W HARD-HITTING HARDTAILS

Full-suspension bikes often steal the limelight. With their rear travel smoothing out the roughest of trails, it’s no surprise they’re the headline machines in any brand’s line-up. Hardtails have no such compensation out back, so need your full attention and good skills to get down the hill at speed. But that’s what makes them so fun, and the money saved on shocks and linkages can be spent on better parts instead.

The UK has long had a strong association with hardtails. In fact, many would consider our little island to be the world leader in building the kind of radically-shaped rigid frames that are perfectly suited to our steep, technical tracks. We’re talking slack head angles, long reaches and plenty of room for chunky rubber at the back – all surefire signs that a hardtail will give you as few excuses as possible when the trail points straight to the valley floor.

This month we’ve got hold of four examples, all from British brands, and all built to tackle whatever you throw at them. While hardtails can be a cheaper alternative to a full-sus, we’ve gone for builds around the £3,000 mark. This ensures that we get to test some of the most interesting bikes around, and also that they’re set up with kit that should let the frame shine. As only three of the brands here offer complete bikes, we’ll be basing our value judgments on the frame price, but commenting on the full-build specs where appropriate. All four offer parts options, and being able to spec components you like is a big benefit – although your customisation choices may be limited by the current kit shortages.

We’re looking for the bike that’s best able to tackle some of the steepest and roughest trails in the UK, so we’ve ridden these four at our proving grounds in the South West, on the varied tracks of BikePark Wales and in the steep loam of High Burnside, near Aviemore in Scotland. Smooth, stable handling is a must, but so is pin-sharp accuracy, so you can thread your way between trail features that might otherwise throw you off-line.

THE LINE-UP

COTIC BFEMAX £549 frame £3,538 custom build

From the brand that helped rejuvenate the steel hardtail back in 2003, the BFeMAX takes the DNA of Cotic’s hard-hitting, 650b-wheeled BFe and gives it bigger 29in hoops, inspired by their smooth-riding SolarisMAX trail hardtail. Despite a burly build, it’s the lightest 29er here, with a frame made from butted chromoly and plenty of custom spec options. The Peak District-based brand were one of the early ‘long, low and slack’ pioneers, too.

RIBBLE HT AL £599 frame £3,189 custom build + p&p for online orders

company on the up, boasting a growing range of bikes with both flat and curly bars, as well as showrooms opening nationwide. While they make steel and titanium versions, we’ve chosen to test their aluminium hardtail,