Steel hardtail to replace Inbred

Pace?
The RC 627 I have is quite aggressive if you compare its geometry to other HTs, but it rides really well on long days out.
Maybe it's just the right size for me, but it's the most comfy bike I've ridden.
I have two sets of wheels for it, big and chunky, or skinny and light(er). Depending in the type of ride I plan I just swap them around.

Ribble have some nice looking bikes at the moment, £2k gets you a Pike and GX spec on their steel hardtail with 27.5 wheels.

I was in their store in bristol yesterday and their hardtails are lovely looking things

Pipedream Sirius ?

https://www.pipedreamcycles.com/shop/sirius/

Stif Squatch, love mine when my back isn't playing up!!

Ragley Big Wig is another option. Very happy with mine. Or a Sonder Signal. Go for the best fork you can afford, I’ve got a Revelation on mine which is good but upgraded the MoCo damper which has made a big difference (basically a Pike now).

You might think they’re a bit “hardcore” but they’re really not that radical for modern bikes (see a Hello Dave), just as fine to ride them on steady loops as it is to throw them as some rocky tech.

Does it have to be steel? It'll broaden the choice of bikes at that price range

I would go with Cotic, the Solaris Max. In my opinion they have the geometry dialled in. I have a Bfe Max and a First gen rocket Max both great bikes. BFe took a bit of getting used to with the longer wheelbase but now I love it. Solaris would be great. I had a first gen solaris 29 before which was a great ride.

Aaaw! Will be a shame to wave goodbye to your Inbred. 🙁

I won't from a steel 456 to ti456 and now have a Bird Zero 29. I love it. Done all sorts of riding on it.

Thanks all.

Pace - looks like 3k+ for a compete sadly, as the rc529 also looks good.

Ribble - I can't see the option with the pike fork online? You can do it through a custom build but it's otherwise v basic to keep it down to 2k. Please ping a link if I'm missing something.

I love the pipedreams but they seem to be frame only. On this occasion I'm after a complete bike.

I quite like the Ragley - one to add. And the Stif.

I agree on the Cotic. But again it will increase my budget by 50%.

Why steel? Good question. I like it. I could put up any number of arguments, but it really just comes down to that.

PhilO! Good to hear from you! Hope you and the others are all well. Inbred won't go anywhere - old bikes never die... It might get a bit disassembled and wall mounted, but it's been to India, Nigeria and Wales(!) - I couldn't part with it.

I would like a pasta party
https://flic.kr/p/2nYzGyX
Sour are a great brand, I've got one of their gravel bikes and saw the pasta party at bespoked last month. Primer mix of old school Geom and new but not stupidly slack you can't pedal it XC

https://sour.bike/en/candy-shop/bikes/pasta-party/

That Pipedream gets my vote.

Looks like a great semi-hardcore hardtail that you could still do the odd XC race on.

I went from an Inbred to a P7 which I find great fun to ride. I miss my old Inbred they are ace.

PhilO! Good to hear from you! Hope you and the others are all well. Inbred won’t go anywhere – old bikes never die… It might get a bit disassembled and wall mounted, but it’s been to India, Nigeria and Wales(!) – I couldn’t part with it.

Good man! 🙂 I'd heard that you were in Africa a while back, but not India. I trust that you'll look us up next time you're in the area and we can all catch up? And admire the new hardtail, obvs!

If you like the P7 then Sunset MTB have some on offer. If you click on the bike there's another 10% off so that makes either the 27.5 or 29 £2069.10.

https://www.sunsetmtb.co.uk/shop/index.php?category_id=21

Stanton Sherpa? Hardtail Party have a good review on YouTube. I have no experience of one but not been mentioned yet I don't think. Probably a bit more of an all rounder too.

Edit - just checked and they are £3k!

I'm waiting on a Nordest Britango to arrive. Exactly the same criteria that you mention is what I was looking for and this seems to fill that gap. Plus they're on sale just now.

Edit: sorry just seen the thing about full build. Forget this then as it's frame only just now. Sonder Signal ST does look good. I enquired about the Deore Spec one with upgraded Revelation fork, wheels and a dropper and the price was below your £2k limit.

Bird forge? I got a shimano 12s build to £2087 which covers dt wheels and no obviously weak links. Another hundred or so would net some slightly nicer cranks (aeffects not rides) and helm forks which makes for a pretty nice build.

Bird forge

I still have an Inbred.
Postbox red - horizontal dropouts, run as a single-speed. Ride it daily as a dog-running bike.

The Inbred (I have had 3 frames over the decades) is one of the few bikes that's made me go "wow" as I've ridden along.

I have also had a Airborne Lancaster (Ti - superb but I cracked the dropout), Gary Fisher Big Sur (alu and fast, but boring), Sanderson Life (superb- but I kept ripping the rear mech-hanger open), Cotic Soul (superb but cracked the chainstay), Pipedream Scion (identical 853 and geometry but the chainstays were beefy and it rode like it was dead - so I gave it away).
Then I went 27.5 with a Production Privee Oka. Lovely bike but jeez it was slow. Think it was too short for me.
Then I went 29 with a Stanton Sherpa. Superb! Had it for 3 years and I absolutely love it. Grintastic is the phrase I use to describe it.

Anyway - make sure whatever you buy fits. Also get the springiest chainstays you can find - The Scion was technically identical to the Soul but the beefier chainstays meant it felt dead. Life is too short for bikes that feel dead.

Note: I have also a carbon full-sus. It's light and fast and I tend to ride it on days I want to keep up, but it's the Sherpa I reach for when I want to grin.

Note: The top-tube for the Soul is now used as a breaker bar by Marcus Stitz's mechanic. You can see the Scion hanging in the back of some photos too.

If you like the P7 then Sunset MTB have some on offer. If you click on the bike there’s another 10% off so that makes either the 27.5 or 29 £2069.10.

That P7 seems good value. Reynolds tubing and a Lyrik fork

Lots of great food for thought here - thanks everyone. Found a Ragley Big Wig for 1700 and nearly bought it but realised it wasn't my size. Damn! Really like Stanton but they aren't taking orders for full builds at present due to backlogs. Torn now between Orange at that lower price, or Stif Squatch. Potentially also Sonder Signal. Or full price Big Wig.

Have also just noticed On One Big Dog which can be bought with a Pike fork and dropper stem on GX kit for 1650. That seems like a good deal - anyone got thoughts on the frame (I've seen mixed reports of On One since I bought my last one).

@Phil - would love to catch up! Sadly, visits to Wales are rare but I will notify next time I'm around.

Have also just noticed On One Big Dog which can be bought with a Pike fork and dropper stem on GX kit for 1650. That seems like a good deal – anyone got thoughts on the frame (I’ve seen mixed reports of On One since I bought my last one).

I've just bought one (with the Pike upgrade) to replace my QR Solaris that was stolen. Quality is fine, I wouldn't expect it to be comparable to a Pace or Cotic, but they are half the price, spec for spec. I've only ridden it a couple of times and I would say I am still adjusting to the more modern geo. I think I like it, rather than love it, but then it always takes me a while for a new bike to feel like it's mine, if that makes any sense.

Hard to look past it for value though.

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The go to On One seems to be the Scandal atm. Isn't the Big Dog a bit of a lump?

FWIW my opinion of On One is that they're good value and perfectly adequate. My Whippet did it's job but I didn't get any real enjoyment out of owning it, it was a bit white goods. Up to you whether that is important or not but when spending a load of money on something I want to like owning it as well as riding it, if that makes sense?

If you are a Large frame size, Winstanleys have a P7 29" for £1680

I had a BigDog for a while at the start of 2020 and coming form a totally XC biased backgorund in bike for the years previously it was ace, rode well, more than lively enough, but bloody heavy.

Isn’t the Big Dog a bit of a lump?

I think the build is key. If you look at the basic spec on the website for the £1K ish price point, basic wheels, heavy tyres and fork are all going to contribute to a pretty sluggish bike. At that budget steel makes no sense at all when the Scandal is the same price.

Lighter components, tubeless wheels etc. for a bit more spend, and the Big Dog starts to make its case, if the look and feel of Steel floats your boat.

Be brave... Stanton still have bikes.

I've just spotted PX have pre-built Big Dogs with Rock Shox 35's, Sram GX and a dropper for £849. That is absolutely crackers value, if you are looking for a winter hardtail.

Linky

Scratch my Stanton suggestion sadly unless you go used.

A note on weight. I am a Big Unit. Officially not an XC whippet. Go through narrow doors sideways etc. So bike weight (unless we are reaching 1980s Raleigh Mustang levels) is not really a big issue for me. I can save weight by just laying off the dinner.

P7 FOR 1700 is very tempting.

I'd have thought that the Big Dog is ideal for you; it's not an xc whippet bike, so of course it's a little heavier than some. It's a tough bike, not a delicate wee flower. With a sensible build, it's great fun. Mine has decent Hope/Stans wheels, proper tyres and a pair of 120mm Z2 up front. It'll tackle just about anything but is most at home ragging about the local woods. It's a 'fun' bike.

What about the Fairlight Holt?? I've got the Fairlight Strael which I love and the new Holt hardtail looks good spec, just trying to warm to the colour choices. If anyone has one would be v interested in their opinion.

How tall are you?

kona unit?

kona honzo?

pipedream moxie...

I'm 6'1".

On one looking v tempting.

I looked at Konas but couldn't find any that matched my spec

I know you said steel, but mmmmm, titanium under budget

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBTIEVGX/titus-el-viajero-sram-gx-titanium-mountain-bike

I’d suggest trying a few of the options before buying.
It’s STW though so ill throw in that I own a Scandal (bought without trying - so much for following my own advice) and it’s very good so would recommend that to anyone.

Pace rc529 is a great bit of kit if you can stretch to it. I'm glad I did. Will ride all day but a hooligan on the steep techy stuff.

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Upgraded On-one Huntsman? Has anyone seen, bought or ridden one?

On one big dog owner here. Great geometry. Paint chips easily. I love the skinny tube look of steel bikes. On the other hand I don't think it is more compliant than say a aluminium bike. The other more specialist frame is the Hello Dave. For me the weight of steel is not a big deal as full suspension bike and eeb both weigh more. Good design does not need to cost extra in the case of the On one bikes.

I've presently got a Big Dog frame a Scandal and a BFEMax. I weigh about 12 stone with clothing. I could get the Dog head tube to twist when sprinting. I doubt it's worse than an Inbred, which I recently sold but... The Scandal and the BFE have about the same compliance, they aren't harsh, but both are laterally stiffer than the Dog, and a bit sharper uphill too. The Scandal is the best value but if one is long legged for one's height, as I am, the Scandal seat is very slack. I'd say the BFFEMax is surer at speed downhill, but the Scandal is better for youfs looning around. At my advanced years and sloth like reflexes the Max is better. My balance is off slightly after Covids, mild as they were.

Having come from a kona cindercone and explosif, both steel, I now have a solarismax.

Absolutely amazing bike, does everything including being the best bike packing bike I've had.

Also 6'1", get the large with 120mm forks

Shan GT Racing History