# Freeride Hardtail setup Opinions wanted!



## WA-Ride-ah (Jan 19, 2004)

What up,

I posted this over in general discussion but then found this column. New to the site, actually returning so I had to refamiliarize myself. Anyhow, here's the deal:

I had a light freeride rig(giant AC2 with mods) two years ago, liked it, had fun, and it was fairly light which made it easy to pedal up as well as rip down. Then last summer, I bought more of a DH rig, tried to keep it somewhat of a freeride oriented setup so I could pedal/hike-a-bike it. It was sick going down, going up sucked! 

I'm actually thinking on creating a beefy hardtail this year that is relatively light.(25lbs to 32lbs) I kind of miss the "horse rocker" ride of good ole' fashion hard tail blazzin'! I really miss being able to pedal through the mountains which you can't really do on a 6+full suspension rig unless you got "Ahrnold" legs. I still want to keep it somewhat beefed up so that it can take a beating going down whatever I scope out. I'm looking for your suggestions for a sick setup! I'm still contimplating this route and considering on going back to a freeride dually setup but I was toying with the idea of getting a hardtail frame and loading it up with a beefy fork, possible tripple crown, and some strong components. Anyone riding something similar to this? Got pics? Tripple crown? 6 inch single? Anyhow, lets hear some thoughts on this one, sounds fun and it's something different.

Below was summer 2003 toys, the SGS got parted out not too long after I got my orange blazzer but I had to sell it so now I want to get back into more of the quiet version of trail riding again.


----------



## namaSSte (Dec 19, 2003)

sweet KTM. I spent some time this summer on my buds CR250 and had a blast!

As for the hardtail, you can get pretty beefy but I would look at the SC Chameleon very seriously. It can be built up as 23lb xc racer all the way to a 30+ lb hardtail hucker/urban machine. The geometry works well with a long travel single crown and I've even seen guys use em at the bmx track with a rigid front end. Its a pretty light but beefy and versatile frame. A few other cool options are the Cove Stiffee and Kona Cowan. Also, if you want really aggressive but burly rides, look at Gack frames or even the new 26" bmx from DK (a very sweet steel frameset).

Hope this gives you some things to think about and helps a bit. LEt us know what you decide on and show us some pics.


----------



## Coldfire (Feb 9, 2004)

*Chameleon is a good choice*

Yes, I think so that SC chameleon is a good chocie. Buy a Sherman FireFly (very light and versatile fork), 6" Hayes etc. 
I liked so much your motor-bike farm 

Have fun

Coldfire


----------



## 9 Lives (Jan 30, 2004)

*Check This Out...*



WA-Ride-ah said:


> What up,
> 
> I posted this over in general discussion but then found this column. New to the site, actually returning so I had to refamiliarize myself. Anyhow, here's the deal:
> 
> ...


A friend of mine has one of these set-up with a Marz Z150 @ 155mm w/20mm QR! The bike rocks!!


----------



## Mr Tiles (Jan 22, 2004)

9 Lives said:


> A friend of mine has one of these set-up with a Marz Z150 @ 155mm w/20mm QR! The bike rocks!!


I can vouch for the morphine and the chameleon. I owned a chameleon for over two years and it was a very worthy frame. It took everything I could throw at it and it was extremely versatile. Know I have a morphine/monster combo and I really like it too. The morph is twice, if not more, as burly as the chameleon but that burliness is going to be a weight penalty if that's a concern. Look at the Endless too. I've done lots of trail, street, and big drops on a Lifetime and it has performed flawlessly...It's good to have a lot of choices!


----------



## Mr Tiles (Jan 22, 2004)

chameleon pic for reference...


----------



## Mr Tiles (Jan 22, 2004)

endless pic for reference...


----------



## Mr Tiles (Jan 22, 2004)

morphine pic for reference...


----------



## ScaryJerry (Jan 12, 2004)

*le toy 3 pic for reference...*

This here's my Toy 3. There's a slick hookworm on the back, but I've also got a spare 2.1 inch knobby and a 2.7 highroller to use depending on conditions. I find that the Toy is a strong hardtail freeride and when set up with a 5-6 inch fork, I can still go out and ride 15 miles uphill if it means I get to bomb down afterwards. It's a pretty pricey frame, so you might want to look for a used one or one of the less specialized, high quality frames. I'd also suggest a .243 or whatever they're called 4130 frame or a Gimp frame. Both are high quality and you can find a good deal on either. Good luck!


----------



## WA-Ride-ah (Jan 19, 2004)

Nice rides guys!!!

I'm curious though...it looks as if you all have them setup with one sprocket up front. (Sorry I'm using MX terms here) Anyhow, I want to build something just like ya'lls only I want to use it for trail riding. Meaning, I'll be using it to pedal into the mountains and then rip down my usual dh trails. Are your setups good for pedaling back in as well? I don't want to get a lamme looking xc setup, and I want something that's tough as nails to hit all the **** I hit on my 7inch dually. ANyhow, keep the pics coming and let me know on the climbing abilities of those bad boys.


----------



## 9 Lives (Jan 30, 2004)

I really like the Endless! Is that a 24" rear wheel on that bike?


----------



## DmrRhythm (Jan 24, 2004)

WA-Ride-ah said:


> Nice rides guys!!!
> 
> I'm curious though...it looks as if you all have them setup with one sprocket up front. (Sorry I'm using MX terms here) Anyhow, I want to build something just like ya'lls only I want to use it for trail riding. Meaning, I'll be using it to pedal into the mountains and then rip down my usual dh trails. Are your setups good for pedaling back in as well? I don't want to get a lamme looking xc setup, and I want something that's tough as nails to hit all the **** I hit on my 7inch dually. ANyhow, keep the pics coming and let me know on the climbing abilities of those bad boys.


I usually don't plug shops but unrealcycles.com will answer all your questions and Ben up there is very knowledgable on the latest and greatest in the hardtail world. If you haven't already go to his websites and click on products, there are some really cool frames. He also has pages of bike porn to drool over.

Keep it real, keep it steel! You won't have to worry about fatigue after a year. Aluminum is great on freeride full suspension bikes but the steel has a better ride as well as durability.

I have been abusing a DMR Rythym for almost 10 months which is much longer than any other hardtail has lasted for me.


----------



## dirttorpedo (Jan 13, 2004)

*Balance?*

I'm riding a stock 02 Kona stuff. In its stock set up its not a bad xc bike - I've even raced it for fun - and I commonly have an hour climb up to the trail head. I've found that I want extra travel for descending and put a 5" bomber on it for a bit and toyed with the idea of a 24" rear wheel. The extra travel was great on the descents, but it buggered the geometry for climbing. The 24" wheel would make the climbing geometry worse on top of the negative impact of the reduced wheel size on climbing. If I had the cash I'd put an adjustable travel single crown on the bike. That way you could reduce travel for xc/climbing and extend travel for dh.

just my .02


----------



## Mr Tiles (Jan 22, 2004)

9 Lives said:


> I really like the Endless! Is that a 24" rear wheel on that bike?


Yes, Lifetime frames are 24" only...thanks


----------



## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

Mr Tiles, you are a hardtail molester. Damn, you have a whole stable. I want that morphine with the mosnsster so much i could cry. But, speaking of H-tails, I have a GT ruckus from '01. the frame is strong, but the parts choice was bad. But heres my recomendation: Get a Snipes Elemental Frame, any color you want. Then get a Sherman. That is a must. Get some 8-tracks on there for hucking or some S.U.V.s for racing slalom and such. That would be sick. Also, ask if they ahve the urban camo frame color yet, because that would match the fork.


----------



## ScaryJerry (Jan 12, 2004)

DmrRhythm said:


> I usually don't plug shops but unrealcycles.com will answer all your questions and Ben up there is very knowledgable on the latest and greatest in the hardtail world. If you haven't already go to his websites and click on products, there are some really cool frames. He also has pages of bike porn to drool over.
> 
> Keep it real, keep it steel! You won't have to worry about fatigue after a year. Aluminum is great on freeride full suspension bikes but the steel has a better ride as well as durability.
> 
> I have been abusing a DMR Rythym for almost 10 months which is much longer than any other hardtail has lasted for me.


yeah man, i got my 24 from Ben. he hooked me up *reeeeeeeeeealllllllllll* nice like. 

as for climbing with asingle ring up front, I use a 36 tooth front ring and a 11-32 rear casette. I find that this is plenty of range to bomb downhills and still be able to get back up them. i'm going to be switching over to a road casette soon though (as it's currently singlespeed after a mangled rear mech) i'll let you guys know how the range on that smaller casette works out!


----------



## kept man (Jan 13, 2004)

*i'll echo dmr and scarry*

and say that you should chat with ben from unreal. really nice dude, really knows his stuff (and he's got the full spread), and doesn't make those of us new to the game feel like idiots. my planet x from unreal shipped yesterday and arrives this friday ... can't wait ...

personally i would agree that if you've got legs a 1x9 setup is fine (it's what i ordered) - just play with the gearing ratios. plus it means you can use beefier cranks and bbs, and i like the durability.

that would be my first recommendation. now 'cuz i have a friend who works with them, and they are pretty good bikes, i might also direct you to the norco shore hardtail series - www.norco.com - which is about the only 'big' company i know that gives freeride hardtails their due. the "manik" uses a dropoff triple, the "rampage" uses 6" marzocchi dj2, and the top-end torrent uses a jr. t. all of them have two chainrings up front, 8" discs, etc. but like the others said, ben can hook you up, and his prices are very competitive even before you take into account the effort, service, and personalization you get. plus, if you're interested, he can also expound to you the benefits of a low-carb diet ... and on that note, i gotta get to the gym ...


----------



## Banshee Rider (Jan 19, 2004)

*Another morphine...*

Anyother morphine for reference. Looks like ive got some compition on burliest HT with Mr. Tiles  I just took the monster t off and put a left over 03' Sherman Firefly i found online for CHEAP. Im loving the fork so far. Its super light, feels incredible, im just waiting on my xtra firm spring so i can start doin urban and huckin off alittle more. The morphine is a killer bike tho. I dropped the monster and 2.8/2.6 tire combo and imediatly lost 7lbs, shes down to 38 right now. If i put my deemax on and and loose the mag 30s and put stans no tubes in itll bring it down to about 32-34lbs im thinking. The bike has sucha good geometry for everything. Ive ridden a ton of **** (6+ft, stunts, ridden a ton of DH) with this bike and after doing all that it still eats XC for breakfast. I cant begin to tell you how versitile this thing is. Im goin on a year riding this thing and its incredible. I recommend it a 110%. Another bike, since your lookin to build a bike in the mid 20s, is the banshee Scirroco, That bike is basically a lighter morphine frame that can still handle a 7in dual crown fork. Ive ridden on of those on the trails for a few rides and it RIPPED. that bike was retarded fast. Thatd the other bike to look at. The camealon is a nice HT i hear, i dunno about puttin a DC on it tho? The sinister ridge is also going to be a killer do it all type of bike like the morphine and scirroco. Id check out all of those frames, they are all great pics. good luck and be sure to post pics when you get the bike. cya










And heres the scirroco i rode for reference as well.


----------



## HellBent (Feb 16, 2004)

*Don't forget Banshee...*

If you are looking for light weight as you mentioned (25-32lbs.) the Banshee Scirocco may be the way to go. The frame is around 4 lbs, depending on size, with free shipping from the factory to anywhere in the USA. The guys at Banshee were reall cool to deal with too.

My set-up is somewhat beefy yet light weight to, coming in at 32 lbs: 03' Marzocchi Z1 FR SL, XT shifters & Derailieurs, Saint Crank, Avid 8" Mech Discs, Azonic WF bars & Hot seat, Sun Rhyno lite rims, Pananracer Fire FR 2.4" tires, and Stan's No Tube kit.

The bike is fast and has good geometry for descending with the 5" fork, yet it still climbs ok. You could shave some weight with lighter seat, tires, bars, and cranks and end up with a sub 30 lb bike that still can rock. If you go with a longer travel fork, the climbing will definitely suffer.


----------



## watanabeee (Nov 27, 2004)

HellBent said:


> If you are looking for light weight as you mentioned (25-32lbs.) the Banshee Scirocco may be the way to go. The frame is around 4 lbs, depending on size, with free shipping from the factory to anywhere in the USA. The guys at Banshee were reall cool to deal with too.
> 
> My set-up is somewhat beefy yet light weight to, coming in at 32 lbs: 03' Marzocchi Z1 FR SL, XT shifters & Derailieurs, Saint Crank, Avid 8" Mech Discs, Azonic WF bars & Hot seat, Sun Rhyno lite rims, Pananracer Fire FR 2.4" tires, and Stan's No Tube kit.
> 
> The bike is fast and has good geometry for descending with the 5" fork, yet it still climbs ok. You could shave some weight with lighter seat, tires, bars, and cranks and end up with a sub 30 lb bike that still can rock. If you go with a longer travel fork, the climbing will definitely suffer.


sweet setup and nice looking bike. Is this the small or medium frame? I like the geometry on this one


----------



## East Coast Bender (Nov 25, 2004)

For a good Cross Country hardtail i would get either a Kona Kula or a Kula Deluxe, they both come with fox forks and are very race oriented


----------



## bamxbam (Jan 22, 2004)

heres my morphine its an awsom bike . I use it for just about everything cause its the lightest bike i own .sorry bout the shitty pic


----------



## Sport_Chek (Aug 12, 2004)

*.243 racing pic for reference*

This sounds like it could be what you need. 4130 Cromoly, and frame alone is around 6 lbs. I use this for exactly the same purposes you want to use it for. Frame is for sale btw, wardaaron (at) gmail (dot) com if you are interested/have any questions about .243 racing (a company from BC, Canada)


----------



## rpet (Jan 27, 2004)

that 243 frame is more like 7+ lbs. It looks like they have a new lighter model coming out though... http://www.243racing.com/page141.htm

-rob in NYC


----------



## angus242 (Oct 7, 2004)

*bomb-proof*

I'm sure there are a million other combos and as always, go with what you feel most comfortable with. However, here's a combo that would LAST and comes in around 30-32 lbs:

Frame: Transition Trail or Park
Fork: Marzocchi '05 Z1 FR1 or '04 Z150
Headset: CK nothreadset
Bars: Bontrager Crowbar Comp Cromo
Stem: Azonic Aggro
Shifter: SRAM Trigger x.9
Brake Lever: Avid Speed Dial 7
Seatpost: FUNN Splined
Seat: Azonic Love
Cranks: FUNN Hooka 3pc Cromo 4 or 5 hole
Pedals: Atomlabs Trailpimp
Chainring/bash: FSA 4 or 5 hole, 3 ring or 2 ring w/bash
Fr Derailleur: SRAM X-Gen
Chain: SRAM PC-69
Rr Derailleur: SRAM X.0
Cassette: SRAM PG-970
Brakes: Avid Mech 185mm f/r
Wheelset: FUNN 48's 48h w/sealed hubs


----------

