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Northern New Mexico’s section of the Continental Divide Trail is quite the experience and with its popularity, more and more cyclists are coming to New Mexico to ride 70 miles of singletrack over a 90-mile route. One of my friends, Kyle from Outer Shell, recently came through town with his Falconer hardtail to take on the CDT, so I shuttled him to Cumbres Pass and bid adieu. After his trip, I linked back up with him and shot his wild Falconer hardtail, “loaded” for his time on the trail…
With our Kona ESD review yesterday came a lot of emails with people inquiring about other “hardcore hardtails.” One bike that falls into this family is the Marin El Roy. While some angles are similar to the ESD, other dimensions aren’t as extreme. Take the chainstay length of 435mm (acknowledging that the ESD has sliding dropouts that can reach this dimension), a 63º head tube angle, a 78º seat tube angle, and a bottom bracket height of 318mm (compared to the ESD’s 312.5mm). The El Roy is also made from steel, carries a price tag of $2,499.00, and comes in Regular or Grande sizes.
Head to Marin to see more on the El Roy and holler in the comments if you’ve ridden on!
There seems to exist a set of truisms in mountain biking: your next bike will always be better than your last, my local trails are harder than your local trails, and the fastest local rider isn’t on Strava and humbly rides a singlespeed. Then there’s the local legend, a misfit rider, the slightly anachronistic character that emerges on the trail mid-group-ride on a hardcore hardtail who rides loose and fast and with reckless disregard.
When Kona announced the Honzo ESD earlier this year it came as a great surprise. The original Honzo has remained relatively unchanged since 2012 and this new version looked like a poolhall brawler by comparison. Dominated by modern geometry, BMX inspired frame lines, and a build kit suitable for Bender himself, it was clear this was going to be no ordinary Honzo…
The constant evolution of mountain bike technology over the past few years has been relentless. Mixed in with the breakneck progression comes fierce competition between the two powerhouses of component manufacturing; SRAM and Shimano. While Shimano was arguably a bit late to the 1x game when compared to SRAM’s early adoption of this technology, over the past few years they’ve proven they’re taking it seriously and have completely revamped one of their most beloved groups, Deore with trickle-down tech normally only found on the higher-priced tiers. I’ve been riding the entire M6100 kit for the past four months here in Santa Fe on my Mystic hardtail and I’m ready to talk about it, so let’s drop right in…
This week really flew by and for today’s Readers’ Rides, we look at Sam’s Moné La Roca hardtail… Check out a full build list, with words by Sam below!
With a hydroformed 6061 triple-butted aluminum frame, a 65º head angle (66.6º when sagged for Satan), 1191mm (Large Scout 275) wheelbase, and 435mm chainstays, the Nukeproof Scout is not messing around. This little shit of a bike mocks its bigger, rear-shocked brethren with cackles as it cascades through chundah and foresaken forests. Nukeproof really did it this round, speccing the bikes with with “trail appropriate” tires, so you don’t have to swap out for some meaty Maxxis rubber first thing, and there is plenty of clearance for the wet dust out back (2.6” in 27.5 and 2.5” width in 29er). Plus in that shiny, pretty boy, polished aluminum it’s almost mocking you for not getting it filthy.
-Frame Finish: Brushed ‘n Raw with Black decals
-Fork: RockShox Lyrik Select Charger RC 150mm, 46mm Offset, BOOST, Debonair
-Wheelset: DT Swiss M1900 SPLINE
-Tyres: Front: Maxxis Assegai, Maxx Terra, EXO, TR/ Rear: Maxxis Dissector Maxx Terra EXO+, TR,
-Crankset: Shimano SLX M7100 12-Speed
-Brakes: Shimano SLX M7120, 4 Pot Brake, Resin Pads with Fins
-Handlebars: Nukeproof Horizon V2 25mm Rise, Width – S780mm, M780mm, L800mm, XL800mm)
-Stem: Nukeproof Horizon, 50mm, Black
-Saddle: Nukeproof Horizon SL, Black/Grey
-Seatpost: Brand X Ascend internal w Shimano SL-MT500-IL Remote lever, S:125mm drop; M:150mm drop; L/XL:170mm drop
-Headset: Nukeproof, 44-56 IITS
-Grips: Nukeproof Sam Hill Signature
-SRP: £2100 (GBP)
Impressive! See more for yourself at Nukeproof.
We’re big into hardtails here at the Radavist. While my personal bikes are all steel, riding carbon bikes can be a real treat, especially when the company has put so much thought into the design.
Yeti has a long history of designing capable and attractive bikes. The original ARC was a collaboration with Easton and the intent was to make a truly lightweight machine in that era. The OG ARC’s aluminum frameset weighed a mere 3.2lbs, which was a groundbreaking accomplishment for 1991 and those bikes are still iconic, even today.
You could say Yeti had a lot riding on this new ARC design and there were a few decisions that set this new model on a different trajectory from its predecessor. After riding this bike for a month here in Santa Fe, I’ve finally wrapped my head around how to review it, pointing out its accomplishments and my own personal critiques of this entirely new model, so read on for more…
Jake Hood takes the Honzo ESD out for a casual rip around his local trails in the latest video from Kona.
I’m a diehard fan of tough and playful hardtails. My affinity probably started with an invincible brick of a Schwinn BMX back when I was 13. It eventually evolved—I ditched my full suspension bike for the first generation of Surly’s infamous Krampus, morphed into the slacker front and tighter rear of a Carver Gnarvester, eloped with Tony’s personal Breadwinner Goodwater for a week, and then fell in love with Cjell Monē’s La Roca.
It’s not often we get the pleasure of watching Joey Schusler ride a hardtail! Yeti tried something different with this self-filmed digital and film edit by Joey in the Colorado backcountry.
Photo by Bailey Newbrey
… and I’ve been riding one for the past week. The short consensus: it’s gooooood!
Anyone that’s a fan of the legacy of Yeti will know what the ARC represents. The original ARC were lightweight aluminum racebikes and was the epitome of framebuilding tech at the time. Resurrecting the model this year, Yeti took the model and modernized it, building it from their lightweight carbon. Built around 29er wheels and a 130mm fork, the ARC holds its own on trails.
Yes, I’m reviewing the turquoise model… it’s very SouthWestern.
For now, head to Yeti to read all about the new ARC and expect my review next week.
Finally! Kona hinted to us that a “new Honzo” was on its way a little while ago but this is not what we were expecting. The Honzo ESD hit the internet today with a 150mm fork, a 63º head angle and a 77.5º seat angle with 62.5mm bottom bracket drop and 417mm seat stays, the Honzo ESD looks to be a very modern hardtail. The complete will set you back $2699 and the frame just $665, one dollar off from really raising hell.
Specs:
-Frame Material: Kona Cromoly Butted
-Wheels: Race Face AR 30 on Shimano SLX Hubs
-Front Suspension: 150mm
-Fork: Marzocchi Bomber Z1 Grip Damper 150mm
-Crankset: Race Face Aeffect R
-Drivetrain: Shimano XT/SLX 12spd
-Brakes: Shimano Deore with 203mm front/180mm rear rotor
-Seat Post: Trans-X Dropper +RAD Internal w/ Shimano Lever 31.6mm
-Cockpit: Race Face Aeffect R 35 Bar & Stem with Kona Lock-on Key Grip
-Front Tire: Maxxis Assegai EXO TR 3C 29×2.5″ WT
-Rear tire: Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO TR 3C 29×2.4″ WT
-Saddle: WTB Volt
See more at Kona.
I know it’s gauche to bring up radiation in New Mexico but I couldn’t resist. Just look at the color of Michael’s Rex Cycles hardtail 29er that Sincere Cycles here in Santa Fe just finished up the build on…
We love a good hardtail shredit and Connor Fearon knows how to take the right lines, the hard way…
Over the past few years, I’ve found myself only riding 150mm travel hardtails and full suspensions with slackened front ends and steep seat tubes. In my mind, why would you want anything else? Then I moved to Santa Fe, where we have even bigger backcountry loops, steep climbs, and long, rocky descents. Yet, we also have sweeping, undulating XC trails. Suddenly, all those 150mm bikes are a little too much for a lot of the trails here, most of which are in my neighborhood. Then Chumba came to the rescue, sending along their Sendero 130mm 29er hardtail for me to review and I fell in love with XC bikes once again.
Read on for how this beauty of a bike handles our chunder and Chamisa-lined trails here in Santa Fe…
Next month, Cotic will have the new SolarisMAX in stock. While the geometry is only receiving a minor update – a 0.5deg steeper seat angle per size – the biggest update comes in its cargo capacity. More bosses have been added to the downtube, all at 64mm centers. This allows more versatile luggage and water options, as you can now carry two bottles on the down tube (as before), or a bottle with Anything Cage 3 boss mount style luggage, or just one bottle high up the tube within easy reach. You can also add a Cotic custom shaped frame bag for bikepacking.
Head to Cotic to reserve your SolarisMAX and to see more info.
Since NAHBS 2020 was canceled, framebuilders are have been announcing new models via their social media outlets. One such company is Calfee, with its made in California new hardtail. We reached out to Calfee to see what this was all about, so check out more info below!
Like their 27.5 Bfe hardtail, the Cotic BFeMax is a trail-ready hardtail, just built around 29er x 2.6″ wheels and a massive, 160mm fork. The strength of this frame relies on trusty Reynolds 853 for the downtube and Cotic’s signature detailing, including their plate brake bridge, triple triangle seat tube cluster, and oversized tubing.
The geometry is progressive but still very moderate compared to where other companies have taken MTB geo over the years.
These bikes look great, so hop on over to Cotic to see more details.
