NSMB - 2023 - Hardtails Leaning Against Stuff Thread

I'm diggin' the name change for the thread. This gives me the opportunity to go out and find more interesting stuff to lean my Tyaughton against, the white cinder block wall was a boring start, but I will endeavor to do better.

Lots of awesome hardtails posted!!

Always follow this forum but have never posted.

I have not had the chance to lean it against many things yet but 2022 Marin San Quentin frame, mixed wheel 29fr 275rr, Pike Ult 29er 120mm,SRAM Eagle DT with custom raw gx cranks, one up 210mm dropper, spank 60mm rise bar on a 35mm stem, running tannus tubeless front and rear.

I cracked a couple carbon “super bike” frames last summer and had some build parts left over after the smoke cleared, these frames were cheapish.

I have not had a hardtail with a suspension fork on it in a long while. Been running a Surly k-monkey with -2degree wolf tooth headset for the last 3 years for everything from the daily commute, trail rides with the kiddos, bike camping trips, winterized with ice spiker pros ect. I will keep it around but looking forward to more modern geo and a bit of spring in the front.

sfd_656: Nice Ride! Looking forward to seeing your leaning choices.

It's not exactly a traditional hardtail, but it's the closest I've got right now, and this is a very traditional lean.

Also ft. local abandoned military training ground.

sfd_656, nice. Is this the first non-ferrous bike in a dozen pages?

Jake - that green on the 529 is loverly.  I do like a green bike.  How does it ride?

Tristan - Double hardtails are welcome around these parts as well.

Interesting point Velo, the other frames in consideration were, Banshee Enigma (also alloy) and Chromags wideangle. This one won out on price and our shop is a new Marin dealer so representing the new brand works out too.

Likely will not get to ride it until family day long weekend as life is currently full of kids ski lessons(aka free skiing for me!)

Single, double or triple hardtails and all frame materials are welcome in this thread as long as you lean them up against something. ;-)

Posted by: Vikb

Single, double or triple hardtails and all frame materials are welcome in this thread as long as you lean them up against something. ;-)

Vik is currently in the lead with the "most leans", plus a he sometimes has multiple bikes in the same lean, somebody needs to give him a run for his money. Tristan is definately in the running in the "best lean" category.

I've got a couple hundred KMs of trails under my wheels on the Moxie now. A lot of snow, but lately lots of dirt as well so I have a pretty good feel for how it rides. Back when the Moxie first came out it was a "hardcore hardtail" and much buzz happened around if that made sense. Fast forward a few years and riding this frame does not feel extreme in the slightest. A size Long with a 140mm fork under my 5'11" body feels like a middle of the road trail bike. I'll throw it down [almost] any trail I'm going to ride these days so it's plenty capable, but it does not feel like it's pushing boundaries in any way. Now I could size up to a Longer and throw a 170mm fork on it and my opinion would likely change, but as I have the bike running now she's just a versatile trail machine.

I've said it a few times, but it's worth repeating the shorter CS climb so much better for me. I'm back to really enjoying challenging myself against steep loose/techy climbs and mostly winning. The overall bike feels smaller than most of the hardtails I've ridden recently. Yes that means giving up some of that looooooong bike stability, but it also means getting back a lot of agility and precision. Since I don't race my priority is to ride smooth, find flow and clean tech. This bike does that really well. I also find I am able to weight both wheels better and I have better feel for what is going on at each wheel than I did on my longer hardtails. That's very nice on slippery surfaces [roots, slimy off camber rocks, wet wood work, etc...].

OTOH this is one of the first times in a while I'm feeling a little cramped on a bike when going downhill. I'm currently running a 31mm stem and I plan to swap in a 40mm stem soon. I've been on so many long frames that I instinctively put on the shortest stem I have. Mostly that's the right call, but I feel like this time going back to a 40-50mm stem might make me happier. I raised the bars 10mm recently using a spacer under the stem and I've enjoyed that change. I'll probably try another 10mm higher using a bar with more rise.

I've been using Kona Wah Wah II pedals because their big platform is kinder to my foot that has the recently broken toe. The comfort is great, but I am getting noticeably more pedal strikes than with the smaller RF Chesters. It's annoying, but not so bad I'm going to ditch the Kona pedals right away. My foot is feeling better so I think as we get closer to summer I'll switch back to the smaller pedals and see what happens.

I started the build with a 160mm fork, but didn't give it much of a chance before I swapped to a 140mm air shaft. When I get motivated to do a lower service on the Bomber I may try the longer fork again and see what I think.

The Moxie is stiffer than the Sirius or the Bird Forge, but I haven't felt like that was an issue so far. Winter conditions are softer so we'll have to see what I think when July rolls around and the ground is hard/bumpy.

All in all the Moxie was a move in the right direction. I loved a lot about the Forge, but not being able to climb to my true potential was a bummer I couldn't overlook. I have been pondering trying that frame again with more backswept bars to see if I can get more weight on the rear wheel to improve the climbing traction. It might be a waste of time, but I'd love to solve that issue and keep that frame in play.

BTW - does leaning the bike against the ground count as a real lean?

NOT WHEN YOU PUT IT DERAILLEUR SIDE DOWN. 

THE HORROR.

Posted by: Hepcat

NOT WHEN YOU PUT IT DERAILLEUR SIDE DOWN. 

THE HORROR.

Minus a few lean points for that schoolboy error...