Bikes - Hardtails

Trek's Best Looking Bike is a solidly-priced, Deore M6100 equipped hardtail with an awesome appearance in any of its three livery choices.

Steel may be real, but aluminum is actual, and so are the savings in suspension and drivetrain maintenance on Arden's #1FG RSD Bikes Middlechild.

A Titanium beauty, a book, a true flannel, and something every trail builder has on their wish list.

Diving into Knolly's Titanium Hardtail after some time spent on the steel version...

8 Months of hardtail tough love with an unruly Smurf

The complete Marin San Quentin 1 (SQ1) hardtail costs about the same amount of money as a top-end RockShox suspension fork...

A hand-crafted steel hardtail, in a world of carbon, built during the pandemic. Meet my Falconer Pro Cruiser tribute.

Andrew discusses expectations for first time mountain bike buyers who don't want break the bank to start riding...

Rob's slackened Stache is a bittersweet reminder of how awesomely fun these bikes are and how deserving the platform is of a re-imaging...

What's the point including shitty plastic pedals on budget mountain bikes when spec. dollars are so tight?

Bean's Salsa Timberjack is loaded down with interesting tales while satisfying a selectively-sourced, budget-forward build...

"A feature set and price point that any competent product manager would have rejected immediately."

Andrew's scheme to test a bunch of budget hardtails, in the 1-2K CAD range, both stock and with an angleset installed...

Some love for old mountain bicycles that have been well-cycled and a moment of sorrow for those that have stayed showroom sweet in stasis.

Andrew's third and final look at the latest aluminum Chameleon frame from the perspective of owning one mountain bike to do it all.

Is it "XTR or bust" or could you happily pedal a complete that costs less than some of your friends' wheelsets?

Kona’s venerable Swiss Army Knife hardtail weathers the test of time

After some struggle, Andrew and the Chameleon MX are speaking the same language - if not the same dialect...

Anyone who recommends a dual suspension bike over a hardtail – without first calculating the difference in the cost of ownership – may need some schooling...

Santa Cruz is back with an updated version of their aluminum do-anything-and-everything hardtail.

On dropping pounds of weight off my bike with narrow rims, lighter tires and inserts, a Manitou R7 XC fork, and aluminum chainrings instead of stainless steel.

Steeps and Lips aboard the Knolly's latest release

Knolly's entry into the Aggressive Hardtail Game is Strong Contender...

"The Stoic is built with geometry meant for aggressive riding, spec’d to take a beating, go back to do it all again tomorrow..."