said:
think cheap people. saw an stp 3 today going for a song, but that fork looks like serious junk. anybody ridden one? how are the wheels?
as for cheap... i just got a new Spec. P1 for riding at the track and learning to DJ. It was $400 fully built up, but you would wanna replace the stock fork with something nice. I am really liking the bike so far... but I seriously only take it to the track twice a week and it's good for that.
 

Ciaran

Fear my banana
Apr 5, 2004
9,839
15
So Cal
skatetokil said:
think cheap people. saw an stp 3 today going for a song, but that fork looks like serious junk. anybody ridden one? how are the wheels?
I have a K2 funky monkey frame you can have. It's small though, not sure if it woud fit you. Burly as all get out, and it's PINK!
 

BMXman

I wish I was Canadian
Sep 8, 2001
13,827
0
Victoria, BC
2MX is the greatest HT I have ever had the pleasure of owning...It's the only frame I have had for more than 2 years...D
 

Slugman

Frankenbike
Apr 29, 2004
4,024
0
Miami, FL
Sir_Crackien said:
look in to the soul cycles loki frame.
:stupid: Also the Titan and soon be released Sluggo... if you want more travel.

I've ridden and '04 Titan for the last year+ and love it. I'vd DH'ed at Big Bear, Northstar, Mammoth and Mountain Creek (i.e. Diablo Mountain bike park in NJ) with it.

I ride SoCal trails that require climbing and love it. I've even done some Urban rides with my trials freinds, and love it. And my freinds borrow it and show me that the bike really can do some cool tricks... even if I can't.

IMO - they have the most reasonably priced frames out there...
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,130
7,679
Transylvania 90210
Bullit21 said:
Any of the Iron Horse Yakuza hardtails are great. Good spec, good geometry and cheap. My buddy Mandown has posted several times about this bike.

yup! the IH Yakuza Bakuto is a dope deal for the $$$. $619 at supergo for the 2005 model. the fork is the only weakspot on it. the fork feels great, but i am uncertain how much "abuse" it can take. it is a great bike otherwise. the next model up is also on sale for about a grand. better fork, chainguide, hydros. i am thinking about upgrading to a pike or a flick ($285 at jenson).

i have been using my bakuto for XC-ish rides and riding to work (5.5 miles each way). i am 6'1" and 185lbs. i got the 17" frame size. it is a bit small in the top tube department for long XC epics, but that makes it more fun for street stuff. the frame is tough and has a 1.5 HT with reducer cups. i like the mech disk brakes better than the hayes hydros i have (so far). the modulation is better. for XC and urban, they are plenty good. for DH runs, i would say hydros might be better, but i cannot be certain since i have not used the mechanicals long enough to give a good judgement on their long-term performance. i have been quite happy with the geometry. the bike tracks well on the bumpy stuff on the way back down (i have not done any heavy fr/dh trails on it yet).

oh yeah, the maxxis tires that it comes with are good in the grippy department, but they are single walls. i sliced the rear open on my first dirt ride when i hit a small rockgarden of baby's fists and monkey heads. i just put a 24" 2.6 nokian on the back (i had the extra wheelset).

bottom line, there are better HT's out there in the coolness department. however, most "abuseable" HT's have pretty similar geometry these days (odd, because i had an azonic evo II that i hated, even though the "numbers" were supposedly pretty similar to other HT's i have ridden). there is no better deal going for an abuseable HT for $619 complete.

side note - be sure to do the ST/leg extension measurements and figure out how much seat tube you need. at 6'1" i get good extension on a 16 or 17" ST. some of the other frames mentioned have shorter ST's. if you are even thinking about doing rides that require pedaling, a 13" ST may be too short to get the extension you need. do the math extension = crank length + ST length + seat post length - minimum post insertion + a little bit of boost fromthe saddle height above the post rails - shoe thickness.

happy hunting.
 

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
Ciaran said:
I have a K2 funky monkey frame you can have. It's small though, not sure if it woud fit you. Burly as all get out, and it's PINK!
Interesting. Any idea what the top tube length is? I have long legs, but I rode a small bike for a long time.
 

NateH

Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
438
0
Two things, first you should just start tooling around on other peoples hardtails and see what you like, everyone likes different geometry. Personaly I love my arrow dss but its not for everyone.

Second you might want to think about waiting a little while to get a little better hardtail. After I got mine I couldn't get enough dj and street action and if i'd had a cheesy bike it wouldn't have lasted a week. That would also give you a chance to ride more bikes and figure out what you like.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Eh, there are lots of good, cheap hardtails around. The SC chameleon is a super versatile rig and you can find 'em new or used really cheap. For a steel bike, in addition to the .243 you might also check out the evil DOC.
 

Zaskar Rider

Monkey
May 29, 2002
242
0
PNW
If you're looking to piece a bike together you might take a look at the Planet X Jack flash frame. I have used mine for everything from urban freeriding or whatever you want to call it, to Dh, to a trailbike. It all depends on how you build it. My Jack Flash has had a monster, super t, and z1 on it in various states of build. I'ts performed flawlessly for everything I've wanted to use it for. Granted it's a little overkill for trailriding it's definately an awesome frame.

Edit: I should say that the jack flash I have is the older RAD frame which is the older geometry. There's a new jack flash that is a different frame now.
 

atrokz

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2002
1,552
77
teedotohdot
BMXman said:
2MX is the greatest HT I have ever had the pleasure of owning...It's the only frame I have had for more than 2 years...D
Word. I just put in a order for my BMXTB. Cant wait :drool:
 

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
Went to my lbs today and tried on a couble bikes. I can get an STP1 for $750, a Kona shred for $500, and a Gary Fisher Mullet for $450. Anybody ridden these machines?
 

Ciaran

Fear my banana
Apr 5, 2004
9,839
15
So Cal
skatetokil said:
Interesting. Any idea what the top tube length is? I have long legs, but I rode a small bike for a long time.
Measuring from the seat tube to the center of the head tube is 20.5 inches. I think it's sized as a 14" frame. very small... great for urban and such.
mandown said:
here comes the spizzam!
LOL. Well, mine is free so I gues tht would be Spam lite.
 
May 12, 2005
977
0
roanoke va
for a cheep new ht my vote goes to kona, steel head or .243, all of which i know are good bikes.
if you peace somthing together don't cheep out on the rear wheel, crankset/BB and HS. save $ and get a V-brake in the rear(great for trials and for the riding you mentioned, you don't need discs) try and avoid a QR rear just cause coming off a FS you'll beat the back up. if your doing DJ, park, street and also trials then you will need gears, but only rear. save even more $ and get an old down tube mounted shifter and run crapy road der.s you'll go through ders monthly and the DT shifters are almost free, dont get in your way(you will only shift when going from park/DJ/street to trials), and don't add extra cables round your handel bar.
plus retro is totaly in. nu schul is so 2 weeks ago. god i can't wait for the super-8, monster-T, hayes purple, hussefelt, fox RC, dee-max, 2.5 mobster, 8 spd, 50lbs, roof huckin bike to come back into style. i miss those days.
 

ioscope

Turbo Monkey
Jul 3, 2004
2,002
0
Vashon, WA
Get a soul cycles and put an old dirt jumper on it, then put on the cheapest durable parts you can find. I like halo's for rims, and cheapo xt hubs. Or you can go the machine-built rhyno-lite route. I would suggest getting a strong handlebar though. Let's just say that I was lucky to have had mine break at low speed!
 

pangeist

Monkey
Mar 18, 2005
327
0
Santa Barbara
STP, you had it right the first time. Jeff Lenosky had a hand in designing this bike and did so with urban and trials type riding in mind. Get an STP 1 or 2 they are the same frame and are super beefy. With a low travel fork they ride great, 3-5" or so. The frame has the right amount of metal right where you need it. For a complete bike its a great deal, but if you are a spoiled teenager living at home with your folks and they are going to sport you a bike then go for an Evil.
 

redical

Monkey
May 19, 2004
388
0
ioscope said:
Get a soul cycles and put an old dirt jumper on it, then put on the cheapest durable parts you can find. I like halo's for rims, and cheapo xt hubs. Or you can go the machine-built rhyno-lite route. I would suggest getting a strong handlebar though. Let's just say that I was lucky to have had mine break at low speed!
Soul Cycles Loki, designed to run with minimum 5" fork. STP may be too choppered if you run 6" or greater.