7 Hardtail Hacks | Set-Up Tips & Upgrades For Your MTB

[@Emz_Jhaye]

Nice hacks! Flat pedals for me!. Still using that inner-tube hack as a chain stay protector. Still riding my hairdtail on 26" front & 24" rear wheel... 😎

[@gmbn]

Flat pedals still win medals!

[@Royal-Jaywick]

@@gmbn Hi ,I have a set of new design cranks, I like if you try them do you have a email or away to contact you !

[@brettjohnson9453]

I like clipless pedals but I am way more confident using flats on technical and rocky climbs

[@gmbn]

To each their own Brett! Don't get us wrong, we prefer flats in certain situations too!

[@adamrbing]

A lot of it is being worried that your going to struggle to bail if things go wrong

[@rider65]

Then you really don't like clipless. What you said was an oxymoron. When you have more confidence you have more control so you have less control in clipless pedals in the overall scope of riding. Which means you should ditch the clipless and stick to the flats. 👍

[@brettjohnson9453]

​@@rider65 My trouble with technical climbs and clipless is unclipping quick enough so I don't fall when something goes askew. It's an area for me to improve my riding not a reflection on my feelings for the type of pedal.

[@brettjohnson9453]

@@adamrbing That's exactly it, how I react when things don't go as planned (like stalling on a climb) is an area to improve on. My default reaction still to lift my foot off the pedal in an upwards motion which obviously doesn't work well for clipless. Side note: I've been working on track stands to give myself a moment and calm my reaction, seems to be helping.

[@aaronza7218]

Hardtail and flat pedals... love it!! :D

[@darylhunter3468]

26" all-day .. had a 29er it got stolen , went back to the 26 and now I and got in a nice groove ..

[@Melonator13]

Flat pedals for me all the way. I mainly ride jumps and smoother trails. Even on the rough stuff flats give me all the security i need

[@michaelsernst]

Love the hardtail content.... keep it coming.

[@THEBLACKANARCHIST]

26 ain't dead I'm upgrading my hard tail

[@underbikedoverconfident1142]

Did you see those 27.5/26 mullets at ramage? Looks like we will get a 26" wheel renaissance soon!

[@snickersmachtdichgeilqdh5394]

@@underbikedoverconfident1142 lets hope for it ❤🔥

[@alabaster4263]

Should be dead

[@ericaworthington2675]

All us old farts rode 26 and loved them, before there was any choice of sizes

[@grahamhowland566]

Just finished re building a 26” Norco Bigfoot and absolutely love it 😀👍🏼

[@watchjunkie1251]

Clipless pedals all the way, especially on techy trails, I like that feeling I get being planted in while sending over gnarly rough sections. Hardtail ftw👍🏻👍🏻

[@gmbn]

Couldn't agree more!

[@crabtrap]

for chain slap: use quality 550paracord. Hot glue ends and wrap the chain stay in area of likely chain strike. Much lighter the other options and durable, 100's of color choices

[@Gk22632]

Good tip

[@stevenreyes3680]

The best thing, aside from the 1000 watt motor, has to be the PNW suspension / dropper post. And it does not pogo. The rebound is unnoticeable...

[@kevinw6282]

Agree with you on clips - be one with the hardtail!!

[@renenavarro4121]

Best thing I've done with my scout is convert it to single speed. It's so light and zippy. Love it

[@richardburns5925]

Always flats off-road, I don't want clipping in! Id be straight over, straight over! Best flats? For me, DMR Brendog signature, I've got them on the Scott and Yeti.

[@MrKeefy]

Flat pedals since its what I'm used to and did a lot of BMX in my younger years

[@LjTactical]

I got back into biking after a few years as it is something I can do with my kids. I got myself a Vitus sentier VR and its epic, went tubeless, changed my brakes and put some clipless.pedals on her and I am away!

[@anthonygordon241]

Nice hacks... we need a vid with Blake's yellow scout specs. Love that bike

[@dylan-5287]

That yellow scout looks so good. I mainly ride my FS these days but I'm always tempted to take my hardtail out.

[@gmbn]

It's really worthwhile as it makes you think about the fundamentals again, which makes you an all-round better rider!

[@aceminer26]

No bottles were harmed in the making of this video 0:26

[@FireBlade57]

I like to move my feet a lot on the pedal. Good shoes will stick in any direction, but clipless only offers one position, too limiting.

[@MTB_CRZY]

You can always adjust the cleats on the shoes fore, aft, left and right. You can even angle them! Granted its not as much as if you just wore flats but ride whats comfortable for you :)

[@ashleyevans9290]

It's taken me until this point 5:05 before I noticed the bright pink helmet 😂😂 love it mate and cheers for the video, wanting to upgrade my hardtail, and this really is giving me proper good tips so far 👌

[@Football_Editzx1]

Thank you for the tips

[@gmbn]

No problem! Glad you found the video useful! 🙌

[@michaelhawes7185]

One hard tail hack, comfortable seat is a must

[@anitalandkroon]

flats are my thing 😃😃 I've never tried clipless 😬😬😬

[@tornagawn]

Riding clipped in since the advent of Onza pedals…. Perfect pedalling position always, plus the release flick is hardwired into my neural network if I bail.

[@heinrichkleist3473]

Hardtails are so underestimated! So glad to see these videos.

[@gerthinatorgaming5952]

Just about to start upgrading my old DDG COMBAT ISSUE hardtail. So much to sort out 😂😂

[@MrJUANJIN]

You guys are the beeeest 🎉🎉

[@adengocir]

Yeaaah hardtail c ekor keras 🤘

[@Adventuregirl96]

I run clipless on my gravel bike but flats on my hardtail.

[@michaelrodgers5105]

Been considering being clipped in. I tend to pinch my seat on fast bumpy descents

[@observingrogue7652]

Thank you.

[@Emolokz]

Woah, Blake actually vouching for clipless, and I always knew him as the hardcore flat rider. What caused the change of heart, Blake?

[@jadenerickson3397]

That's what I thought, Wow!

[@richardjensen3655]

I know. He's selling out. The further away mountain bikes get from road bike tech, the better.

[@Emolokz]

@@richardjensen3655 I hardly consider growing to like clipless "selling out". Why do you think the top racers in mtb all run clipless?

[@mangoshake]

Probably being in Dyfi more regularly. Ankles take a battering there.

[@Chris-de2qc]

For mega avalanche he rode clipless

[@deadclocks5828]

Another great vid, heaps of info & helpful tips. Liked & a new Sub 👍💯 Keep up the great work you’re doing for the Mtn bike community!

[@gmbn]

Thanks for the sub and welcome to the GMBN community DeadClocks!

[@billybass4189]

Why have I never even heard of tyre inserts? Best one for me.

[@miyamotosan972]

Did you ever have problems with the Spank Rims bending or braking?

[@Extrme_sports385]

27.5 is the best

[@hardtailriders]

Hardtail forever!!!

[@TheZygx]

Feels bad loosing the waterbottle in the first turn Neil:D

[@gmbn]

We were wondering if anyone would notice that 😅

[@DrJery]

saw it too 🙂

[@HenleyHenderson]

Favorite hardtail hack... Steel

[@blondiejoe]

I really feel like clipless pedals would improve my ride, because the rooty bouncy crap just bumps me off the flats so much on tough climbs. 2.8 tires for the win though, the extra squish really helps.

[@endianAphones]

Thumbs up for Neil's Advent X! Just noticed now.

[@bernie4219]

I recently started riding clipless on my hard tail and it’s great! Still scared of looping out on manuals though or going otb😬

[@gmbn]

That's great you've made the switch, Bernie! It takes a bit of getting used too! 😅

[@brad5983]

Same

[@Keule_from_Mars]

Nice.

[@gmbn]

Thanks!

[@bobothericefarmer1878]

Love em

[@AfricaTwinRider]

Great vid, love my Scout 290. What tyre insert do you recommend?

[@gabrielsteele-smith4526]

I’ve got flats, and clips, like 50/50. If u ain’t sure about if u want, get what I’ve got.

[@MartinTeerly]

Carbon wheels on hardtail it's the best choice but I believe the advert is more important 🤣👌🏻

[@stu7588]

Love hardtails I have 2 a Kona lava dome and a honzo al

[@ianmangham4570]

Nice frame

[@007bigrob]

I’ve bought clippless peddals and shoes but not plucked up the courage to fit them yet

[@floating-in]

Saffa here. Pounding in the rear hey, is that a Zim thing?

[@joshuahill7362]

What type of inserts are those? Vittoria? and Do they work if you have a Tube in the tire or are they only for tubeless? I have seen some inserts that accept a tube.

[@sistabozzen]

im leaning to a Specialized CHISEL 29. Thoughts? :)

[@valentinstefanov1502]

Today I bought a Comencal Meta HT 2017 and I want to improve it by replacing the important parts with better ones. Can you tell me which brands are compatible with my bike because I'm still a newbie and haven't done any serious upgrades on my bike yet. I'm talking about new cranks, disc brakes with their mechanism, chain and derailleur. Where can I find out what is compatible for my bike model. thanks

[@VinxyTech]

Subscribed at 1.99M subscribers!

[@mnandamchirikutv5399]

Hi, i want to know if wheel size 27.5x2.5 can fit into hardtail MTB?

[@JoeIsCrazyWillman]

Some of that I already knew. I'll stick to my flats on my new mullet Chameleon, but definitely ditching the Minion DHF/Aggressor combo on it for Schwalbe Magic Mary 2.6 addix soft super trail casing and Hans Dampf 2.6 addix speedgrip in either super trail & cushcore, or if you recommend, the super gravity casing. Riding in rocky central Texas, and although I ride aggressively more often than not, I'm only 150lbs, and 20psi tubeless was great except with this Maxxis Aggressor rear (no special tags other than TR) and no cush core currently it would bang on the rocks while barreling downhill. Do you think the Schwalbe super trail casing w/ cush core is enough, or should I go super gravity + cush core?

[@marcelclaus823]

Did Neil pick up his bottle, I hope. And did he get a better cage and or bottle?

[@artemisxo6734]

clipless feels so much more steady when it gets rough for me, no more bouncing off the pedals

[@mauriziogarofalo1714]

Where can i get the ergon saddle with these big ERGON Letters?

[@Majkisrajki]

Guys come jere to Northern Ireland and Visit Davagh, Garvagh and Gosford parks

[@Dootsauce]

29 T here and god i feel a bit small but mostly take it as a leisure bike cuz i almost broke it going downhill

[@sushantbaddi4294]

Hie!! Iam from india first of al lots of love! So i have got a. New MTb hardtrail my question- i want to make my front fork suspension bounce full so it's new ! One how can I ! Please do let me know sir❤

[@stevebennett3587]

👍🤔can i ask you guys, whats your favorite bar an stem sizes combos?

[@andreproductions1]

Most coaches will tell you to learn on flats. So not sure if clipless are a good idea for beginners

[@MTB_CRZY]

Ride flats for a year. When youre confident enough give clipless a try while riding on the road or gravel roads and just get used to clipping in and out of the pedals. It takes some time of getting used to it, but they are a nice skill to have in the bag when you want to use them!

[@zenscapeUKmedia]

Whoa - don't get the frame bag thing if you just want your few-hours essentials and not doing the Grand Tour. Frame stuffing puts the weight precisely where you don't want it on a hardtail - low on the unsprung part of the bike. Any racing auto engineer will tell you that you avoid at all cost unsprung weight. You might as well ride a supermarket special. Wear a minipack with hydration on your back instead. Your body is part of a hardtail's natural suspension, so any minipack is actually safe, sprung weight. The percentage difference of a 200gm backpack against a rider weight of 75Kg is tiny. But 200gm on a 10Kg bike is a far more significant addition. Probably the difference between a £2K bike and the £3K top of the range of the same make. Don't kill your performance. A good small backpack (my XC backpack came from Decathlon - its superb) It can carry pipe fed water, tyre repair, a pump and minitool. Just remember, saving weight saves energy and just feels better.

[@2scoops624]

I think it's personal preference. I like having a frame bag on my hardtail to take the weight off my body and get it low down on the bike. I feel less fatigued overall without a backpack.

[@ericaworthington2675]

And backpacks get super sweaty in warmer weather...

[@TheFrench91]

Anybody know which video the clip of Blake using pipe insulation as a tyre insert was from?

[@davidgilk]

I kept thinking, almost everything you are doing is adding weight and the beauty of the hardtail is in getting lighter. Not that all riding styles are the same (I do cross country and epic events on technical terrain with a good bit of climbing). I think your recommendations work for a specific case but not all cases. My suggested upgrades lighter wheels and drop the dropper post. I personally think most riders never need a dropper but it is a cool thing these days. I recently also dropped the heavy cassette, derailleur, cables and shifters to go Single Speed and have been having the best time simply riding! Oh, and have been riding clipped in since 1998 so flats are not for me (but that is a really personal thing).

[@2scoops624]

I couldn't disagree more on the dropper post, I think it's essential unless you only ride the smoothest xc trails. But I'm spoiled, I live in Colorado where the trails are steep and full of boulders.

[@davidgilk]

@@2scoops624 I think it is a like vs need thing. I have ridden all over Colorado, Utah, Arizona and many other places with sustained downhills and understand steep chunky bolder trails. And I did all that before droppers were even a thing. I am not knocking them, just saying I don't think you "need" one, certainly on a hard tail.... but if you are making a hard tail into a downhill or park ride, that is different. And you are lucky if you live in colorado!

[@2scoops624]

@@davidgilk I acknowledge that bike setup up is almost completely personal preference and riding style. Can you traverse rough terrain without a dropper? Of course. But if you want to do black and double black descents with speed (and fun), then a dropper is necessary, imo.

[@corn5341]

What are those mudguards???

[@GusGZ]

Bottle dropped in 0:26

[@krzysiu4003]

Manitou Mezzer with a Vittoria Mazza

[@syedshahbaz4807]

I want trail bike. BTW from Pakistan 🤩

[@snowman22ism]

Did Neil get his bottle back?

[@Elandur]

"Concentrate on the rear, because that's where it gets a lot more of a pounding"

[@stephenhill6003]

Naughty! 😁

[@acedotcom]

i am 6'5" and 250lbs...i put in about 20 to 40 miles a week when i can....suggestions? i'm not great at bunny hoping and i mostly do xc up to black diamond.

[@stankersten532]

Same situation although I weight less. Thinking about getting a Canyon Spectral 125. Seems versatile enough and its an alloy frame which gives me a bit more peace of mind haha.

[@acedotcom]

@@stankersten532 I feel pretty happy with my weight right now. I have taken most of the "tall guy" tips they have suggested but I've not seen too many tips for us big boys.

[@stankersten532]

@@acedotcom Understandable not bashing on the weight btw. Friend of mine is the same weight as you and decided to go with the spectral. Think it is best to test ride a few bikes if you can :) Happy riding!

[@paulcole9636]

Can we have rides of lower end hardtails? Not everyone can afford more than £5/600.

[@yamahschector]

What manitou fork is this

[@thilinakumara1731]

Beautifull bike ilove this bike nukeproof the best...🥰😘

[@theogohioan1633]

I would get yelled out for riding local trails when it was raining...

[@gerthinatorgaming5952]

My other half complains all the time when I come home just slightly dusty 😡 very annoying

[@BadBoyV1]

Can anyone recommend any decent cheap flat pedals?

[@keystonedaytrip238]

Pedaling Innovations Catalyst

[@unzulaessig]

Since when are clip pedals clipless??

[@mariusreiter9493]

"clip" refers to the old toe clip and leather strap that old bike pedals used to have, that's why pedals that use a cleat to connect to the shoe (thus no "clip") are called "clipless".

[@markdavis8430]

Neil anytime you bring hardtail it has to be the voodoo

[@dman-mw7vc]

Neil hardtail redemption video after thrashing them a few weeks ago as being no good!

[@underbikedoverconfident1142]

My 2023 goal is learning to ride clipless (it's a bit wet and frozen until spring to try). I've heard Crankbros are the best to start if your used to flats so I'll try those first. I put an XC rear tyre on hardtail this year and have suffered endless punctures as a result. Almost one per ride. Love a hardtail!

[@thsaintful]

I use their Mallet-e pedals. you get the benefit of clippless and still the "feel" of a normal platform. love it

[@underbikedoverconfident1142]

@@thsaintful good to know! I wasn't sure whether to hedge my bets by buying a crank brothers candy and an spd pedal to try both but that is the feeling I'm after! So, it's like I should go all in and jump straight to the mallet.

[@thsaintful]

@@underbikedoverconfident1142 i tried SPD's, but i could feel the clips as pressure points under my sole. Dont have that problem with the mallets. have to admit i have relatively flexible shoes, Scott Volt. I use the candy's on my indoor bike though, for that purpose it's fine for me.

[@underbikedoverconfident1142]

@@thsaintful thank you, you have no idea how helpful this exchange has been for me. The mallets are definitely the right choice due to an old injury it sounds like SPD's would cause me pain.

[@gmbn]

Love to see this convo! Thanks for helping each other out 👍 Agreed that Mallets sound like a better option, especially if you're new to clipless!

[@jakubwitkowicz4784]

yellow nukeproof - what fender is there mount?

[@pennywood5653]

What fender?

[@fixienick]

Standard fender that's included with the Manitou Mezzer fork

[@ZarzPanarz5878]

Hi Blake, great video, like all of your videos. I'm riding a hardtail again for the second time ( dartmoor hornet pro). As for the pedals, I would ask you to try the chromag dagga. Because these stand out from all flat pedals. Why I still don't drive clicks today. Until next time. ride on

[@LukeShaw474]

Is there a hack for not losing your water bottle in a berm Neil lol

[@tomrodgers6629]

All of the above I use my bike for everything I call it my "Swiss Army Bike"

[@loamchasers]

I thought neils bike had the fork on backwards. Did anyone else notice that?

[@hareis23456]

manitou forks are reverse arch

[@stevenreyes3680]

It’s a Manitou. Looks like my Circus Expert, but clearly isn’t. Mine is 130mm travel but has the same axel to crown as my old 145mm Manitou Nixon. I just got hit by a pickup truck head on. The really tough Banshee Scirocco frame is destroyed, as is the front wheel. The fork looks ok...

[@jakesherron2390]

That’s like a $3K hardtail haha.. GMTB NEVER FAILS

[@meliodashadeyoshi2115]

They made something for both worlds magnetic pedals I perfer remtech magnetic pedals.!!

[@METEORA_47]

blake's please try mullet for hardtail and give a comment about it

[@DJ.V-W]

So stupid that they're called "clipless" when they are in fact clipped, anyone know why that is? Flat pedals for me thanks, can move around more. Also I much prefer to run with tubes, I almost never get punctures and I do a lot of off-roading, it seems to work for me.

[@brianhiebert8367]

'Clip' pedals, are the old ones with the straps. So when these came out, they called them 'clipless'... that's my understanding.

[@rafaelgarcia2068]

Nukeproof Is mint

[@griffon2-6]

bottle @0:25 i will remember you :

[@MRSOMEBODYRC]

No clips for me, I'm sorry! Not my cup of tea.

[@Sam-tk9tt]

From someone who rides both it’s fun, it has its purpose but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it flats are fine.

[@richardjensen3655]

Clips are a must? C'mon Blake you ride flats too. I guess I'll have to delete all those rides I got in the top 10 since flat pedals don't count.

[@Pushupsinaduttypad]

Mountain bikes aren’t out special or fancy I recently bought a brand new trek marlin hate it but back in like 2013 I had a limited edition carrera black and red with tiny bit of white with white hydraulic brakes and white wheels best bike I’ve ever owned and it’s cheap compared to all these fancy brands and the prices I put many miles on my Carrara but this trek just ain’t me the head tube ain’t on a angle feel like I’m on a road bike the brakes are just simple hydrolics that u see on Carreras but the Carrara ones feel better just can’t get over how terrible trek has gone they use to be the bikes everyone wanted I think it’s time for a vitus or a Santa Cruz

[@musa9784]

I feel you... 😪 I went through the same thing...

[@dongescaner5873]

At 0:26, is that Neil's water bottle?

[@lizardears4861]

Broke 6 ribs and punctured lung on exposed roots using clipless pedals. Never again.