# Best Hardtail Freeride Bike for $1,000



## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

I've read all the threads on I can find on here concerning this type of thread. Most of what I've found is atleast 5 years old, so I'm wondering what it's like these days.

What is the best hardtail freeriding bike in the US for a thousand bucks?

Looking to get on one and have some fun


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

Anyone?


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## fryed_1 (Nov 8, 2010)

The one you don't crash on.


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## schlockinz (Feb 6, 2009)

I don't think that a lot has changed in the 5 yrs. It's all gonna depend on how big you wanna go and if you're talking about 1K complete or not.


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## fox408 (May 10, 2012)

I'm thinking about 1k complete. 
Honestly, not going that big. Probably the biggest air I'll ever get is 5', I just want something that I can jump around with and ride aggressively on trails without being real worried about it breaking.


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

Alright. I'll keep looking, but the used bike market around here is awful. 
I've been watching local forums, craigslist, and some pinkbike for sale stuff. Nothin' yet


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## 69erEverything (Mar 26, 2012)

Try to find an older Azonic. Cheap and meant to take abuse.


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

*Mine.*

This is in literal terms the nicest FR/DJ frame in existence! Feel free to ogle all you like, looks are free


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## fox408 (May 10, 2012)

Looks sweet


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

What even is that?

I guess I should ask another question. 
Is it possible to get a decent dj/fr bike NEW for $1,000? I'm game to build it myself if I could find kits and such, if that were to save money (don't think it would though)


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

Uhh, like the name on the side of the bike clearly says, it's a Wolfhound, a custom frame builder that employs steel and brazing for a seamless look, and cost $3400 just for the frame.


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

I did catch that, actually looked them up after you posted and read about them. Then had a small heart attack when I saw the cost of a frame...
Meant more like, any story behind that'n or didja just for out almost 4,000 for a frame? sweet bike


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

I was a bit lippy, sorry 'bout that, sent you a pm.


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

wasea04 said:


> I was a bit lippy, sorry 'bout that, sent you a pm.


Thanks for the pm.
I'm interested, but really don't know if I want to spend that kind of money on a used bike. We'll see though


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

Anybody else? 
Jamis Komodo?
Kona shred?


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

To be totally objective, I'd take a look at Stout Bikes at stoutbikes.blogspot.com. Matt, the owner and builder, is a great craftsman and will do a complete custom steel for $450 or so; it's a value that can't be beat.


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

Thanks for the advice, I'm interested in anything.

Only problem is, I don't have that kind of money. 
A build kit and fork (decent parts) would end me well over a grand which is where I have a cap.

This'd be my first freeride/dirtjumper. I hate buying cheap stuff, but I don't have to have the best.

If I can't get a good'n for a thousand, I'll just have to wait


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

This was my Stout, it was an amazing bike built more towards AM/FR than DJ but I'm a fickle man that likes to try new bikes  I owned it about a year, eons in other's bike ownership time 

The guy I sold it to is offering it for a great price, he says he's going back to BMX:

Freeride Hardtail for Sale! - Pinkbike.com


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

I'd be all over that if he'd ship it.
Drive from Kentucky to Massachusetts not quite worth it


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## Grabtindy (Jul 2, 2006)

On One 456 or 456 Summer Season. With the long chainstays it's def more FR/AM and not a DJ frame. Great value and fun bike. And despite the geo, I'm using my 5 year old 456 for a pump track dj bike. Perfect all around ht with great feel.


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

I forgot about the On-One, and then you could also add Ragley to that list. Hey Donut, I'd see if he'd ship it, I don't know why he wouldn't, I shipped it to him after all?


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## Lunchbox362 (Jun 27, 2009)

donutrider said:


> Anybody else?
> Jamis Komodo?
> Kona shred?


I have a 2008 komodo 1, having changed out a few parts I can say I am really happy with it so far, I can drop my pike on it to 100 for jumps and whatnot, and push back up to 140 for trails, which is decent enough for me. Not really up to racing specs, but I don't see many people wanting to compete on a hardtail anyways.

Anyways, I'd recommend a komodo to anyone, the frame is beefy and the geometry is good, a few lame duck parts but I think the price justifies it. If you had a thousand dollar budget, it'd end up legit as all hell


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## gbosbiker (Mar 10, 2009)

donutrider said:


> I'd be all over that if he'd ship it.
> Drive from Kentucky to Massachusetts not quite worth it


owner of the stout here  i did get back into bmx heavily, but with the trails starting to clear up, im starting to reconsider selling it. i built it back up and im in love again. definitely look into stout bikes. the frame has handled ALOT of rough riding already in the time ive had it and the frame takes every bit of it without struggle. easily the best frame ive ever owned (better than any mtb or bmx frame ive had. and ive had alot)

and ps, i wasnt doing shipping because i had the bike at home while i was away at college.


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

gbosbiker said:


> owner of the stout here  i did get back into bmx heavily, but with the trails starting to clear up, im starting to reconsider selling it. i built it back up and im in love again. definitely look into stout bikes. the frame has handled ALOT of rough riding already in the time ive had it and the frame takes every bit of it without struggle. easily the best frame ive ever owned (better than any mtb or bmx frame ive had. and ive had alot)
> 
> and ps, i wasnt doing shipping because i had the bike at home while i was away at college.


Alright awesome.

I'm very ignorant when it comes to sizing these bikes.
What size am I looking for?
I'm a whopping 6'3"


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## schlockinz (Feb 6, 2009)

On-one 456
Ragley blue pig (other ragley's as well will work)
Chromag Stylus
Transition Trans AM
Evil Sovereign
.243 racing
Banshee morphine
Transition vagrant
NS Surge

Just to name a few. I'd stick with steel over aluminum (the vagrant and morphine are aluminum) just for fatigue and longevity reasons. Any of those bikes can be had with a good build for $1k if you look hard enough and they'll handle choppy DH runs and 5' drops no problems.


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## gbosbiker (Mar 10, 2009)

donutrider said:


> Alright awesome.
> 
> I'm very ignorant when it comes to sizing these bikes.
> What size am I looking for?
> I'm a whopping 6'3"


a large frame will do you fine. 6'3" isnt bad. im 6'9". ive ridden a medium frame and didnt feel too cramped (but i prefer a smaller feeling bike because of my bmx background). go to your LBS and ask to test ride a couple different sized bikes and see what feels best for you. the geometry/cockpit setup will make a difference, but you can at least get the basic idea of what the different sized frames feel like


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

thanks a lot for the advice guys, it's really helpful.
Good to have people who know what they're talking about.

Unfortunately test riding probably won't happen. No local bike shops (have 5 of them) carry these types of bikes. Have to order one to get it.

I'm going to keep my eyes open on pinkbike and some other forums, hoping to snatch a large of above mentioned bikes. 
The used hardtail freeride market in the US is not that great, and is even worse here in Kentucky. It's all trail bikes and road rigs.

I do have another question though.
I was looking into a bike the other day Devinci Kingpin Freeride Hardtail / DJ bike medium - Pinkbike.com It's a medium and 17"
I've looked at other freeride bikes, and their "Large" is a 17".
Is there something I'm missing?


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

That's the seat tube length, which should be shorter on an aggressive hardtail since you'll be using your legs to absorb trail chatter and so on. At your height the key measurement is the top tube length.ew


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## swade123 (May 14, 2012)

I would wait a few months and get a Yeti DJ or might be a little more affordable used if you could find it. Frame is 650 new.

Yeti Cycles / Home

mmmmmm...


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## airmiller44 (Aug 20, 2009)

We sell hardtail frames look at a few of our builds.... TWOSIXBIKES on Pinkbike


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

wasea04 said:


> That's the seat tube length, which should be shorter on an aggressive hardtail since you'll be using your legs to absorb trail chatter and so on. At your height the key measurement is the top tube length.ew


Thanks man. I've got to ask, what kind of top tube length should I be shooting for?

And as to the other bikes. As much as I'd like to, there's no way I can spend $600 on a frame. Fork and a decent build kit would send me way over my budget.


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## schlockinz (Feb 6, 2009)

donutrider said:


> Thanks man. I've got to ask, what kind of top tube length should I be shooting for?
> 
> And as to the other bikes. As much as I'd like to, there's no way I can spend $600 on a frame. Fork and a decent build kit would send me way over my budget.


With height, make sure that its a height that you can pedal. I'm 5'11 or so, I generally prefer 23" top tubes (usually medium sometimes large frame sizes). But when I got my hardtail, I had to look at how high the seat tube was and whether or not I could get a seatpost to extend enough to make it to were I could easily pedal.

If I were you and didn't know what measurements I needed, I'd try out some bikes locally (just ride around the parking lot). Figure out what sizes will allow you to jack the seatpost up to sit and pedal, and what top tube length will allow you to get low and put your ass over the rear tire for descending.

Also, I'd stay away from DJ's. I'm not sure that any of them will let you sit and pedal easily with full extension. They'll work for descending and take abuse, but if you want to have a fun day of AM riding with some technical descents, they'll start to wear on you.

I maybe reading into your predicted riding style here, I just now that I recently built up an NS surge as a "light FR" rig with the intent of wanting a trail/AM bike that you handle being thrown in the air, had the geo for fast descents, and would take drops, all while knowing that most of the time would be spent pedaling this thing all around the mountain. So, just think about what you are actually going to do with it, and build it knowing that almost any bike is a compromise of one sort or another (or else it only does one job)


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## donutrider (May 15, 2012)

I had to read that fairly quickly, so I didn't quite catch the measurement thing, but I'll go through it thoroughly later when I'm not at work.

As far as intended use goes. I live in Kentucky. Around here, we really don't have mountains. We have flat trails that have some tiny dirt jumps in them, and if I get lucky I can get about 3' of air. 
However, I've been doing this on my XL Giant Yukon. So, I do have a bike that I can ride around all day, however I'm just looking for something that I can jump (maybe build some larger ones, as friends and myself are getting into it more) and throw around, without having any worries.

The Giant frame is really a giant.. I tried jumping it some today. It does alright, but it feels extremely bulky, and it's not intended for jumping.


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## airmiller44 (Aug 20, 2009)

Hey im 6'4 and the owner is 6'2 all the bikes are built for our height and the bikes are between 25-29 pounds built up. You can go single speed or throw shifters on. And of course its brand new if you change your mind let me know you could run single speed and get some rims/fork used juciy brakes etc for around 500 if you look long enough.


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## bitewerks (May 14, 2009)

One of the best priced hardtail frames that woould be suited to freeriding & DH is the NS Surge. Less than $350 (or right around that) over at Universal Cycle's site. NS' other frames look pretty good too.


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## wasea04 (Apr 2, 2007)

airmiller, your bikes are very cool, but why just alum? The custom market is all about steel, baby yeah  I had a Zumbi Voodoo 4X alum frame that was actually strangely compliant like steel due to their unique sandwiched cs construction. Alum would be lighter and have better handling as a result I guess, it's always a grass is greener on the other side proposition isn't it...To the OP, at your height I wouldn't go under 19'' on your frame's st if you plan to pedal it at all while still maintaining your ability to get low for shock absorbtion. As far as the tt is concerned it really has to do you with how you like your bikes; stretched out for climbing and seated pedaling, or nice and tight for better handling and flickability.


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## schlockinz (Feb 6, 2009)

bitewerks said:


> One of the best priced hardtail frames that woould be suited to freeriding & DH is the NS Surge. Less than $350 (or right around that) over at Universal Cycle's site. NS' other frames look pretty good too.


I'm definitely a fan of these frames. BONUS, if you get one of the newer ones, they have horizontal dropouts, better for SS.


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## SoWal_MTBer (Jan 4, 2012)

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the SC Chameleon yet!

You could find a good used frame and build it up on a budget if you needed to. I can personally attest that this frame is bomb proof. 

Check out the reviews for the Lizard on this site.


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## airmiller44 (Aug 20, 2009)

wasea04 said:


> airmiller, your bikes are very cool, but why just alum? The custom market is all about steel, baby yeah  I had a Zumbi Voodoo 4X alum frame that was actually strangely compliant like steel due to their unique sandwiched cs construction. Alum would be lighter and have better handling as a result I guess, it's always a grass is greener on the other side proposition isn't it...To the OP, at your height I wouldn't go under 19'' on your frame's st if you plan to pedal it at all while still maintaining your ability to get low for shock absorbtion. As far as the tt is concerned it really has to do you with how you like your bikes; stretched out for climbing and seated pedaling, or nice and tight for better handling and flickability.


We like aluminum and the looks of larger tubes etc. Our friend rides a cromo commencal that weighs like 33 pounds and doesnt even have breaks or shifters (ss). Our heaviest one (mine) weighs 29 (i have heavier componets all around and my stem alone weighs a pound (dirtydog skull stem)

all in all we love the looks and the frames are bombproof the owner has had some super gnarly crashes even ripped his ear off and tore open his side. Bike didnt have a scratch even after tumbling hardcore. Guess he should of had more pads on but man the bike took it.


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## delirian (Jan 1, 2009)

check out the offering's from chromag,,,, they are nice chuckable strong bikes,,,, check out the vids of jinya shredding his gypsy in whistler, and you will get a good idea how durable these frames are..


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## gbosbiker (Mar 10, 2009)

http://forums.mtbr.com/downhill-freeride/downhill-hardtail-helmet-camera-raw-footage-789748.html

Check out this helmet cam footage I got the other day so you can see what kind of trails a hardtail can handle. Its definitely rough but its fun. Simplicity is the way to go. Its done on the stout hardtail that was posted earlier in the thread just with a few small parts replaced. I built my hardtail up for probably under $1300 and it reached the bottom without any issues. Downhill hardtail ftw


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