First Ride: 2021 Kona Honzo ESD Hardtail
The hardtail has been declared dead countless times over the years, ever since the very first full-suspension mountain bikes hit the market. Despite those rumors, the hardtail is alive and well, and in recent years a growing crop of extra-long and slack options has emerged. These hardtails aren't featherweight XC machines with razor sharp handling; instead, they have geometry that mirrors that of long-travel enduro bikes, with build kits to match.
Kona have tossed their hat into the ring with the new chromoly Honzo ESD, which sports a 63-degree head tube angle with a 150mm fork, a 490mm reach on a size large, and a chainstay length that can be adjusted from 417mm to 432mm thanks to the frame's sliding dropouts. The seat tube angle is a steep 77.5-degrees.
Kona have tossed their hat into the ring with the new chromoly Honzo ESD, which sports a 63-degree head tube angle with a 150mm fork, a 490mm reach on a size large, and a chainstay length that can be adjusted from 417mm to 432mm thanks to the frame's sliding dropouts. The seat tube angle is a steep 77.5-degrees.
Kona Honzo ESD
• Wheelsize: 29"
• Chromoly frame
• 150mm fork
• 63-degree head angle
• 490mm reach (size L)
• 417 - 432mm chainstays
• Weight: 32.8 lb / 14.9 kg (size L w/o pedals)
• Price: $2,699 USD, frame only: $665 USD
• konaworld.com
• Wheelsize: 29"
• Chromoly frame
• 150mm fork
• 63-degree head angle
• 490mm reach (size L)
• 417 - 432mm chainstays
• Weight: 32.8 lb / 14.9 kg (size L w/o pedals)
• Price: $2,699 USD, frame only: $665 USD
• konaworld.com
There must be something in the Pacific Northwest rain water, because the ESD's closest geometry contemporaries are the Chromag Doctahawk, the Norco Torrent, and the Rocky Mountain Growler, models from companies that all located within a few hours drive from Kona's headquarters.
There's only only one complete model of the Honzo ESD, which retails for $2,699 USD. Parts highlights include a Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork, a Shimano SLX rear derailleur and cassette paired with an XT shifter, Deore 4-piston brakes, and a Maxxis Assegai / DHR II tire combo. Want to build up your own boneshaker from the frame up? The Honzo ESD frame is $665 USD.
Not quite ready for a hardtail with downhill bike geometry? Kona also updated the 'regular' Honzo, giving it a 140mm fork, a 66-degree head angle, and a 475mm reach for a size large, numbers that are close to those of the full suspension Process 134.
Frame Details
The Honzo ESD's sparkly red paint job is eye-catching, especially when it's gleaming in the bright summer sun. The key frame features are all in place - there are water bottle mounts inside the front triangle, as well as on the underside of the downtube, and all of the cables are externally routed for easy maintenance.
ISCG 05 tabs make it possible to run a bash guard or chain guide, and the threaded bottom bracket shell will please the anti-pressfit crowd. The 2021 Honzos have shorter seat tubes than before so that riders can take run the longest dropper post possible - the size large I was on had a 200mm Trans-X RAD post that comes with spacers for fine-tuning the amount of drop.
It's possible to run the ESD as a singlespeed or to adjust the chainstay length thanks to its sliding dropouts. Two bolts on each side hold the 12x148mm rear wheel in place, and a threaded bolt and nut helps prevent any slippage.
Geometry
Ride Impressions
I'll admit, the whole 'hardcore hardtail' movement baffles me a little bit - if I was planning on riding rough, DH trails most of the time a hardtail wouldn't be my weapon of choice. Apparently there are plenty of riders who don't agree, so I put my biases aside and headed out on the Honzo ESD to see just what this red sled could handle.
The seated climbing position of the large frame was comfortable for my 5'11" height, which makes sense, since the reach and seat tube angle match those of the latest batch of full-suspension bikes I've been testing. The steel frame and beefy build kit do prevent the Honzo from really rocketing up the climbs, but, as with any hardtail, the efficiency that comes from the lack of rear suspension does give it a little extra quickness compared to a long-travel enduro sled.
The handling isn't overly sluggish (remember, on a hardtail the head angle steepens up as soon as you sit on the bike), but the zippy, overgrown dirt jumper manners of the original Honzo have been muted. The ESD is more subdued, and it does take more effort to get it around tight switchbacks; I found myself weighting the back wheel and sort of lifting and pivoting the front end of the bike to get through those sharp turns. On straighter, rougher sections of trail that extra length and relaxed handling is a benefit – it's easy to stay on track, and the meaty tires provide traction to keep on churning upwards.
When gravity takes over the Honzo ESD is in its element, and at times I found myself forgetting I was on a hardtail... that is, until I was reminded by the vibrations coursing through my bones as I carried too much speed into a rocky section of trail. Having that 150mm Marzocchi Z1 up front is a big help when things get hectic – it helps take some of the sting off those bigger hits. Once it's up to speed, the ESD is much easier to handle, with loads of stability; it's the opposite of a twitchy XC whippet. My rides took place with the chainstays at 425mm, and while I don't think I'd want to go any shorter, especially considering the front center length, I could see pulling the wheel back to the longest position for a little better front / back balance.
If you're hardtail aficionado who's lucky enough to live somewhere with easy access to steep trails, the Honzo ESD might be the ticket. The standard-issue Honzo is going to be the way to go for riders looking for more of an all-rounder, something that's more manageable and engaging on mellower terrain.
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Every time I start thinking about a ht, I conclude that it makes no sense after seeing the prices.
When you compare a $2600 (or around €2200 for us EU folks) hardtail (not necessarily this Honzo) with a full sus bike that costs the same, you're paying for different things. On the full sus you're paying for the frame, but you will most likely get a lower end groupset, lower end fork, and junk OEM wheels. Maybe that won't matter to you and you'll be happy because you have rear suspension, dunno. We are all different.
You won't get a hardtail with decent components for peanuts, but it will still be cheaper than a full sus with those same components. You also made the comparison between "proper" hardtail builds vs the cheapest full suspension builds. Is the lower end crap really okay on a cheap full squish bike, just because you get a rear shock? If you're fine with lower end components, then a hardtail can be way cheaper.
I bought my Commencal meta ht chromo a few years ago for just under 2k. With a 160mm fork, good brakes and decent drivetrain, it's very hard to beat.
I had a friend recently spend the same money on a full sus and i'm definitely happy i didn't go that route.
I've taken it to Windrock, and i'll happily admit that it is extremely rough (esp. on high speed stuff), but it's doable and fun if your up to it.
Also anyone looking to do this should run DH casing tires and inserts in the rear, because it will take some big hits.
www.pinkbike.com/news/rose-unveils-two-new-trail-bikes.html
And that bike doesnt have lower end suspension or brakes...
Not sure why am I even trying here, it's no secret that hardtails are cheaper and always have been.
You may not like their opinions, but then that’s your opinion, you’re a minion like me, we’re free to do what we want.
I completely agree with Kazimer’s opinion on hardtail, I just built yet another one, it rattles my bones, so it’s a second bike for friends and family to borrow.
I hate that hardtails are often considered "beginner friendly" just because they can cost less or get better parts for the same price. Thing is that, in the end, that beginner with the cheap full-sus can slowly upgrade as parts wear or break, but the hardtail can't be just slowly upgraded to full-sus. And we know how fickle the used bike market can be, trying to sell a few years old hardtail frame is not something beginners (hopefully now intermediate) want to deal with, no to mention and they'll probably end up spending more than if they just started with a lower spec full-sus and upgraded more piece by piece.
Extra Slack Dude
I really don't get this argument: "hardtails force you to be picky about lines". That doesn't mean a full-sus forces you to be sloppy with line choice, it's just more forgiving. I'm picky about lines all the time: it's super fun to rip something well known but on a different line and realize you used way less travel and it felt smoother and/or faster and/or more exciting. And it's also fun to rip a new line, almost wreck have a sick save, get cheers & jeers from the crew, and realize your rear suspension saved your ass and your wheel. Both of those are possible on a full-sus, but only one applies to a hardtail.
Would a boxer spar without headgear in order to be forced to get better at rolling with the punches? No, because mistakes are more likely to mean a concussion and having to take a break from fighting. However, the headgear doesn't mean they'll just stand there and take the hits, because that's a shitty experience, too.
So why would I insist on riding a bike that means the mistakes have higher consequences, while the more forgiving bike doesn't at all stop me from being smooth? Picking shitty lines on a full-sus is still a shitty experience, but a mistake is less likely to result in broken bike or body.
For extra mega fun, pump your rear tire to 40 psi.
My sentiments about the Honzo are similar to the Norco Torrent we reviewed during the Value Bikes Field Test - the handling is going to appeal to some riders, while others will likely have a better time on a lighter, snappier bike.
Steel is a much more boutique thing, while A LOT of riders -and many of whom live in third world countries and earn wages according to their location- would pick a hardcore hardtail if they were available before a dual suspension bike simply because the associated maintenance costs are a whole lot cheaper, and usually rear shock spares/service centers simply aren't available.
Steel OTOH is more of a romantic thing -something something something vintage something something something hand welded lugs- (seriously, who qualifies bikes as "handmade"??? Almost 99% of the bikes out there aren't welded by robots!!!). You pay a premium -and sometimes a big one- for a material which hasn't had major developments on the last 20-25 years. Talk about ROI and research costs...
I have a steel bike right now, and i'm planning to build up a Cotic Solaris Max.
I hate that you have to pay a premium tho. Okay, in some cases I understand when it's fancy steel with fancy details from a small brand. But when bigger manufacturers pump out super heavy (even for steel) and basic 4130 frames and ask way more for them than AL frames, that sucks.
You aren't paying a premium for steel bikes, either. A tig'd Taiwan Starling for instance is between 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of the average carbon frame and on par with pricing for most aluminum bikes from reputable manufacturers.
It's almost as if I'd buy a BMW X5: I might be able to afford it, but a couple of years later it'd be in a miserable condition, simply because I wouldn't be able to cope with both the montly payments and the inherent maintenace costs.
As I answered a couple minutes ago, economy of scale plays a role in the premium you pay for a steel frame, but brand/material pedigree do have some responsibility for the associated price hike you get when throwing a steel frame in the mix.
Economies of scale is relevant to the cycling industry as a whole but not really a given material or small outfit, which is more a factor of individual business scale and overhead effecting margins. Steel only seems more comparatively expensive because its usually the smaller shops with less profitable outcomes producing this kind of product.
The real benefit of steel as a fab material is that it doesn't require special processes or size-specific tooling otherwise required for forming aluminum or molding carbon--builders are generally locked into several set sizes with the more common materials because of the overhead, where steel is just some mitered tubes melted together that can be readily adjusted from design. That in mind, I don't really see the point of dropping the coin on a steel frame that isn't made to order, but as noted there are very affordable options comparative to the industry as a whole.
Steel (including 853, 4340 and even 300m) has lesser properties than carbon fiber (broad range) in almost every measurable way. Carbon tensile strength is higher. Stiffness for the same cross section is higher. Endurance limit is higher. Carbon's downfall (and why I own 3 steel bikes) is that concentrated impacts (think rock strikes etc) dont allow the energy and stress to flow through fibers as designed and instead rely on the resin matrix properties which are relatively weak and brittle.
Steel does weaken significantly during use. Steel loses yield stress and tensile stress properties by almost 50 percent as it approaches its endurance limit where it then plateaus. If the designers used the materials initial advertised properties in the design and you proceed to stress cycle the frame several hundred thousand times you will eventually crack the bike. If they designed the frame to the diminisher endurance limit properties (again, almost half) then the bike will last forever as long as the loadings dont exceed what was designed for, or rust. That is known as infinite life design. It is much simpler to design, but you end up with heavy, stiff frames and extra material usage.
Then there are the weld cracking issues. Even if the material has an endurance limit that should allow infinite life, that is assuming there are no existing cracks. Assuming you get a good sound weld (lots of variables) the weld is still only accessed from one side leaving a root "crack." Even on beautiful welds on thin material there will be a tiny disconinuity in the grain structure. Much like a tiny tear in a piece of paper lets you rip the whole sheet. The stress cycles this crack goes through can be much larger which effectively ages this area at a faster rate and will likely not have infinite life even if the overall frame was designed for it.
Lastly, any material frame can be designed for compliance. Alum chameleon, spec chisel come to mind. Raleigh has a carbon xc hardtail that was so squiggly in the rear you thought spoke tension was zero. This was mainly due to the rear triangle not being a triangle. The was a small 4th side leg at the rear axle that made it function like a rhombus. Similar effect of the swing dropouts on the timberjack, hayduke and el mar that so many endurance racers use.
As for steel, if it is a comfortable compliant frame it will likely eventually crack. Whether that # of cycles to cracking is relevant to your use or ownership is another story though.
And as @AccidentalDishing puts it below, the steel ages significantly worse than other materials, as it softens too much.
Climbing rough trails on a hardtail sucks: both figuratively and literally sucks the energy out of you. It's way more work on a hardtail. I rode my hardtail while waiting for a replacement for a stolen full-sus, and while it was fun (of course, it's a bike!) especially on descents, it was relatively (to a full-sus) crap on the climbs because traction is just non-existent with the back wheel bouncing all over. Any energy saved by not having suspension is more than overwhelmed by the energy spent managing the rear wheel (both traction and just getting it out of the way of things).
I can go downhill with pretty close to the same fun and speed on the hardtail, but it has to be a virtually perfect run, and takes way more out of you regardless of the perfectness of the run. So honestly, if you’re not an absolute shredder or doing races, why wouldn't you ride a full-sus?
@just6979: Personally i'm building a not super hardcore hardtail right now because I want to ride longer distances. On the hardtail I can fit a pretty decently sized frame bag with a water bottle or two.
My current hardtail is aluminium and it’s as compliant and as well damped as my steel frame I had before that but a lot of work has gone into making it ride a nice as a simple steel frame.
I love my hardtail, but I always choose my 160mm bike for long technical rides. I can ride technical terrain for hours, be super tired, and still feel comfortable when riding lazy.
Again, fundamental misunderstanding of materials. For metals there are "new" material properties such as tensile strength and yield which continually degrade with each stress cycle, no matter how small. For steels we are talking about (4340 and similar Reynolds 853) they degrade by a third by 10,000 cycles, and half at 1 million cycles where the degradation platueas indefinitely. Designing for infinite life would require using half of the new material properties. This would result in a VERY heavy and rigid frame. It is likely, especially if it is a light and compliant frame, that it was designed for finite life using new material properties. Eventually the strength of material will reduce below the expected loadings and it will crack. Whether that crack happens in your use time or not is debatable. But it certainly doesnt last forever.
Aluminum has no endurance limit. The degradation plateau never happens. Properties reduce to effectively zero, however failure like happens between 10k and 100k cycles where strength is down to 2/3. To last longer would require frames so overbuilt they would not be weight competitive.
How long it takes to reach a meaningful number of stress cycles depends on how much you ride, the amplitude of each cycle and likely the initial weld quality especially on aluminum.
4 years daily driver use is about my expatation on a quality steel frame. As a second bike of a casual trail rider that could be 20 years.
When I was a kid riding exclusively DJ and street I road only steel frames. Of some of the frames I went through, it took me a month each to destroy two 4130 Azonic Steelheads, cracked tubes and welds. On the other hand, I still have a super old mid-2000s DMR, also 4130, that I've beaten the absolute ever loving piss out of and its still kicking. This frame survived nose case after nose case, 10+ foot drops to practically flat, and similar, repeated abuse from my shitty riding for years. Photo evidence after I cocked my stays a little shy of 15 degrees botching a big 540 stepdown on pavement, which trued right back up and continued to be ridden www.pinkbike.com/photo/19198807
I get we can try to have a classroom on materials science as it translates to building steel frames but at least in my experience and knowing I'm not capable of abusing a bike to nearly the extent I was 10-15 years ago, I have full faith in any high quality frame and workmanship on the current market. For even hard use 4 years seems like an utterly impractical estimate knowing what I've put these bikes through over my life.
Absolutely. About 4 seasons was just what my last two frames lasted. Id estimate 15k miles on each minimum. One was a chainstay crack at the crimp and the other the top tube/ST weld. This might represent a lifetime under a different use. The blanket "burly steel hardtails last forever, cllimb like xc bikes and descend like dh bikes" is a myth that really gets under my skin (obviously). I hear it from locals all the time and it sucks to see especially new riders fall for this and sink a large amount of cash on something they may later regret.
Funny (not for your frame) that you mention the chainstay dimple being a source of failure--every steel frame I've broken which have failed along a tube all occurred at this crimp. I'm extremely happy to see a number of builders migrating away from dimpling and instead building custom yokes or using oval tubes for tire clearance.
@AccidentalDishing Ok mate well I won’t argue you certainly sound like you know what you’re talking about but I was under the impression that if you stay within its design limits steel doesn’t fatigue like how you can compress a coil over and over and it won’t break?
To the argument on fatigue; you're right in that there are certain obstacles that will always be easier on the hardtail. If that's all you're riding, though, there would be no reason to even be considering a FS bike in the first place. For me, I tend to ride trails that are fast, chunky, and lose. I can ride them on my 160mm bike while exhausted because the suspension does most of the work and a small error won't send me off a cliff. The same can't be said for my hardtail (which is as well suited for the terrain as a hardtail can be).
Where I usually ride, a hardtail is at a huge disadvantage. There are many climbs which take much more effort and are much slower on a hardtail. I won't explain why, I think @DaneL covered pretty much everything very well.
I'd rather be forced to ride a hardtail at a shuttle- or lift-accessed bike park, than be forced to use a hardtail to climb local terrain.
You’re out to lunch as usual.
Those aren’t facts.
They’re your opinions.
I sure hope you don't curse my rear suspension to explode on my next ride, since you are obviously a powerful suspension god, and I have offended you. Please allow me to continue riding full squish! I will sacrifice my first born hardtail (1997 Giant ATX-890 Tomac Edition, being rebuilt as a retro cruiser) to the hacksaw altar if you please don't hurt my precious suspension!
Would be nice if the reviewer said that this frame is intended for smooth climb up with climb switch on the fork or to be used as a standing up all the time singlespeed hammer machine. That seat angle isn’t really intended for seated xc type riding. Or that it’s a great frame only option to build up something nice for a much better price than the one complete on offer from Kona directly. Or what a natural fit it is for those modern jump trails. How does it feel on a four foot drop. Etc etc etc.
www.mtbr.com/product/bikes/freeride-hardtail/evil/imperial.html
All awesome. All from both sides of the pond. Does anyone even know, or care, which came first?
The weight matters to some people. Yep, it's steel, it's never the lightest option. But there can be big differences in weight. Personally i'm not a weight weenie. What I find ridiculous is how much a lot of brands charge for these plain old 4130 frames (not just MTB frames, gravel, road etc.). Yeah I get it steel is not the main material but still.
That said, I was riding back in 1996 / 97 / 98 and people would get a super small Spesh hardtail for jumping or really small Konas so its one of them. Kona also dropped a "hardcore" hardtail with triple clamps in 1999 I believe (cant remember its name) so they were pretty early to the party
lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/hhB3CYrZqZikVep9JNbgEriFiDz2K-MlDvlSKYhDji5mal9hwovcALolhGD1iUtcSkQ9ZojcgMAjWOnq5nPc7-xuHMI69o8PjPhsDcLMMKaHiLo
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10839281
So true. In the short-wheelbase days I was a nut for short chain stay maneuverability, but with new school long front centers—- the weight discrepancy can easily become too much and the pressure differential between front + rear tires gets out of hand (quickly leading to traction and handling differential).
Interesting that you say that. I have been riding so much extra this year that I have basically eliminated gym outside of legs and core from my schedule. My arms and shoulders haven't schunken to xc whippet boy size as expected. You definitely have to be hard down on the bars or you will wash the front out while slow cruising on your bro sled...bonus workout?
Another point: Kazimer mentioned that HA steepens when you sag the bike, but equally, so does the SA, and if it's already 77.5, then it just gets silly.
I'm currently running two Honzos: a 2020 Honzo with a -1.5 Angleset and an Auron at 150mm (Same reach/stack/BB height as no angleset @140.). The bike is an absolute weapon, and I have a hard time taking out my full suspension because of the fun I have on it, that said, I'm not sure how much the angleset benefits it's performance. Second Honzo is a 2016 with a 140mm Auron that is set up with a longer (60mm) stem and Single Speed (30-20), it's a totally different beast, but equally as much fun as the other bike.
Hardtails don't need to be ultra slack and low like an enduro rig. On paper, the Honzo looks pretty bad, but anyone who's ridden one knows what they can do.
I fully agree that hardtails do not ride well with a super steep static seat angle, though. My Rootdown at 76 degrees STA feels borderline too steep, pushing weight onto my bars when seated on anything but very steep climbs.
I won't comment on the overall value of the bike, but that's a near perfect "best-bang-for-your-buck" build if I ever saw one.
I'm sure I'll slice my tire at some point and move on to a DD casing plus CushCore.
bikegeo.muha.cc
Obviously, the precise number will depend on initial HA, wheelbase, etc
...my guess is you'd have about an inch of clearance with the cranks at 12 & 6 o'clock.
Can't tell much about the seat tube angle as I don't sit on my saddle. But I'd say that the chainstays of this Honzo can go shorter than we typically see on full suspension bikes (especially considering the fact that on most full suspension bikes, the rear center stretches as the suspension sags into the travel). So to have the saddle in the same position with respect to the rear axle, I think seat tube indeed should be a bit steeper than you'd see on a full suspension bike. Just my theory, maybe someone could chime in on this.
My own bike is about 77 effective at the top of the dropper, and that's accounting for the seat being slid forward about 10-15cm (not _all the way_, but enough to only barely be able to fit a gopro mount on the rails behind the clamp. Gotta get some footy of my dog chasing me!), and that feels great for balancing front and rear traction without having to make huge fore-aft moves with my upper body.
(It's a tough thing to measure consistently, though, because most saddles and seatposts don't have an indication of "the middle" of the rails and clamp.)
www.pinkbike.com/news/behind-the-numbers-5-trail-bikes-compared.html
www.pinkbike.com/photo/19003811
At around the sag point, the axle is at it's rearmost position but indeed it is quite minimal.
Makes me wonder about the bikes with a way to switch to climb geometry, like Bionicon or the Canyon Strive. Would these go with a slacker seattube because the rider can always steepen it up for the climbs.
BTW anyone who knocks on slack steel hardtails really needs to try one first. They're incredibly fun on steep, flowy, not overly chunky terrain (though they can plow better than you'd expect).
It’s great for mixing it up when you’re tired of the way your full suspension bike rides, it’s humbling as f to ride a hardtail after spending a lot of time on full squish, as it calls for the rider to pay way more attention to body mechanics and skill set of riding the simplest terrain. I really like having one as a back up for when my full suspension is needing some sudden maintenance or a repair too. It’s kind of nice to have a bike that forces you to slow down more than you usually would, I feel like the riding lifestyle can be so fast paced it’s easy to forget to stop and smell them roses. (PS I own a Chromag rootdown
1) budget
2) simplicity
3) versatility
4) climbing efficiency
I super happy with my decision, I was able to get a super capable bike for under $2000 CAD that rips on trails here in Vancouver and requires way less maintenance than my FS. I picked up the Fuse 27.5 (growler was sold out along with the 29er Fuse) i have been riding the bike 3 times a week and it has been a complete blast with few if any headaches.
I didn't get the bike to be different or to fill some fancy fetish.
I dread to think how easily the front wheel on the ESD washes out if your body's a hair too far back.
Even on a steel HT with much mellower geometry (Chromag Wideangle), it took me a while to get in the habit of making sure the front wheel was affirmatively weighted, even in slow corners. The ESD looks like it would be significantly less forgiving of such mistakes.
For me this bike was actually a little too slack and pricey so I ordered the new aluminum Honzo DL frame, 12-speed Deore drivetrain, a Bomber Z2, a new dropper, and covered the rest with extras I had from my parts bin. All said and done I spent $1300 and have a killer ride that will cover everything from trips to the park with the kids, woodsier weekend bikepacking, and nearly 100% of the trails I want to ride. Seems to make sense?! Love to all...be safe and have fun!
The Honzo ESD has a listed price of 2700 Sterling, which hardly any customer will actually pay. If you look at probikeshop.com they usually sell Konas for 20-25% off.
Finally concerning the geo, the BFeMax is a bit less aggressive with a 64° HA with a 160mm fork, and the reach 15mm shorter throughout.
Now, I would like to push it even further and try something around 1300mm wheelbase.
If I ride a HT on some techy trails I normally ride a FS on it makes me think more and I concentrate on getting down smooth rather than fast. If your not a racer , not every ride has to be hammered as fast as poss down the descents. Sometimes it’s cool to pick your way down on something less forgiving , look for good lines and you lose the pressure of feeling you should always be riding faster and just enjoy it.
That’s my two-penneth anyway
To be fair most of the older HTs that my friends and I used to ride were either a Norco Sasquatch or an overforked jump bike (GT Moro, Giant STP, DMR Trailstar, etc) so we’re low and short. But great fun.
And I’ll straight up say that the notion that you learn better on a hardtail or riding bike is a load of crap. You learn bike handling skill by riding at the edge of your competency level. Do that on a hardtail and you’re more likely to get injured, which slows or stops the learning process. Also, you learn by riding a lot. If you’re getting after it on a hardtail, you need more days off or easy to rest your wrecked ankles, wrists etc.
At this point I’d say the hardtail is an anachronism. It’s a great 4th or 5th bike (if you can afford it). But it’s not better at anything. And (based on this review) it isn’t cheaper or lighter either.
I would venture a good hardtail is better than many entry level FS. If you are on a budget, have room for one bike only and your budget is under $3,000 CAD you are going to be taking long hard looks at hardtails over a FS given the performance.
Of course if budget is unlimited, FS is going to be he bike of choice and the higher end models are going to outperform HT's.
When it comes to buying a bike, Its not about HT being better than FS or FS better than HT. Its about what bike regardless of being FS or HT gives you best performance for the money you have to spend.
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