Freeride Hardtail

[AN6 Freerider]

ok I'm planning on getting a new freeride hardtail, but im having a tough time deciding.. any suggestions...
it will be used for shuttling, some dh, dirt jumps and capable of handling drops...

i was thinking either the
specialized p3
.243 freeride hartail
sinister ridge
woodman d-s

thanks for the input

[rigidhack]

The Ridge is a fantastic bike. It would be my first choice for a HT, but my riding is a bit different than yours (no DJ). It is certainly strong enought to handle everything you mention, I'm just not sure if the geometry is ideal for a DJ bike.

I have heard all good things about the .243 - aside from some issues with the weight.

[Downhiller]

banshee morphine ! i will allways choose that HT, its the best HT i ever ride..! and i am proud owner of one

[DH biker]

Banshee Morhpine or Scratch?

[bjanga]

The woodman (and maybe the .243?) has sliding vertical dropouts, if that is a consideration . . .

[AirAddict]

P.3's are great bikes, but i they seem to be less of a freeride hardtail for hitting DH and shuttling everyonce in a while. out of they choices you have listed, i'd get the .243

if i was getting a hardtail for those purposes, i'd get an evil imperial.

[mandown]

i like these
http://transitionbikes.com/images/Gallery_VagrantKevinPushing.jpg
http://transitionbikes.com/Vagrant.cfm

http://www.chromagbikes.com/Assets/frame-stylus-green.gif
http://www.chromagbikes.com

[mandown]

currently rocking the 2005 version of
http://ironhorsebikes.com/bikes/images/bikeimages/yakuza_bakuto.jpg
http://ironhorsebikes.com/bikes/index.asp?ID=18

i love this frame. i put a pike on it and ride it anywhere over anything without thinking twice about the frame. it handles like a dream with the fork in sub-100mm mode. nice and snappy quick. it handles great with the fork in 140-mm mode too. i am 6'1" and ride the 17" frame. the TT is a bit short for epic long climbs, and the weight is up there too (as with most hard-core-HTs). however, it handles the rough stuff like a dream. great geo. fun in the urban jungle. my favorite bike i have ever owned (and i LOVED my BB7 and norco 5hun).

[downhilldemon]

.243s rock! selling mine due to not enough time to ride if your interested.
http://ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148977

[AN6 Freerider]

yeah i ws thinking imperial but i dunno. i like that transition looks nice. and weight and the drop outs really dont care.. looking for something that can handle 5-8foot drops and big double along with some serious shuttle trails.

[skatetokil]

what fork are you thinking of putting on this here machine?

[Ciaran]

Can't go wrong with the .243.

http://www.punkduck.com/images/mtlowe02.jpg

[AN6 Freerider]

well i ahve a slider i also have a sherman firefly and i also have a shiver sc so i guess really i want it to be able to handle a dc fork and a sc fork...if i were to choose to run it like that... man that .243 looks nice how does it handle drops and dirt jumps. can you ride urban if you wanted to on it

[Ciaran]

well i ahve a slider i also have a sherman firefly and i also have a shiver sc so i guess really i want it to be able to handle a dc fork and a sc fork...if i were to choose to run it like that... man that .243 looks nice how does it handle drops and dirt jumps. can you ride urban if you wanted to on it
The .243 can handle anything. Use different forks to achieve different head angles and such.

http://www.twofortythree.com/html/freeride_products.html

[AN6 Freerider]

well it seems to be up in the air between the .243, woodman d-s,evil imperial, sinister ridge. like i said needs to able to handle 5-8 foot drops and dirt jumps along with flowy dh shuttle trails

[mandown]

contact ben at unrealcycles.com. he stocks the .243 and the woodman. he once stocked the evil (and maybe the sinister). he knows these bikes well.

the woodman seems a bit on the light side, and more DS oriented. this might not be the best choice for drops and they probably don't suggest dual crown usage. the .243 guys have 3 different versions of the frame. the price on these frames is under $500. in the over $500 world, you have the rest of your frames. if cost isn't an issue, the imperial is a great bike with a ton of set up options. the sinister is also a high quality product, but not as adjustable as the evil.

as a side note, there is a new soul cycles frame that will be similar to the imperial in the looks department for much less cash.

[clysdale]

I have a sinister ridge frame in the buy and sell....cheap...if you are interested...

here... http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149732

make an offer...

[rigidhack]

I have a sinister ridge frame in the buy and sell....cheap...if you are interested...

here... http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149732

make an offer...

Such nice bikes.

[AN6 Freerider]

dam now its really up between the imperial, and the .243 **** which one which one

[mandown]

if money is not an issue, the imperial is the no brainer.
http://coolis.k-nettet.com/main/graphics/uploaded/2686/thumb_game%20over.jpg

[AN6 Freerider]

yeah i was kinda thinking both but i think the 06 imperial is the winner unless i decide to just get the .243 also now to figure out what freeridefully sled i want

[bjanga]

I know you are pretty much decided but check out:
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147956

[Bullit21]

currently rocking the 2005 version of
http://ironhorsebikes.com/bikes/images/bikeimages/yakuza_bakuto.jpg
http://ironhorsebikes.com/bikes/index.asp?ID=18

i love this frame. i put a pike on it and ride it anywhere over anything without thinking twice about the frame. it handles like a dream with the fork in sub-100mm mode. nice and snappy quick. it handles great with the fork in 140-mm mode too. i am 6'1" and ride the 17" frame. the TT is a bit short for epic long climbs, and the weight is up there too (as with most hard-core-HTs). however, it handles the rough stuff like a dream. great geo. fun in the urban jungle. my favorite bike i have ever owned (and i LOVED my BB7 and norco 5hun).

Have to agree with Adam. I have the Iron Horse Waka Gashira with the upgraded parts kit and it is the best bike that I have owned. I have also owned an SC Chameleon, a Bullit and an Iron Horse SGS Freeride Team.

[AN6 Freerider]

dam i totally forgot about the 24bicycles let toy 4

[mandown]

the toy is a classic. i am not a huge fan of the way my bud has his set up. i don't know how much of it has to do with his set up, and how much of it is the frame regardless of set up.

[azonicrider188a]

uve gotta go wiht the steelhead:rofl:

[cederrowe]

My bid has to be a Morphine, rode one for 9 months of freeriding, tuff as nails!

[allsk8sno]

go with steel!
good hardtails.
my kona Scab is rocking hard!

[stinkyboy58]

banshee MORPHINE. i heare the the best

[skatetokil]

i'm with the steel people. alu is real jarring while steel will give a little bit and damp down the vibrations.

[Kanter]

Norco Torrent

[spacemanspiff06]

.243 FR all the way.

[ufdff15]

Take a good look into clysdales' ridge, they are such amazing frames and the attention to detail of sinister is rediculous!

[AN6 Freerider]

i totally dig the ridge but i dont think it would make a descent dirt jumping bike. right now im leaning way toward the .243 unless i can find someone that has a le toy 4 and can let me know the good specs on it. otherwise its the .243 then and /or the imperial.
dont like the morphine doesnt look like it will be able to hit a dirt jump. plus this rig has to be able to possibly hit urban also. so the imperial and the .243 or the le toy 4 all fit perfectly into this catagory

[RJM]

I have an Imperial frame to sell if you go that route. Its a sick bike, super cool looking. I would rather have some rear suspension so its up for grabs...White, This Imperial frame can take legendary abuse. I'd like to see the bastid that could break it!

[ufdff15]

i totally dig the ridge but i dont think it would make a descent dirt jumping bike. why is that?

[mandown]

if you are digging the 24 toy, check the ridemonkey frames section
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150606

[untitledsince89]

What happened t the Vargrant its super tuff and is all around a perfect bike for hard fr and dj

[AN6 Freerider]

yeah i was looking at the vagrant,but can it handle a dul crown if i wanted to put one on there. freakin descisions desciosions and i need to make it quike..

[Micro-Sanjay]

What HT company allows to run this kinda forks?
http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/Z_315%20ANSDH5.jpg

[AN6 Freerider]

um lets see
evil,banshee,.243,24bikes. um i know there are a few more ...thanks for being ignorant...

[Micro-Sanjay]

um lets see
evil,banshee,.243,24bikes. um i know there are a few more ...thanks for being ignorant...

ignornt? It's not like the fork came with a user-index for which frames it can be installed to. The froks box said DH fork and there are DH frames in HT and FS but I don't know whether HT will be voided for warranty if the company sees a picture of their bike being ridden with a triple clamp fork. But it's good to know, thanks. I think I like the Evil bec the others seems like for light duty riding.

[carbuncle]

Have to agree with Adam. I have the Iron Horse Waka Gashira with the upgraded parts kit and it is the best bike that I have owned. I have also owned an SC Chameleon, a Bullit and an Iron Horse SGS Freeride Team.

I have to agree with both of you, I have the '05 Waka-Gashira and it kicks ass as a do-everything bike. I'm 6' 2" and I'm on the 19 (large).

[AN6 Freerider]

sorry i thaught you were being a smart a$$ my bad ... yeah a few companies ahve specs with dc. like the .s243 and the evil. i know a lot of people have been putting a dc on the banshee morphine. but not sure on the warranty void.

[mandown]

most HT makers know that the kids wanna run DCs. find a frame you want and then go to the company website and see if they let you run a DC. banshee morphines let you run DC.

[GotMyGED]

I guess the question you have to ask about this thread is - "What kind of budget are you looking at for a freeride hardtail?".

This is what i am currently rockin->
http://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes/large_image.asp?series=freeride-hardtail&bike=GED

Anyway, i know it isn't pimp like a cove or norco or 243 but it is a great freeride HT for the money ($1,100 is what i paid brand new from a local shop).

Everyone loves bikes with thru axles, x-o, mrp, etc. but this is a great budget bike in my opinion.

[AN6 Freerider]

my budget is nice and descent but i only need the fram as i already have saint cranks saint brakes, wheels with 20mm frnt thruaxle and 10 or 12 X 135 rear. so budget isnt a prob.. its finding a biike that will ahndle these things. i really like the vagrant i guess i ahve to call transition and ask them about it.... the ged is cool but i looked at the phd and its nice but only for dj's and some street.

[mandown]

call transition.

[AN6 Freerider]

so i talked to transition and well according to kyle over there the vagrant can easily handle the 180sc travis and the can accept dual crown forks without voiding warranty . so lets just say 10 to 1 odds i will ahve pics of my new transition sometime within a month or so. delivery time and build time...thanks for all the help. ..

[mandown]

i wanna see this thing in person when you get it. since you are in SoCal, lets meet up and for a ride. in july i will be on my new bottlerocket!

[AN6 Freerider]

yup let me know when you are in town should have it soon im talking with kyle right now about where to get it from him or out here.. he is one cool cat man im diggin this company already... the bike should be sick ... and nice and stiff...

[SLOPE]

Embrace the Evil :devil:

[WKC]

I'll second the Banshee Scratch. It specifically designed to be able to DJ but still run DH. It's got lots of room for tires (up to 2.8" on a 26" wheel, 3.0" on a 24"), gobs of wheelbase adjustment, gussets everywhere, and a low top tube. It's got a slacker head angle than most of the hardtails, between 66-69 degrees, which will definitely help you with your DH runs, especially with a dual crown fork. The only penalty you will pay is weight, kinda like the .243. My large (16") frame weighs in at about 7 pounds, but it doesn't feel that heavy at all, and the frame was $395.

Mine is built WAY too heavy, its right at 38 pounds, but it doesn't ride that heavy at all, it's actually quite nimble. I'm getting a Manitou Nixon Elite for it, Bombshell Fatboy rims, a Ti spindle for the Bottom Bracket, and a KMC BMX Chain or Shadow Conspiracy Half-Link chain. Those changes will get it down to about 33.5 pounds. You could definitely outfit a Scratch with a sturdy DH build and keep it at around 38 pounds.

Anyway, here is my current build and some frame features...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/CDUBU/IMG_1968.jpg

Option to run V-Brakes...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/CDUBU/IMG_1975.jpg

American/BMX Bottom Bracket...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/CDUBU/IMG_1974.jpg

(kinda hard to see) The frame comes with steel plates welded to the Chainstays to protect them from rocks, and from grinding during Urban sessions...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/CDUBU/IMG_1973.jpg

Drive-side dropouts (replaced the Hex screws for the plates with Grade 8 Socket bolts)...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/CDUBU/IMG_1970.jpg

Non-Drive side, both have lots of adjustment...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/CDUBU/IMG_1971.jpg

Headtube Gusseting...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/CDUBU/IMG_1969.jpg

[AN6 Freerider]

i like that scratch dude.. i like the morphine also but i think the transition is perfect for me. plus kyle over ther is really kciking ass about getting me on one of their bike so.. i cant wait i should have it in 2 weeks...plus a nice fat box of swag from the guys up at transition.. madd props to Transition bikes.. madd propps..

[WKC]

i like that scratch dude.. i like the morphine also but i think the transition is perfect for me. plus kyle over ther is really kciking ass about getting me on one of their bike so.. i cant wait i should have it in 2 weeks...plus a nice fat box of swag from the guys up at transition.. madd props to Transition bikes.. madd propps..
Sweet dude. Transition makes some really good rides, be sure to ride it hard!