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Aggressive/Progressive (what's the difference) hardtails are super fun. I think dropper posts, slack HT and long travel pedally forks made this happen. And wide tires that aren't stupid DH heavy.
My son has a HONZO st and I love riding it, even though it's too small for either of us at this point.
Did somebody say Titanium?
https://turnerbikes.com/products/2023-scrub-ti-frame
25% off right now. Don't think I'd ever spend that much on a hardtail frame (personally, no judgement), but as a long-time homer, it's kinda tempting.
Finally finished building my scout 290 and got it out for a couple of rides! It is a ridiculous amount of fun. Out of the saddle and in turns it feels like a rocket compared to my full suspension. Also, after spending basically a whole season getting my ripmo dialed to fit comfortably, it was a pleasant surprise to jump on it and just have it feel like it fits perfect, maybe one small saddle adjustment to make but otherwise it’s good to go.The slacker seattube angle makes a huge differnce in comfort on more gradual rolling terrain it turns out.
Did learn a quick lesson though about hardtail Life… the back wheel takes a beating without suspension, so although a lot of people talk about lower pressures making the ride better, unless you have an insert or ride a lot smarter than you do on a full suspension (admittedly this also includes heavier tire casings) you will end up like me with a pinch flat and a broken spoke on day 1. Went back to riding my normal pressures and got through a desert trip with no more issues even with an ardent race in the back.
Thanks for all the input, really glad I pulled the trigger to build this thing up. Also, for anyone looking for a fun bike at a good price they are half off right now at planet cycerly (1100 for a 12-speed deore build), had I waited I would have saved quite a bit even though I built this up with a lot of used parts of KSL and stuff from the garage.
https://planetcyclery.com/nukeproof-scout-290-comp-alloy-bike?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAg9urBhB_EiwAgw88mW gfW7PEXf0aZ7DQJqr382M4p9xAiO-RrrNPBDcE_ctQT2AGJmtsyxoCcjUQAvD_BwE
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Run low pressure plus tires on mine sometimes and have done some serious damage. Damn tires are heavy as is, so haven’t bothered to put an insert in, so just keep bending rim back as it’s only for winter time riding for me. Got wheels for free so they owe me nothing. Hardtails are awesome though. Have been curious about the Scout but not looking good for Nukeproof these days/
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I’ve always had at least one hardtail in the quiver. For me the biggest factors that let me ride a HT fast on techy terrain is a) long ass wheelbase b) clip in pedals.
On fast chunky stuff you relax more when you don’t worry about the feet moving fwd bit by bit on the flats. But the other main benefit, IME, is that when you’re clipped in you pick up the rear tire more actively and instinctively…lifting it up to avoid a square edged hit, moving it sideways a few inches to avoid a rut or whatever. I think this mental engagement is what makes hardtails fun. On your enderpo FS bike you focus more on front wheel placement only.
I’m not saying clip in pedals will eliminate rear wheel dings or flats, just saying it’ll reduce them on a hardtail.
IME anyway.
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I never thought about clips like that, but it makes sense. I definitely need reminded to unweight the back instead of hammering it as hard as I can into stuff just for fun. A friend of mine just picked up one of the discount Scouts and we talked about the low confidence future of Nukeproof. My theory is, how much can really need Warrantied on an aluminum frame with no bearings, shock mount etc... hopefully that doesn't come back to bite him. I bought mine 3 days before all of that happened so I was committed. Picked it up in-person in SLC at their US headquarters, couple days later, poof all gone.