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I dunno. There's 26er hardtails and 26er hardtails which you can actually buy and might be in your size.
Maybe you need a stealth wanted ad?
But personally I'd be looking for a more modern geo frame I could make work with 26er bits. NS Eccentric is not a bad idea: I had a 29er one I ran as 27.5 for a bit and it was a good bike.
Not being a serial bike swapper, my favourite 26er is the only one I kept; kona kula watt but this is the Torq racing team build - one of the ten or so actually raced for only one season and professionally serviced by team mechanic after it's few competitive outings.
I loved my old SC Chameleon. It was like a sort of oversized BMX. A right old laugh. Its still probably the best do-it-all hardtail
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My old P7 is the one bike I'll never get rid of. I've had it for 14 years and done god knows how many thousands of miles. It has seen many different guises. Its now semi-retired and used for general pub/commuter duties and pootling down local bridleways. It probably gets used more than my 'proper' bikes
Ooh, what about the original poo brown Specialized Pitch, they were awesome
Because it wasn’t a HT 😉
Ha - I'm an idiot. A mate of mine had one, rode it like he stole it everywhere.
I'm going to set an eBay search up, I suddenly want one.
another Ti 456 vote. I bought one of the original Lynskey frames back in 2008.
Great bike and I spent best part of ten years rattling it around Wales.
Stanton Slackline is still on my lust list.
I've got a 631 frame sat in my garage. It road well with a slackset in it but an 18" was on the small side for me at 5'10" and once you're used to riding LLS 29ers it's hard to go back.
Product Privee Shan, Stanton Slackline/Sherpa depending on what you’re gonna do, Coptic Soul/BFe, something from Ragley.
GT Zaskar was my first thought. The first “hardcore hardtail”.
Mk2 DMR Trailster is in the conversation as well.
If we’re going XC then something from DeKerf has to there.
The 456 were fun handling bikes. The steels were harsh to ride though. The carbon IMO were completely void of feel, just a horrible dead thing, light, but that was it.
My choice would be the last Soul (mk3??). Great fun handling, lovely ride quality, dropper compatible absolutely joyous. You can run them with 140mm forks, but at their best with 120mm
Litespeed Kitsuma ( I may be a bit biased, but my 2001 model is the best hard tail I’ve owned and I still have it)
I didn’t get on with my Ragley Ti at all, preferred the On One 456 that I had.
Find something with either a 1.5, tapered or oversized head tube so you can fit an Angleset as they’ll all most likely have 69-71* headangles.
I’ve only ridden the Summer Season and carbon versions of the 456 and to be honest I wasn’t impressed. The SS felt like it was made from scaffolding poles and the C456 was just stiff and not fun (and ugly to boot).
Did anyone try a Ragley Bagger or Troof?
I loved my 2010 Cotic Soul but once I was used to longer slacker lower bikes it felt weird on steep or fast and rough stuff.
Cotic Soul Gen 2.
It was my only bike when the kids were wee, I've now replaced it with 4 No. different bikes (hardcore hardtail, rigid singlespeed, cx and xc full sus) but none I love as much as I loved my Soul. I'm not sure if there is a modern equivalent that is really it's replacement.
It was a truly amazing all-rounder.
Favourites I've owned were Cotic BFe or Charge Blender. Had a couple of Trailstars and loved them too but even back then they were pretty steep/high BB.
I built up my Mk1 Cotic Soul with a Pike 140mm fork and an NX 1x12 group.
Still as good as ever on the flat and uphill. Bloody frightening on downhills after a few years of getting used to more modern geometry.
I’m currently loving my second Blender as a pumptrack/dadcountry bike.
I ran an orange clockwork 120 ( a 27.5" frame) with 26" wheels.
It was the longest reach frame I could find which would fit my 26" bits.
It had a -2 head set and 150mm.forks instead of 120 forks. It started with a 67 head angle, think it ended up around 65 degrees.
Mostly it got used for local stuff with a 2x chainset. I took it up Snowdon when my full suss was broken. The low BB from running the 26" wheels in the 27.5" frame lead to a lot of chain ring strikes.
It was a lot less twitchy than the cove stiffee it replaced
I'm 6"4 with long legs. I've had a bike fit since those bikes.
Apparently 1996-2022 I had my saddles an inch too high. It was fine like that until I hit middle age and my knees started to complain on super long rides.
So the saddle height of someone 6"6?
It's a 240mm dropper in this bike,and even with a short seat tube, it only juuust fits 😃
Someone on here must have that frame sat in a shed, we can negotiate
Not me. My 26er HT (another Cotic Soul mk1) is still my most used bike. Went out on it yesterday. Going out for a ride on it later today.
Contrary to popular belief, they don't stop working the way they were designed the moment a more fashionable size (wheel size, handlebar width, dropout width, fork travel length) or angle (head tube, seat tube) comes along.
I did consider a frame swap to a Solaris, but in reality it'd be a new bike with new wheels and forks and just steal the bars, stem and saddle and maybe groupset+brakes from the Soul, so isn't really a frame swap at all.
Took my 26er out yesterday, technically a mullet to correct the slightly short rigid fork.
Another vote for the Lynskey-built On One 456Ti, I've a 2nd gen (with the additional tube on the disc side) still built up.
Not ridden it since 2021 as I bought a 29er Scandal on a whim in the sales.
According to Strava mine's covered nearly 9,000 miles.
Proper Triggers Broom too, no idea how many components it's been through and at one time built down to 21lbs with a 140mm fork, ended up at 24lbs and a lot more durable.
the Lynskey-built On One 456Ti, I’ve a 2nd gen (with the additional tube on the disc side)
I wonder how many of the 1st gen models are still in one piece?
Jamesoz that's about a mile from where I grew up! Pretty certain iv stopped by that sign before. I had a lovely Charge duster that got sold last year to be replaced by a Scandal. The Scandal is in many ways a better bike but that Charge was a really lovely classic handrail and I slightly regret selling it. Id really love a 26 Soul as I never had one and always wanted.
Jamesoz that’s about a mile from where I grew up!
Small world!
I didn’t bother with the track through the woods near the Bombhole, I imagine it’ll be horrendous.
After riding 29ers, I just did not enjoy riding my Soul as much. It felt twitchy, short and the front wheel seemed to not want to rollover obstacles in comparison to the 29er. The Soul used to make my calfs ache which doesn't seem to happen on my 29er bikes.
And I was a huge advocate of 26" wheeled bikes, especially the Soul. But once I adapted to riding more modern bikes with their longer and slacker geometry along with their bigger wheels, there was no way back for me.
About 15 (ish) years ago. I rode one of the old Orange P7 hardtails at a demo day. Utterly loved it. At the time circumstances made me not buy it, but it's the one bike I really regret not purchasing.
The Chameleon I so nearly bought, but didn't want the faff of horizontal dropouts with a disc brake on the MK1. Bought a Cove Stiffee instead which was no disappointment until I started riding new LLS bikes. Still have it and currently built up as a pump track bike.
Not the favourite I own though, that's a Kona Kilauea from 1998 with a Z1 BAM. Just always feels right.
DNR Trailstar is quite the classic. Yeti FRO of course.
The correct answer is any early 1990s Kona.
Well being a massive GT fanboy....
Zaskar LE pre Taiwan. And I'd still have one if some gronk didn't nick it off me. All XTR too and SIDs.
But once I adapted to riding more modern bikes with their longer and slacker geometry along with their bigger wheels, there was no way back for me.
I rode and raced 26" MTB for many years and then ended up with just the one bike (Cove Stiffee) as MTB dropped off my radar in favour of road and gravel.
Buying a new bike recently was a complete return to the start of the learning curve - I'd gone from 3x to 1x, 26" to 29", 135mm QR to 148 thru...
And in spite of how the Cove was badged as a hardcore hardtail, capable of anything (and it WAS a very capable bike), the 29er is just better in every aspect. Stronger, stiffer, lighter, rolls over obstacles better, descends faster...
I do still have fond memories of my old titanium Saracen Kili Ultra - that things was a proper old-skool XC rocketship although the insanely light rigid Ti forks were noodly as **** on anything technical. It did get a lot of admiring comments at Mountain Mayhem though. 🙂
But maybe not as much notice as a titanium Kona Hei Hei with rigid P2 Ti forks.
Chumba HX1
Dialled love/hate built up single speed. Still got it and it still goes up hills quicker than all my other bikes. Second is my Stanton slackline but that's a 27.5 and in the naughty shed as it was the cause of last week's crash. Well the extra wide handlebars and my lack of attention were.
Mid 90s GT Zaskar, the Ford Escort of mountain bikes
“I wonder how many of the 1st gen models are still in one piece?”
Mine is (sort of)… although modded as the seatstay did crack at the dropout due to braking forces after a week in the Pyrenees. Went back to Lynskey under warranty, and repaired/completely redone with the ‘flames’ shot blast finish, so came back as new. Took several months, rather than get one from stock but I was happy with that. I put every single part on a Sanderson Breath in the meantime which felt rubbish tbh.
Seeing as this thread very quickly turned into what was your favourite 26 inch HT personally owned then mine was my metallic granny smith apple green Ibis Tranny. Really enjoyed that bike and had a nice uniqueness with the removable slot box rear triangle.
As mentioned above though, once decent 29er HTs started arriving they really did up the game over the 26ers. After the Ibis Tranny my next HT was a Whyte 29-c, it was better in every single respect, infact I wish i'd never sold the 29-c, an awesome bike.
I was going to say IBIS Tranny in terms of recommend what you had...
I fitted a rigid fork and it was a fast light thing and Mrs RM had the lime green version....
I'm voting for this... I miss this, wish I'd kept it
Loved my 2008 Orange P7 with 140mm forks. Used to carry speed through everything.
Mk2 Soul for the win though (with 120mm flavour forks). That's the bike I miss the most. Though I imagine it would feel a bit steep and twitchy these days.
Having had a million 26" hardtails (still have 2 in the garage), my favourites were:
- Curtis SuperX - one of the very first probably 20+ years ago now. Was absolutely brilliant...
- at the other end of the price scale, an On-One 456 Summer Season. Equally brilliant for many different reasons. The bike that started the slacker headtube thing?
I'll just add, my mk2 Soul was also very, very good and was the bike that made me hit my limit of what I thought I was capable off on a hardtail at the time. Switched to full bounce for my main bikes after that... It was great.
Going off the classics and ones I owned it would be the Zaskar, Kona Lava Dome and a US ti Merlin Oreas. The Zaskar was just tough and did everything. The Lava Dome was my first ever new bike (1994 model) and the Merlin Oreas was just a titanium XC weapon. It was 21lb of pure speed - when I did my bit.
More modern stuff I loved my On One Summer Season. Slack as hell and great for going downhill.
I've accidentally blundered into this thread without my rose tinted glasses so... Let's be honest, practically every 26 inch mtb wasn't very good. For their time, sure, and it's not at all their fault that they weren't very good so that's not a criticism. I had a Soul back in the day, it was a masterpiece and back then it could have made a pretty good case for being the best hardtail in the world. I have one now as a pub bike and that's been a reminiscence-shattering experience, I got the parts to ride it offroad, right down to the exact same forks as I used to have, and it's just bad. Not enjoyably bad like my fatbike, just a bad experience.
I had a Ragley Ti, it was magnificent, it made me a better rider and let me get away with damn fool nonsense, I loved it... I'll fight its corner and say it was one of the best oldschool hardtails ever made, but I don't need to get another one in 2024 to know that my ti Titus utterly ****s on it to the point of ridiculousness.
So I'm going to assume that the best 26er hardtail ever made is a very very late one, from when reach and wheelbase were growing like bamboo, and when a few heroic manufacturers were taking on those lessons but still making 26ers. Or some custom madness where someone's gone "let's take a 1300mm wheelbase and put little wheels in it" I also reckon that quite a lot of 650b hardtails would make better 26ers than most 26ers.
^ by that logic all current bikes are also "not very good".
Yeah, I still like my 26er Shan. I don't really know if it was the best in all ways, or just looks.
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Zaskar
My favourite was a Saracen Zen with a 140mm fork.
It was light, comfy and had good geometry for the time - great fun and very versatile from XC to techy rides.
Looking at it now, I can't see anyone else agreeing with me though:
I’m going to assume that the best 26er hardtail ever made is a very very late one, from when reach and wheelbase were growing like bamboo, and when a few heroic manufacturers were taking on those lessons but still making 26ers.
Yep. I'd discount any of the mainstream brands. I'd probably also say it'd be designed in Britain, but the latter is just because that's what I was most exposed to. Someone mentioned the Ragley Bagger and Troof. They must have been amongst the last?
GT Zaskar for me but more to do with how much I coveted it as a teen before finally buying one, than how it actually rode.
In terms of bikes I think of as iconic, most have been mentioned several times (UK hardcore hardtails, Chameleon etc), but one I was expecting more love for is the Rocky Mountain Blizzard which would definitely make my list.
Not iconic, but probably the best hardtail I rode was a Commencal Supernormal which, despite being an XC leaning bike, did all that i asked of it at the time in a very engaging way.
Nukeproof cub scout?
DaveyBoyWonder
Free Member^ by that logic all current bikes are also “not very good”.
How?
Greatest is impossible to pinpoint, so many variables - value ? ride quality ? looks ?
that said, my 456ti evo with the tapered head tube is still my favourite and still ridden
Another vote for the Cotic Soul. I've had three, and wish I still had one.
My first was a second hand, black MK2 like the one above, upgraded to Hope/Mavic wheels. Thomson stem and seatpost, reba dual air forks, 3x9 transmission - it was just brilliant, light, nimble, confidence inspiring, sprightly. Truly the bike that got me properly into mountain biking. I swapped to a MK3 for dropper compatibility but don't reckon it was quite as nice to ride. I rode the Borrowdale Bash on the MK1 about 8 or 9 years ago, by far the most techy natural terrain I'd encountered and it just did it.
Via a Solaris, a 650b Soul and a handful of other bikes I've ended up with a Cotic Flare full suss which is lovely, but I've ridden it a fraction of the miles I rode that first Soul. Simpler times...
Has anyone owned a 26” Cotic Soul and it HASNT been their favourite 26” hard tail?
Bloody loved that bike.
I had a Ragley Ti, it was magnificent, it made me a better rider and let me get away with damn fool nonsense, I loved it… I’ll fight its corner and say it was one of the best oldschool hardtails ever made, but I don’t need to get another one in 2024 to know that my ti Titus utterly ****s on it to the point of ridiculousness.
Yes, as someone who still has a Ragley Ti as well as a couple of modern mountain bikes, I'd say it's a bit like watching some TV show from your childhood that you used to love on a modern, HD television. Like, oh, I dunno, Hill Street Blues - you can still vaguely see what it was you loved about it, but the picture's blurry and a funny shape and the characters feel dated and predictable. It still has a sort of residual charm, but it's very definitely not what it was viewed from a modern perspective. See also 80s/90s hot hatches, maybe.
You may wish you'd never sold your Soul / Ragley Ti / Ti 456, but thinking they're still as good as they were at the time is wishful thinking 🙂
There’s a third option which is to resurrect my 456c which I very much enjoyed.
Mine has been getting a lot of use this winter, as the weather has been so bad. Still enjoy it. On its last legs though as the seat post broke at the top, so I have to use an extra long seat post (no dropper) and a double clamp.
If you ever sell the frame, let me know.
I'd forgotten how fugly they were/are ^^
thebunk
Full MemberHas anyone owned a 26” Cotic Soul and it HASNT been their favourite 26” hard tail?
Yeah, I far preferred my Ragley Ti. I think it was just simply better at everything except for pootling (for such a capable bike, the Soul was an incredible pootler)
But the Soul set a really high bar... After I got my Hemlock I knew the Soul wasn't a great fit for me, it was too allroundy, so I started looking for something a bit more full on and it took a lot of looking. My Mmmbop was awesome but so skittish, my C456 was great but it just lacked whatever the magic ingredient in the Soul was, it was reliable and capable but never inspirational. (I think of this as waggy-tailedness, I had a BFe for about 5 minutes and ditched it because it had absolutely none)
Finding something that was as good as the soul but also did the job I wanted it to do was really hard and that's a pretty big compliment.
I'm going to vote for the Chameleon. First of the small jumpy hardtails that came in larger sizes, about 97 or 98. Maybe not the greatest but well up there and driving that bandwagon. The original do it all HT imo.
The '98 size L I had with Z1 forks and wide as poss ratio 1x8 was good for jumps at Cranham 4X, DH in the FoD (just) and all day XC. Very influential in how I think about the range of use and riding attitude a hardtail should have.
Also a reminder of how wheel size influences things as I don't see how a bike with similar character could be made now as a 29er, despite me being a big fan of 29" generally. Tempted to think a mullet HT would get closest.
^ on that note about ride character in a 29er, an odd thought is that my rigid Jones gets closer than most to the mix of agility, confidence on tech stuff and all day XC abilities that the Chameleon had. It just loses out on the lack of forks and over jumps but that's also me being 30 years older.
In-rats
Production Privee Shan/Oka
Best hardtail ever made with the bonus that you can run 27.5 should you want with dropout kit.
Has anyone owned a 26” Cotic Soul and it HASNT been their favourite 26” hard tail?
I rode the prototype Soda round the carpark at Sherwood Pines, that might change my vote from the Soul!