Ragley Blue Pig Hardtail - Review

Ragley Bikes is a British bicycle brand that first launched in 2008 with a range of hardtails, but after a brief absence, they're back with a line of completely redesigned bikes, including the Blue Pig tested here. The original brief for the Blue Pig - designed by Brant Richards of On-One fame - was for a hard-hitting steel frame with a long-travel fork, the sort of hardcore hardtail that plays really well on UK trails and with British mountain bikers.
The Ragley range also includes the Piglet (a diluted Blue Pig with a 130mm fork); the MmmBop, an aluminum version of the Blue Pig; the BigWig 29er and an entry-level aluminum hardtail dubbed The Marley. The Blue Pig is available as a frame-only (£449.99) with four sizes to choose from (XS-L) or the complete bike I’ve been testing, which costs £1,499.99 and gets you a build kit consisting of a Manitou Mattoc Comp fork, Shimano SLX and XT transmission and brakes, Nukeproof OKLO Air 125mm dropper post and WTB Trail Boss/Vigilante tyres on WTB/Novatec wheels.


Frame Design

With the light weight and stiffness benefits of more advanced materials like aluminum and carbon fiber, you’d think steel frames would have gone the way of the dinosaurs a long time ago. But the fact is, steel is still a bloody good material to build a bicycle frame from, and the Ragley Blue Pig is proof of this. The frame is constructed from triple butted custom shaped 4130 chromoly steel, nothing fancy, but it’s well put together with some nicely executed details. It retains the three-finger bridge from the previous version of the Blue Pig frame, which maximizes clearance around the rear wheel for mud clearance, a nod to its British roots, and there are plenty of additional bracing tubes where they're needed, including the curved top between the top tube and seat tube.


The frame wears a 44mm head tube for stiffness up front, and skinny rear stays out back, which along with the natural give that steel provides, do a good job of removing any harshness that might otherwise spoil the ride. It's no magic carpet ride of course, but it's not as rough or jarring as you might imagine. Certainly, coming from a full-suspension bike might require a short period of adjustment.

Pointing towards the aggressive riding this bike is intended for is the reinforced down tube/head tube junction, radically sloped top tube to provide loads of clearance and stealth dropper post hose routing. The rear dropouts are interchangeable, allowing riders to choose between either a quick release or 12x142mm thru-axle configuration. There are also ISCG 05 tabs so you could easily slap on a chain guide too. And in case you do take up the Blue Pig on its hard-hitting potential, the frame comes with a five-year warranty and lifetime crash replacement policy, which provides a bit of peace of mind. Oh, and I just love the head badge too, better than a cheap sticker.

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Climbing/Handling

Ragley says the geometry of the Blue Pig has been intended to provide “better control” and “improved stability,” and these traits were very clear from the first ride on the Blue Pig. It took very little adjustment from the 150mm full suspension bike I had previously been riding to adapt to the Blue Pig, and I felt right at home, both with the geometry and the fit of the size large, for my 5’11” height.

You’d probably write-off the Blue Pig at first glance for lacking any climbing prowess, what with its long-travel fork and slack head angle, but it was surprisingly well mannered on the climbs, although its 31.4lb (14.2kg) weight does keep it from breaking any hill climb records - it’s definitely more of ‘winch to the top, enjoy the descents’ sort of bike. I found myself spinning quite happily up climbs, from long drags to steep and technical ascents, where the 2x10 drivetrain was welcome to overcome the high weight. Scaling steep technical climbs on a hardtail, without any rear suspension to soak up the bumps and provide traction, is more of a challenge, but the WTB tyres put down a load of traction and the Blue Pig’s stability kept the tires planted on all but the most treacherous climb. The rear WTB tire coped in most mud situations and only struggled in the most claggiest of gloop. I used the Blue Pig for everything from weekday night rides to longer cross-country jaunts to sessioning downhill tracks, and this variety of riding really highlighted just how well the Blue Pig can turn its hand to any sort of riding. I could live with this bike quite happily, because, even coming from a full-suspension rig, there was little compromise. It was a lot of fun.

The combination of the wheelbase length and slack head angle meant the Blue Pig was resolutely stable over rough terrain. It isn’t easily unnerved when dropping into rooty descents, with the tires finding loads of grip and the Manitou fork staying on point. While line choice is always more critical on a hardtail, the Ragley does allow you to be less fussy and can, to a degree, straight-line tricky obstacles. It definitely gives you more confidence when the going gets rough compared to a cross-country race hardtail with a low front end and short travel fork. Comfort over longer distances benefits from the compliance in the frame and the low slung top tube provided loads of clearance for moving the bike around through the corners when carving switchbacks. It probably wouldn't be my first choice if distance and speed were high on the list, but if you're not in a rush to get to the top and not worried about your average speed, the Blue Pig is a compelling choice.



Descending

While climbing isn’t the Blue Pig’s forte, descending definitely is. Going down rough tracks at speed is clearly the designers had in mind when penning the new Blue Pig. It's so planted and stable at speed, and the geometry instills huge confidence and lets you tackle the sort of trails that you might normally shy away from on a hardtail. I definitely rode familiar trails faster on this bike than any other hardtail I've ridden in recent years. I reckon it's probably faster than some cross-country full-sussers too, and I wasn't expecting to write those words in a review about a steel hardtail.

High-speed stability, whether dropping into steep rooty trails or carving through flat-out fast berms is a joyous experience on the Blue Pig. There’s a surprising accuracy from the frame and it never felt like it was twisting or squirming under high loads. It doesn’t noticeably deflect under heavy landings or through fast corners, and the beefy front-end ensured the fork kept tracking accurately. While you can get down tracks pretty swiftly if you just hang back and let the Blue Pig loose, it suits a rider that is prepared to really take charge, for it needs a bit of weight over the front wheel to really get the fork to work at its best and get the front wheel tucked neatly into corners.

While you certainly can’t take the same liberties that you can on a full-suspension bike, it’s surprising just how fast and hard you can ride the Blue Pig. Line choice is a bit more critical; a hardtail challenges you to read the terrain to pick a smoother line, but to some extent the Blue Pig can just batter its way through a tangle of roots or garden of rocks. Get the weight over the bars and work the fork and let the rear wheel rattle and skip through afterwards. It might not be the fastest bike against the clock, but that’s missing the point of this sort of hardtail: it’s all about the engaging ride experience and sheer simplicity.


Component Check

• Manitou Mattoc Comp fork: Manitou isn’t a familiar sight on mountain bikes these days, but the latest Mattoc Comp has a lot going for it. With the 34mm stanchion and reverse crown, it's a stiff fork and tracks well, although the damping didn't feel quite as refined as the latest offerings from Fox and RockShox. The Hex Lock QR15 is fiddly to use and takes some practice to get the hang of.

• Shimano SLX brakes: They might not cost a fortune but I really like the shape of the Shimano brake levers and they bed in very quickly and provide loads of power all of the time, with no maintenance required. It's really useful having lever reach adjustment as well, as I prefer my levers closer to the bars.

• Nukeproof OKLO AIR dropper post: Nukeproof's 125mm dropper post offered reliable performance for the majority of the time, but it did start to suffer towards the end of the test with a slower return speed than when the bike arrived. The handlebar remote lever could be larger for easier use, and the routing of the cable mitigates the internal seat tube dropper cable routing.

• Ragley Wiser Riser 760mm bars / 50mm Ragley stem: The frame is built around a short stem and fairly wide bar setup, and the fitted Ragley kit suited the bike well. I really liked the shape of the bars, with no hint of flex from them on the trail. I should also mention the matching Ragley saddle which was a comfortable shape for long stints in the saddle.

• WTB Vigilante/Trail Boss tires: A confidence inspiring tire pairing, providing consistent traction, both when braking or cornering. Rolling speed was good though the front tire did feel a bit draggy on some surfaces. They did cope pretty well with the mud as well, but the rear tire might go if I was to ride the bike through the entire winter.



Pinkbike's Take:

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